Rating: 
Summary: another Sayles gem
Review: Flat out, John Sayles is the most INTERESTING film maker operating today. Whether discussing the big chill{the return of the seacaucus seven}or the Blacksox scandal{eight men out} or an Irish Legend{the secret of roan inish}, Sayles is on target,literate and ENJOYABLE. Matewan is a cold heart in american history,when workers actually cared about their fellows,and were willing to put themselves, LITERALLY, on the line. This story takes place in WestVa. in the 1920's. The always excellent Chris Cooper{a sayles staple} is brilliant as the pacifist union leader of the united Mine Workers. James earlJones,the corporate shill who was once an accomplished actor, and turns out what might be the finest performance of his career as a poor mine worker. The cinematography is pitch perfect{the legendary Haskell Wexler,I later discovered, was responsible}. Even the child actors are superb{a notoriously difficult feat}. The scenes of the poverty as gut wrenching, as is the violence. Sayles spares us little. The ditty I sold my soul to the company store has mnore meaning after watching this movie. A brilliant social and political commentary, and a master crafstman at work. HUGELY RECOMMENDED. Also, the astounding award winning documentary, Harlan County USA.
Rating:
Summary: An exploration of America's terrible dark side
Review: It's difficult not to get your personal feelings called into play when watching an obviously slanted film like Matewan. John Sayles, like Oliver Stone, is an obvious agit-prop master for the left. But so are several others. However, those others do not get the responses that Sayles has evoked because they don't have half the movie making talent that Sayles possesses. There is no fence-sitting when watching his films, and that's because his visions and messages are clear, uncompromising and passionate. Matewan is his highest achievement in those regards.Using the coal miners' unionization efforts of the 1920s as his springboard, Sayles explores one of the dark truths at the heart of free-market capitalism: the unblinking willingness of those in power to crush--physically and spiritually--those who work.
Sayles' gritty realism, the gaunt faces of the actual citizens of West Virginia who serve as extras in the film, Haskell Wexler's recreation of a long-gone era, and, of course, the great performances all around, drive that dark point home. Sayles' script, although a little long-winded at points, illustrates well how employers pit worker against worker, worker against scab, scab against scab. In fact, the workers do as much violence to each other as the bosses do to them. Don't dismiss this as a masnifesto disguised as a film. In the tradition of On the Waterfront (also based on an actual event), the characters, situations, and dialogue are all convincing. This is a great film but be sure to see it on video, not DVD, as others have pointed out. Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS
Rating:
Summary: Word to the wise: Canadian widescreen available
Review: Just an announcement for Sayles fans and fans of this film: a very good widescreen dvd of this film does exist, but it's only being produced in Canada. Its sound is supposedly much better than anything else available, and the widescreen transfer is totally decent. You can read a review of this dvd at dvd verdict. Given what we learned about the peacefulness of our neighbor to the north in Bowling For Columbine, it's ironic that this most bloody-minded of Sayles films should be released there and not here. No other film I can think of more clearly explains the tragic connections between violence and class politics in American history. Lefty types such as myself have always loved this film, but I know a good many conservatives who do as well. The story of the little guy fighting for his very survival against the bully is always a compelling one, never more so than here. And for those who think the bad guys in this film are TOO evil--I have relatives from coal country and they assure me that if anything, the movie could have gone even further. More than in any of his other films of the 1980s, Sayles is just so brutally honest here about the necessities and the strange accidents that can lead us toward a better future, though with much to suffer in the meantime. A dead-solid American classic. Supposedly Sayles has recorded commentary for an American release of a widescreen dvd, but I can find no evidence of its being produced any time soon.
Rating:
Summary: MATEWAN as teaching tool
Review: To avoid repeating what others have said, I'll just concur that this movie has the ring of truth about a little-known chapter of American labor history, and writing, acting and photography are superb. I showed it to two classes of students this semester and they were almost all fascinated. (Freshmen!) I was asked why they didn't learn about the mine wars of West By-Gosh in their history classes, which led to interesting discussion questions like "who writes history?" I used the film in conjunction with Denise Giardina's STORMING HEAVEN--a novel about the same mine wars. Both are based on actual events and lives. For material that promotes fast-paced classroom discussion, Sayle's MATEWAN can't be beat. He is a fascinating writer and producer; MATEWAN is, however, the best Sayles' movie I've seen on all counts--writing, acting, photography, and historical content. Some reviewers here have called it slow-moving. I have watched it at least 5 times and find it just as compelling now as when I viewed it the first time. Buy it--you won't be sorry!
Rating: 
Summary: Great film - awful DVD
Review: John Sayles' best film merits a far better DVD treatment than this technical travesty. Others here have mentioned the film's amazing cinematograhy, fine performances (indierockers note: a young Will Oldham -- later of the band Palace Brothers -- has a featured role) and stirring story. But it bears repeating that this digital transfer is *atrocious*. The film is presented in "full-screen" format, lopping off the edges of Haskell Wexler's beautiful frames. Celluloid scratches and "reel change" hole-punches are visible throughout. And the sound, if you can believe it, is worse -- it's in hissy, almost inaudible MONO, for God's sake! Zero commentaries. Almost no bonus extras, unless you count a few panels of "production notes." Not worth a purchase. Wait for the morons at Artisan to get their collective act together and give this fine film the gold-star release it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening
Review: This story is based upon, and rooted in, history. The one reviewer, DM, listed below, should learn the history of the West Virginia coal wars before spouting his own apriori ideology. If you want a sense of how working people, dependent upon their employers, can be manipulated and controlled, using any means available, this story will provide it. The struggle of labor for the right to earn a living wage is a sad, sad story. Forget for a minute that the workingman's struggle would ultimately be co-opted and subverted--this tale of the early days of Union organizing, and the stakes involved, does have the potential to inspire you to rethink the ways and means of authoritarianism--and your relationship to it. As the words to the old organizers song went: Which side are you on? Which side are you on?
Rating:
Summary: Matewan- A true story
Review: I have talked, in the far past, to people who lived thru this experience. Now they have all past away, but this movie keeps their story alive. Matewan is a big part of our heritage even if it is not well known.
Rating: 
Summary: Bleak mood sets the tone of this coal mine strike story
Review: This 1987 film, written and directed by John Sayles, is based on a real incident from the 1920, when workers from a West Virginia coal mine went on strike. Chris Cooper stars as a labor union organizer who comes to the town which is run the Company that have just brought in a trainload of black men as well as a group of Italian families to do the work of the strikers. James Earl Jones is cast as the leader of the blacks who says out loud that he understands people can't help calling him the "N" word, but no man can ever call him a "scab". Will Oldham is cast as a 14-year old mine worker and sometimes preacher. There are heroes and villains in this film, and Kevin Tighe and Gordon Clapp are the kind of bad guys you love to hate. The pace is slow as the story unfolds, each actor giving depth to his or her role. The Union is represented as a good and unifying force for the diverse types of people caught up in the drama. The company is represented as bad. Really bad. Not only did they exploit their workers and push people out of their homes, they also did not stop at brutal murder. There were enough personal stories to keep the film interesting although I found some of the speeches a little long and talky. It was all about mood and bleakness and John Sayles sure is a master of setting the mood. Most of the extras in the film lived in the area of Appalachia where it was shot and the close-ups of their faces added to the film's authenticity. One of the problems was that the transfer of the film to DVD wasn't done well. The sound was muffled and some of the words were indistinct. And the shots set in the forest were so dark that it was hard to tell what was going on. I enjoyed the film although I thought it was too long. Followers of John Sayles work will enjoy it though, as well as those with an interest in union struggle.
Rating:
Summary: Great Production, Absurd Characters
Review: The acting, cinematography, and direction in this movie were excellent. The screenplay is clever in many ways. What makes this movie a total disaster is the way it develops its' characters. The bad guys in this film are so thoroughly evil and detestable, that they are just not believable. The good guys in this film are not quite perfect all the time. It rightly portrays the violence that union workers used to restrict competition for jobs. However, the workers all end up 'uniting in the face of evil'. They set aside their bigotry and distrust for outsiders in general all too easily. There is another hint of reality. It briefly mentions government support of business (the real source of such societal ills), but dwells mostly on the imaginary evils of capitalism. The 'hero' of this film gets portrayed as a kind of angel who can do no wrong. If you are a left wing union worshiper this film will seem real to you. If you think, you will see it as nothing more than pro union, anti freedom propaganda.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing movie, poor transfer and muddy sound on DVD
Review: This is one of my favourite movies, and my favourite one by John Sayles (all are good though) but the DVD version is pretty nasty. I just got it from Netflix and was very disappointed with the transfer and the sound quality. I'm nothing like a cinemaphile or audiophile but this was pretty bad. The sound is especially muddy and full of hiss, when combined with the thick West Virginia accents of all the actors makes it near impossible to understand some lines. The VHS version is MUCH better, which is pretty sad, analog sound better than digital. There were a few spots where the transfer was glaringly bad, flickering and horizontal black lines in the background. This amazing and underrated movie deserves a much better DVD issue.
|
