Matewan

MATEWAN is an American classic. When I first saw MATEWAN (written and directed by John Sayles) on cable tv (1987 or 88) I was mesmerized instantly by the "the look" of the movie (cinematography by Haskell Wexler). At the time I had no idea who Mary McDonnel was or David Strathairn (plays Sid Hatfield!) and, certainly, had never heard of the story of this West Va mining town's struggle against the unfair treatment by the Coal Company that "paid" them.I decided to buy my copy of MATEWAN for $10 and was only marginally disappointed that, well, the "margins" of this supposed Widescreen version (even says widescreen on my disc) is not correct.There are no black bars on top or bottom of screen.The fact this is not widescreen is obvious when some early credits (a 'letter' or two) disappear off the side of screen. Happens again during closing credits. This is a Full Screen for sure. That said, MATEWAN'S rustic, woody, lush greens and mountains 'look' does prevail.If you are a Sayles fan and haven't seen MATEWAN in a while you might be surprised how many of these actors he used again and again (not just Chris Cooper or Strathairn or McDonnel) but others like the Italian immigrant (Maggie Renzi) who played Eddie Cicotte's wife in Eight Men Out. And trust me that is just one quick example. Another actor (Jace Alexander - Eight Men Out) and actress from Passion Fish (5 years after Matewan ) have very significant roles in MATEWAN.And, man, are Kevin Tighe and Gordon Clapp (both in 8 Men Out) two of the most despicable "Company" workers ever seen? "Ma'am, you are the best lookin' piece of 'mountain trash' I think I've ever seen." You are NOT welcome to Matewan, prick(s).John Sayles had already proven himself a solid screenwriter for Roger Corman's Lady in Red (for example) and he may never have duplicated this early directorial masterwork, MATEWAN ("Return of the Secaucus 7" his first).But, it has to be said again: How come an American movie as well done and historically significant as MATEWAN cannot receive a better treatment? This movie just screams for a Criterion Edition.

This is NOT a family movie. Have your Guardian ready (to remove cursing) prior to watching it. But this tells the true story of the early battle between miners and their brutal overlords who owned the mines back in the 1920s and early '30s. My wife's grandfather was a union president for UMW back then. I interviewed him and other old miners (those who lived to tell) and studied enough history to know that everything in this movie is accurate. Of course they have to add a dramatic storyline which may or may not have happened but all else is highly historically accurate down to the final, tense stand-off between the miners and their anti-union employers. What the story does not mention is how union leaders came around to mines homes to give a blanket party to those who refused to join. The movie does accurately portray the involvement of communists in early union activity. It also accurately portrays how mine owners hired street thugs and known criminals to brutalize the miners into submission any way they could. These men lived a very hard life working from before daylight to well past dark 365 days a year with no days off ever except when they were too ill to get out of bed. The company paid them, not in cash but in script which was redeemable only at the company store where inflated prices ensured the miners would always be in debt. The company owned the homes so if a miner quit his job he lost everything and left with nothing if he was lucky enough to leave debt free. Listen carefully to the lyrics as Ernie Ford sings Merle Travis's song "16 Tons." The song is not played in this movie but it fits. Did you know some people thought Merle Travis was a communist for writing the song and that the FBI advised radio stations not to play it because, in the late '40s and early '50s, Communism was still touted by big business and their government cronies as the root cause of union activity in the mines. This movie expresses how very different things were back then.

A must see, propagandists, saboteurs, and provacators abound in this coal mine wars documentary/movie. Great picture.

I grew up in Dingess West Virginia which is in Mingo County where this story happened. My grandfater was one of the minors who was in the strike. We forget that not that long ago the mines was a death trap, but the only work available for the people of Kentucky, and West Virginia. Most men had black lung and died before 50 from working in the mines. My grandfather took part in this strike. My family home which is in Dingess is about a Half mile from the big tunnel, which use to be a coal railroad. Above the tunnel is where alot of the miners marched and was met with bullets from the men the coal mines had hired to basicly beat the miners into submission. Today you can still walk the path and find shell casings of the firefight. I do agree that the sound is off in some places of the movie, but this movie is so much apart of history. This is a true story for so many of us who came from the back hills of coal mining counties. I think some times that people forget that it was a struggle to get mining to the standards it is now. I remember my granddaddy once saying that hell was only a quarter mile below ground. Matewan West Virginia is a real place, and these events really happened. We tend to forget I feel sometimes about the struggles that happened to get this country to where it is now. Miners died and went through hell to help make mining safer for today energy needs. There is still a long way to go in safety as you can tell by the recent events in mining accidents. Even with the quality of the movie being off, and the sound muffled in places, this movie is awesome in showing the events that happened to history that put a small backwoods town of Matewan on the map. It also shows the real life of the miners who risk their lifes even today to provide us with the energy to enjoy your lifes with.

A realistic portrayal of an actual event. Films like this one seem to be appreciated more widely in Europe than in their native country. Keep making movies with a conscience I'll keep watching them.

Superb acting,I just didn't get hooked to the story......

great movie about real events, real people. Filmed partly in the New River Gorge in West Virginia, some fantastic scenery.

excellent

Matewan is a superb film, good acting, excellently shot, and a rivetting story.The ending is violent, but that too is well done.The film is about a coal miners strike in 1920's USA. As a union man, I was swinging between pride and anger throughout the film. It's a brilliant portrayal of what our forefathers went through to get where we are now.