Matewan (1987) is a movie based on the West Virginia Mine Wars, specifically the action around Matewan in 1920. It was written and directed by John Sayles.
John Sayles is a brilliant director. He and cinematographer Haskell Wexler combine to make this movie feel correct in time and place.
The acting in this film is outstanding. Chris Cooper portrays Joe Kenehan, a union organizer who recognizes that the company wins when black fights white and when both fight Italian immigrants. The only way the union can win is if everyone stands shoulder-to-shoulder.
One outstanding supporting actor is James Earl Jones. He dominates the screen in every scene in which he appears. Hazel Dickens provides most of the music. She is a powerful singer who is from mining country. She knows how to sing the songs that the miners would have known at the time.
This is a powerful film that deserves to be seen by people--like me--who know about UAW struggles, but didn't know the details. Matewan has an extremely high IMDb rating of 7.9. I thought that it was even better than that, and rated it 10.
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