|
|
Price: $30.00 Prices subject to change.Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9786304383650 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC ISBN: 6304383657 Label: Evergreen Ent Languages: Manufacturer: Evergreen Ent Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Evergreen Ent Release Date: April 29, 1997 Running Time: 142 minutes Studio: Evergreen Ent Theatrical Release Date: August 28, 1987 Editorial Review: Amazon.com essential video: A little-known chapter of American labor history is brought vividly to life in this period drama from writer-director John Sayles. It's a fictional story about labor wars among West Virginia coal miners during the 1920's, but every detail is so right that the film has the unmistakable ring of truth. The tension begins when the Stone Mountain Coal Company of Matewan, West Virginia, announces a lower pay rate for miners, who respond by calling a strike under the leadership of a United Mine Workers representative (Chris Cooper). Proving strength in numbers, the miners are joined by black and Italian miners who initially resist the strike, and a fateful battle ensues when detectives hired by the coal company attempt to evict miners from company housing. Violence erupts in a sequence of astonishing, cathartic intensity, and Matewan achieves a rare degree of moral complexity combined with gut-wrenching tragedy. The film salutes a pacifist ideal while recognizing that personal and political convictions often must be defended with violence. To illustrate this point, Sayles enlisted master cinematographer Haskell Wexler, who creates the film's authentic visual texture--a triumph of artistry over limited resources. The result is a milestone of independent filmmaking, and Matewan remains one of Sayles's finest achievements. --Jeff Shannon Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The Matewan Massacre is in here somewhere . . .This is a great movie. That being said, the events it is alleged to portray are only a small part of THIS film. There's a story being told by Mr. Sayles about the conditions in which the miners and their families lived, what their prospects for improvement were, the efforts to unionize the coal fields, and the efforts to thwart the unionization of the same, but beware that you understand that Mr. Sayles was telling a story that only refers to what happened in Matewan and Bloody Mingo in 1920-1921. ... Read More Rating:  - Incredible movie.My mom's family is actually from McDowell County W. Va. and still live there, which is just to the east of Mingo County. The performances are right on with the Appalachian population that lives there. My grandfather died in the W. Va. coal mines in the early 60's, so this film is especially relevant for me. This is a fantastic movie in every sense of film. It is a throw-back to film-making that focuses on acting, directing, and screenplay. It is edge-of-your-seat thrilling...unless, of course, you have ... Read More Rating: - HIGH NOON FOR JOE HILLMATEWAN is set in a small West Virginia coal mining town of the same name, where in May of 1920 an armed conflict between striking miners and thugs sent in by the Baldwin-Felts organization to break the union resulted in what known as the Coalfield Wars, the biggest insurrection in America outside the Civil War. On the union's side were both the town's mayor, Cabal Testerman (who was shot and killed in the battle even though he was unarmed) and the sheriff, Sid Hatfield, who survived this ... Read More Rating: - West Virginia's Roots In All Its GloryThis movie is a great one. Why? It brings West Virginia's history to life. West Virginia is an odd mix of people who come from very different backgrounds. You see how this was played out in the Mountain state's early days. You also see how these people were exploited by the larger corporate interests. This is part of the reason why the state is a union state. All in all, this movie does a good job of telling a true story in an enjoyable way. Rating: - MatewanGood history movie of the early years of coal mining and the way the people were owned by the mining companies. Also the bloody way they fought the early union organizers, who were trying to get some respect and benefits for the workers and their families! |
