Harlan County USA (DVD)
APPROX. 104 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 1976 - MPA RATING: PG
" "But doesn’t the company have a valid perspective too? As Kopple convincingly argues: No, it doesn't."
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On the surface, "Harlan County USA" appears to be a rousing populist tale, which is appropriate considering that the Best Picture winner that year was "Rocky." However, the final message of the film is something grimmer than "We Shall Overcome." There may be strength in numbers, but the only way the miners really make progress at the end if after they arm themselves in answer to the company´s armed thugs which could, I suppose, be read as a justification for the paranoia of American militia culture. One miner is killed by a scab worker, and it is only this crisis that motivates that company to quickly negotiate for a new contract. Whether the workers actually get a fair shake in the end is also an open question.
A shotgun marriage of the participatory and observational documentary modes, "Harlan County USA" is a monumentally influential movie that remains as compelling today as when it was released thirty years ago. Kopple scores easy points by lobbing tomatoes at villains like Basil Collins and by sanctifying heroes such as Lois Scott, but she´s only making optimal use of the material she found.
Video
The film is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, the same ratio as the 35 mm blowup used as the source for this transfer. The footage is grainy and gritty, a tribute to its status as a low-budget guerilla film. The restored transfer looks great but not too great, which is important. You don´t want to buff and polish something like this so much that it loses its original flavor. Hart Perry is credited for the cinematography along with four others (Kevin Keating, Phil Parmet, Flip McCarthy, and Tom Hurwitz) and all of the photography in this movie is top notch.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the audio.
Extras
An audio commentary by Kopple and editor Nancy Baker includes many insights into details about the filming, although perhaps a bit too much reminiscing about how wonderful and amazing everyone involved in the movie was.
"The Making of ´Harlan County USA´" (22 min.) is a newly filmed documentary short with interviews with crew members and some strike participants. It is fairly superficial but still interesting material.
Also included is an interview with Hazel Dickens (12 min.), a bluegrass singer-songwriter who contributed several of the songs featured prominently in "Harlan County USA."
In 2005, the Sundance Film Festival celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Harlan County USA" (a year early, I think, but who´s complaining) and the DVD includes a panel discussion (14 min.) moderated by Roger Ebert and including Kopple, Hart Perry, Nancy Baker, Hazel Dickens, and some striking Utah miners.
John Sayles reflects on the film in a brief interview (6 min.), and the selection of extras is rounded out by six separate Outtakes, totaling 26 min. running time.
The insert booklet includes an essay by Film Comment stalwart Paul Arthur and an essay by music journalist Jon Weisberger.
Film Value
"Harlan County USA" creates a sense of time and place rivaled by only a handful of other films, fiction or non-fiction. Replete with memorable characters, both heroes and villains, this documentary is constructed like a classical drama, and is stirring on a visceral level. The film might not offer many deep insights into the complex issues involved in worker-corporate relations, but it more than compensates with its insights into the men and women of Harlan County. One of the defining documentaries of the 70s, "Harlan County USA" is not to be missed.
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