Harlan County, USA is a 1976 documentary film documenting the efforts of 180 coal miners on strike in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1974. It was directed by Barbara Kopple, who has long been an advocate of workers' rights. Harlan County, U.S.A. is less ambivalent in its attitude toward unions than her later American Dream, the account of the Hormel Foods strike in Austin, Minnesota in 1985-1986. Image File history File links Harlan_county_usa. ... Barbara Kopple (born July 30, 1946) is an American film director primarily known for her work in documentary film. ... Barbara Kopple (born July 30, 1946) is an American film director primarily known for her work in documentary film. ... is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... Location in the state of Kentucky Formed 1819 Seat Harlan Area  - Total  - Water 1,212 km² (468 mi²) 2 km² (1 mi²) 0. ... A blonde haired, very skilled worker with a 70s look. ... Barbara Kopple (born July 30, 1946) is an American film director primarily known for her work in documentary film. ... Genre- Documentary Director-Barbara Kopple Awards- Academy Award, Best Documentary film, 1990 American Dream is a documentary film which centers around union meatpacking workers at Hormel Foods in Austin, Minnesota in 1985-1986. ... Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) is probably best known as the producer of SPAM luncheon meat. ... Interstate 90 Business Loop (Oakland Avenue) runs through the center of Austin. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

Kopple and her crew spent years with the families depicted in the film, documenting the dire straits they find themselves in while striking for safer working conditions, fair labor practices, and decent wages: following them to picket in front of the stock exchange in New York, filming interviews with people affected by black lung disease, and even catching an attempted murder on tape. Pneumoconiosis is a lung condition caused by the inhalation of dust, characterized by formation of nodular fibrotic changes in lungs. ...

The most significant point of disagreement in the Harlan County strike was the company's insistence on including a no-strike clause in the contract.[1] The miners were concerned that accepting such a provision in the agreement would limit their influence over local working conditions. The sticking point was mooted when, a few years after this strike, the UMWA folded the agreement that was eventually won by this group of workers into a global contract. See also general strike, or for other uses see: strike (disambiguation). ...

The central figure in the documentary is Lois Scott, a firebrand who plays a major role in galvanizing the community in support of the strike. Several times she is seen publicly chastising those whom she feels have been absent from the picket lines. In one scene, Scott pulls a pistol from her bra and earns a comparison to Women's Liberation activists by associate director Anne Lewis in the film's 2004 Criterion Collection special feature The Making of Harlan County, USA. Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Criterion Collection is a joint venture between Janus Films and The Voyager Company that was begun in the mid 1980s for the purpose of releasing authoritative consumer versions of classic and important contemporary films on the laserdisc and DVD formats. ...

The film won the 1976 Academy Award for Documentary Feature and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The events were dramatized in the 2000 TV movie Harlan County War. The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is one of the most prestigious awards for documentary films. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A 2000 made for TV movie set in Harlan County, Kentucky Categories: Films about coal mining ...

External link

• Harlan County, USA at the Internet Movie Database
• Criterion Collection essay by Paul Arthur