Barbara Kopple

Harlan County USA

Harlan County USA

Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award–winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. With a haunting soundtrack—featuring legendary country and bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, David Morris, Sarah Ogan Gunning, and Florence Reece—the film is a heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1976
  • 104 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.33:1
  • English
  • Spine #334

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Barbara Kopple, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • Audio commentary by Kopple and editor Nancy Baker
  • Making-of documentary featuring interviews with Kopple, crew members, and strike participants featured in the film
  • Outtakes from the film
  • Interview with bluegrass singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens
  • Interview with filmmaker John Sayles
  • Panel discussion from the 2005 Sundance Film Festival featuring Kopple and critic Roger Ebert
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

    Cover by Eric Skillman

Purchase Options

Coming soon, available Aug 25, 2026

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Barbara Kopple, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • Audio commentary by Kopple and editor Nancy Baker
  • Making-of documentary featuring interviews with Kopple, crew members, and strike participants featured in the film
  • Outtakes from the film
  • Interview with bluegrass singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens
  • Interview with filmmaker John Sayles
  • Panel discussion from the 2005 Sundance Film Festival featuring Kopple and critic Roger Ebert
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

    Cover by Eric Skillman
Harlan County USA
Credits
Director
Barbara Kopple
Producer
Barbara Kopple
Editing
Nancy Baker
Associate director
Anne Lewis
Principal cinematographer
Hart Perry
Cinematography
Kevin Keating
Sound
Barbara Kopple

Current

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