Title: Harlan County, USA
Grade: A
Times Viewed: 1
Date Reviewed: 04/25/05
Another thoughtful documentary that defies convetion to some degree by going for the fly-on-the-wall approach. In this case, however, director Barbara Kopple has to fight to not only familiarize people with the struggles of the miners of Harlan County, but also to educate them about the humanity of those people. With strong “hick” accents and their own set of morals, flaws, and songs, the average Harlan County resident is perhaps not the most sympathetic of protagonist. However, their struggle is very real, and their humanity is very much evident through the great filming in this movie, and while it’s not clear really how much impact this movie made, a wide release might very well have made a significant one.
Tags: a+ films, harlan county, usa
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