Harlan County, USA (1976) - John Sayles Interview

This documentary won an academy award and it's a very powerful movie! I recognized one lady in the movie as a local champion for health care for the poor. There is a clinic to this day thanks to her. Eula Hall, read about here here:
http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=1288

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• Harlan County

[Freakster1970]

I can relate to the film coming from a mining area in Scotland. I noticed a lot of scots names in the documentary and the bluegrass music was also brought there from Scotland / Ireland. Does anyone know if the soundtrack is available? I love people like Darrell Scott and Tim O'brien.

[BetteDavisEyz]

@Freakster1970 Hiya, thanks for watching, The whole area definitely owes it's culture and music to the Scots/Irish emigrants, the farm in our family was from our ancestors who fought in the revolution, names like Fitzpatrick, and my dad was a Calhoun. I googled for a soundtrack, but didn't locate one, maybe you can , or find these artists individually...good luck....O'er da pond there in Bonnie Scotland :D

[jays2474]

I would love to see another documentary done on these same people on what they are doing now.Like if some are still alive interview them.

[jays2474]

Im a right wing conservative.Not a republican.People on my political side of the isle have to relize is until industrialist start to practice good business ethics the far left will be out here.We need some regulation to protect the working class.We can have capitalism with some regulation.Unfortunately as a union man the majority of my life I have witnessed the union become what the were supposed to be fighting against,corrupt big business.Democrat liberals are not the same today as back then.

[kentucky9000]

@jlfittro O they wore red ones around there necks in the Civil war to keep from shooting one another. in the woods in gorllia fighting

[jlfittro]

Redneck came from the red kerchiefs worn by the Blair Mountain miners. It's a badge of honor, or was until taken over by the capitalists. Timbuctu anyone? Why bother responding to Will.......whatever. You'll never change his mind. Move on over him!!

[jlfittro]

Redneck came from the red kerchiefs worn by the Blair Mountain miners. It's a badge of honor, or was until taken over by the capitalists. Timbuctu anyone? Why bother responding to Will.......whatever. You'll never change his mind. Move on over him!!

[ptboat67]

Living in Georgia, our mill villages are now represented as a benevolence bestowed on workers by the owner. While this may have been an intention, it is certainly not indicative of the lives led within their confines. I'm grateful that the production team had the courage to insert themselves into the lives of these Harlan County residents to give us an accurate portrayal of what is now history.

[ptboat67]

The film was brilliant and showed not only the actual living conditions in a mining (mill villages were very similar) town, but gave insight into the daily lives of people setting out to get what they perceived as their due from a behemoth of an employer. I came away from this film feeling that I knew more about Appalachia, it's people, and their resolve. I learned to appreciate them as individuals.

[ptboat67]

It's sad, to me, that any chance good discussion on these sights always ends in (usually homophobic) ad hominems.