Matewan | Jace Alexander, Tom Carlin | Bringing A Little-Known And Shocking Episode In US History...

Matewan | Jace Alexander, Tom Carlin | Sayles does a great job!

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Matewan

	Matewan Jace Alexander, Tom Carlin Evergreen Ent, 1997 average customer review:based on 65 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Bringing A Little-Known And Shocking Episode In US History To Modern Audiences

I grew up hearing about these events from my grandmother, whose father was in management at a barge company that sent loads of coal from Appalachia to the industrialized cities along the Ohio River, but it surprises me how few people my age know about the Matewan massacre and the events that led up to it.

In 1920 in a small town called Matewan, in Mongo County, in the heart of West Virginia's coal belt, local families attempted to organize a labor union in order to better their lives and free themselves from the oppressive stranglehold of the local coal companies, which owned "everything but the immortal souls" of those whose only choice in life was to work for these mafia-like corporations. The film Matewan is an impressive production that utilizes such actors as James Earl Jones and Chris Cooper to tell the story of the misery of the miners' lives, the corruption of the coal industry, the arrival of organized labor into this boiling maelstrom, and the violent events that ultimately culminated in a brutal firefight that left nine people dead.

Matewan is heavy on characterizations and back story which is a brave and wise step on behalf of director John Sayles, and far from being the centerpoint of the picture, the bloodshed of the massacre comes only at the movie's conclusion and is not sensationalized, which only makes it seem that much more horrific when it passes. To some who see it Matewan could register as a gloomy film but if that is tempered by a comparison of how things have since improved in coal country, then the deaths which drew attention to the region, could almost be regarded as having happened with some purpose.

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Sayles does a great job!

The reviewers who complained about the quality of the DVD are correct. The sound was muddy; nothing was crisp.

Now, to the substance -- the movie, incorporating a figure who appeared in an interpolated story in an early Sayles novel (Union Dues) into the historical shoot-out between Sid Hatfield and the Baldwin-Felts thugs, is excellent. The pacificism of Sayles' union organizer stands in contrast to the quick-tempered violence of the miners, but both stand against the pure brutishness of the Baldwin-Felts agents. Matewan's mayor and Sid Hatfield stand as heroes, as do more than a few who pick up guns in the final confrontation. Yet the young man whose maturation we witness in the story leaves as a disciple of Sayles' organizer. He chooses words, not guns.

Good performances, including an excellent performance by James Earle Jones.

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Lousy transfer to DVD but see it at all costs

Terrific movie with great performances all around. Comments in other reviews regarding the quality of the Artisan transfer to DVD are valid... for a movie on DVD it is not up to the quality you would expect but it is NOT unwatchable... I will be anxiously awaiting a high-quality release but am grateful to have this in my library in the meantime as my VHS copy has ended it's useful life. A heart wrenching view into the harsh reality of life in the West Virginia coal mining regions at a time when the coal companies completely exploited the workers. Excellent performances by Chris Cooper, Mary McDonnell, David Strathairn and James Earl Jones. Based on a historical incident. Highly recommended.

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Strong story based on real life.

I first have to admit that I was around during the making of this movie. I was not on set just the local freight person who sent the dailies out for processing. I also know that a large part of this film was almost lost in shipping. Luckily we were able to find it and recover it.
I met several of the crew including Peggy Renzi and James Earl Jones. I got to speak to both and find out how great a movie it was before it was done. John Salyes is a great writer, director, and some say actor. I agree. This movie is a strong and powerful piece of the struggle to service in the universe. All I can say is watch it. You will be sucked it to the story because it is based on something that really happened. Once you finish I would suggest watching all John Salyes movies, they are all great.

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Matewan

One of the best films of the 1980s, John Sayles's evocative "Matewan" takes us back to the 1920s, and the primitive, perilous lives of coal miners in West Virginia. Flavorful, meticulous recreation of time and place is enhanced by powerful performances, particularly from Cooper and a majestic James Earl Jones playing a miner called "Few Clothes" Johnson. With legendary lenser Haskell Wexler providing sumptuous visuals, and a cathartic climax involving the bloody, historic shootout that put Matewan on the map, this may well be Sayles's finest hour.

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