Matewan

Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Look at the Industrial Warfare of the 1920s.
Review: This is an extraordinary film. I use it in my labor history class to help students understand the industrial warfare of the 1920s. Chris Cooper gives a stunning performance. The character he plays helps students to understand the convictions and motivations of a former Wobbly and to see how union organizers put their lives on the line.

Matewan offers students a rich portrait of the fight for unionization that I could not provide them in any other way. The only trouble my students had was with the Southern accents. I wrote up an outline for them, including some of the outstanding quotes from Chris Cooper's character, and that seemed to help.

Many of my students purchased this film so they could watch it again at home.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The Union makes us strong!
Review: Everyone who loves and appreciates movies should revere Sayles as the most coherent, consistent and independent voice of American cinema. Through a succession of truly great and criminally unrecognised films (Brother from Another Planet; Return of the Secaucus Seven; Eight Men Out; Lone Star) Sayles powerfully projects the earthy, progressive and - yes - left-wing convictions that once informed the views of the majority of ordinary American working men and women. The cinema of Sayles is somewhat like the music of Woody Guthrie - grounded in the views and experience of ordinary people, tinged with melancholy, yet coupled to a vision of a better America. At a time when even an enjoyable popcorn movie like Gladiator is confused as progressive filmmaking, Sayles' movies are the perfect reminder that there is still a REAL cinema of commitment in much the same way that somewhere in the midst and to the left of the Democratic Party there is still a REAL progressive movement. Like his English counterpart Ken Loach, Sayles chooses not to shy away from progressive presumptions in his storytelling - and the resulting integrity of his work accordingly demands respect no matter what your political viewpoint. Amongst his illustrious films, Matewan towers above all as Sayles' magnificent and epic signature film. Telling the heroic and tragic tale of the Virginia coalminers' strike, Sayles sides squarely and refreshingly (for an American film) with the striking workers. As with Eight Men Out (the story of the 1919 Chicago White Sox World Series scam), his view of the interests, needs and sentiments of owners is unrelentingly unsympathetic and scathing as he reveals them for what they were: ruthless, greedy robber-barons who built their fortune on the sweat and backs of American labour. But the quality and depth of Sayles' understanding of strike dynamics allows him to avoid the potential counter-pitfall of romanticizing union solidarity. Instead, he reveals with great frankness the racism, suspicion, manipulation, violence and treachery that oftentimes see workers self-destruct their own cause. The manipulated role of religion, church and authority does not escape Sayles' penetrating gaze either as he reminds us of uncomfortable truths in the history of class struggle in the US. Chris Cooper is SUPERB as the union organizer sent South to unionise the striking miners. Sayles regulars Mary McDonnell and David Strathairn provide strong support. Strathairn - as the laconic six-gun toting local Sheriff - is particularly rousing in his role as ultimate protector of the mining community. But before you think this movie is some long, boring, red flag waving political lecture, let me give you the good news quickly. THIS MOVIE ROCKS! Sayles' decision to play it like a Western is inspired - and it delivers in terms of every aspect of expectation in this regard (including, yes, the High Noon-style showdown). Riveting, violent and riddled with intrigue, this is a film that would not be out of place next to The Wild Bunch or Shane in your collection. That it also delivers powerful food for thought and that its heart - and head - is in the right place, will make it possibly the best movie in your collection that no one's ever heard of. It's easily in my Top Ten list of all-time great movies.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, poor sound quality
Review: Contrary to the 'official' movie reviewers articles, the events portrayed in the movie actually occurred, and indirectly led to the biggest insurrection in the US since the Civil War. While many of the characters are composites, and some dramatic licence is taken, the movie seems to stay close to the actual facts of what occurred in Matewan in May of 1920.

The movie is great - I purchased it last night having never seen it before, and I'm glad I did. This is certainly not the kind of movie you'll see on the TV networks (except perhaps Bravo), as it represents a viewpoint that might not be acceptable to the typical corporate executive. Since it's so unlikely that you'll find this film on TV, I urge anyone who is interested in the history of US labor (or generally in early 20th century US history) to buy this movie - you won't be disappointed.

One caveat though: the characters in the movie often speak with a strong West Virginia accent. This is not a problem in itself, but the VHS version's soundtrack is very badly deteriorated. As a result, some of the dialogue is hard to understand (I had to replay a few parts of the movie just to get a basic idea of what the characters were saying). I urge those who are interested in purchasing this movie to perhaps wait for the (hopefully) soon to be released DVD version, which might have better sound quality.

Rating:
Summary: A Piece of American Coal Mining History
Review: If you can relate to the suffering and struggles of Appalachian coal mining families and individuals (white, black, European immigrant) in the first half of the 20th Century when unionization was taking hold in the coal mines, then I recommend that you buy this video. You will be rewarded with breathtaking drama and scenery.

Rating:
Summary: stinks....
Review: I watched this movie.... It stinks...it is long... it is muffled... and most of all, it is boring!

I am sorry for have ever watching this stinky flic!

Take heed!

Rating:
Summary: Matewan
Review: My disappoint with this video is as follows: I bought the tape to watch the movie. The first half hour of the tape started off with advertisements for other movies. I bought the tape so I could watch a movie without advertisements. That turned me off from enjoying the movie when it actually started. I didn't pay money for ads! The movie was good but leading up to the movie takes away from the movie being enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: A great movie from a great author
Review: This is based on a single flashback chapter from John Sayles' wonderful novel, "Union Dues." If you liked the movie, you'll be surprised by the book because most of it is set in a completely different time and place. But many of Sayles' recurring themes about working people like us come through loud and clear. This is Sayles at his best, in both "Union Dues" and "Matewan."

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie-very realistic
Review: My mother grew up near the real-life town of Matewan. Her father and his brothers were instrumental in starting the union in that area. When the movie first came out, I spoke with an uncle who was actually a child when the battle took place and he related the stories to me even without seeing the movie. The only real character in the movie was the constable, Sid Hatfield. The others, according to an interview with Mr. Sayles, were composites of various characters. My uncle (once again without having seen the movie) told me of the incident in which my grandfather was beaten and left for dead on top of a coal car and was not found until he reached Portsmouth, Ohio. I was very much impressed by the location used. Until the recent flood prevention work in Matewan, you could hardly tell the difference between the movie town and the real one. I was also quite taken with the performance of James Earl Jones. Even a decade after seeing it, I can remember many of his lines and the striking way he portrayed Few Clothes. I don't think I could give this movie a higher rating.

Rating:
Summary: An accurate depiction
Review: Both of my grandfathers were coal miners in the days before the unions. My mother was raised in a coal camp, where the men were paid in company scrip only good in the company store. So I have a deep connection with this film. Not only is it a brilliant and riveting movie, it depicts the truth of Appalachia in a way few films have even neared. And the Appalachian dialect, so often hacked to pieces by the ignorant, is done to perfection. It is rare for me to hear an Appalachian accent that doesn't outright offend me, but this film is flawless in that respect.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent docu-drama
Review: Excellent cinematography - compelling story. I feel that David Strathairn's portrayal of Sid Hatfield was masterful. Climatic ending. Well worth buying.