The Making of 'Harlan County USA'

The Making of Harlan County U.S.A. (2006)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This 22-minute documentary was made for the HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A. Criterion Collection release and features interviews with producer-director Barbara Kopple, cinematographers Hart Perry and Kevin Keating, associate director Anne Lewis, minders Houston Elmore, Jerry Johnson and strike activist Bessie Parker. Fans of the masterpiece film should get a nice thrill out of seeing those involved with much of the movie. I thought it was terrific hearing from the filmmakers about how they got involved with the miners as well as hearing stories about how at first they weren't trusted. It's also great seeing the miners as they are today and I think it's fair to say that another full documentary would be great just to see what they're doing with their lives today. It's great hearing some behind-the-scenes stories about stuff that didn't get into the movie and it's fascinating to hear both sides talk about how there probably would have been much more violence had the film crew not been there. At such a short running time there's no question that not everything could be covered but I think this does a very good job with its limited time.