Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Documentary/Harlan County U.S.A.
Harlan County U.S.A. poster
A
Excellent
MASTER SCORE 79.4 / 100
1976·Documentary·1h 43m

HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A.

“Which Side Are You On?”

This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastover's refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television in 2004.

Above the Line
Barbara Kopple·DirectorHart Perry·Director of PhotographyHazel Dickens·Original Music ComposerNancy Baker·Editor
Cast
Norman Yarborough·Self - Eastover Mining PresidentHouston Elmore·Self - UMW OrganizerPhil Sparks·Self - UMW StaffBessie Lou Cornett Parker·SelfSudie Crusenberry·SelfMary Lou Fergerson·SelfBasil Collins·Self - Mine ForemanFlorence Reece·SelfLois Scott·Self
Full Crew
(14 credits)
Directing· 2
Barbara Kopple·DirectorAnne Lewis Johnson·Other
Camera· 2
Hart Perry·Director of PhotographyKevin Keating·Director of Photography
Editing· 4
Nancy Baker·EditorMirra Bank·EditorLora Hays·EditorMary Lampson·Editor
Sound & Music· 4
Hazel Dickens·Original Music ComposerMerle Travis·Original Music ComposerBarbara Kopple·SoundJoshua Waletzky·Sound Editor
Production· 1
Barbara Kopple·Producer
Other Departments· 1
Rip Torn·Thanks
By the Numbers
79.4
OF 100
Master Score
8.2
OF 10
IMDb
100%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
1
1 NOMS
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Harlan County U.S.A.'s key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#A9A9A9
#595959
#D3D3D3
Mood
Serious
Composition
Centered
Era
1970s
Visual Style
Photographic

“A black and white photo shows a person standing on a dirt pile, holding a piece of lined paper that reads "HARLAN COUNTY USA" in block letters. The person wears”

Key Elements
SignGas MaskCap With LightKnee Pads
Atmosphere
Gritty
Color Mood
Neutral
Setting
Rural
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY BARBARA KOPPLE

Every catalog entry where Barbara Kopple is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE DOCUMENTARY

Top-ranked films inside documentary, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1970S

The best films of the 1970s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows