Why is this documentary not out on DVD??? I can honestly say I've never seen a film that managed to get me so emotionally involved in its subject. I'm lucky that I have a local video store that carries a wide range of documentaries as I'm sure most people might have a tough time tracking this one down. The story is as suspenseful and intense as any fictional movie I've ever seen, but these are the kind of people Hollywood never portrays. I come from the laurel highlands of Western Pennsylvania where the mountains were once dotted with coal mines, and the grave of the Yablonski family is located in the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. I remembered the large grave when I was a child and my parents had told me they were murdered, but I never knew the whole story until I saw this film. This is a truly fantastic underdog story that will anger and move you. I wish there was a soundtrack to this movie too. The music is incredible! When the elderly woman (can't remember her name) sings "Which Side are You On?" (which she wrote years before for an earlier strike!) at the miners rally it is an immensely powerful performance and makes Natalie Merchant's recent version sound like an emotionless waste. Anyway, hunt this film down and watch it, show it to your friends and family, remember the good people of Harlan County and how the fought.
Review of Harlan County U.S.A.
