Matewan
Our Price: $43.98
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $29.99 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Chris Cooper, Gordon Clapp, Jace Alexander, Joe Grifasi, Tom CarlinPrimary Contributor: Chris Cooper
Primary Contributor: James Earl Jones
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Italian (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 142 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-08-14
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lions Gate
DVD Reviews of Matewan
DVD Review: Realistic and Fast-Passed Action Drama
Summary: 5 Stars
Coming from southern West Virginia, this DVD had special meaning to me. In it I saw glimpses of the coalfield scenes my mother, grandmother, aunts and uncles talked about.
It is suspenseful from the beginning and throughout, fast-paced and entertaining. James Earl Jones and Chris Cooper are superb, but lesser known actors stand out too for their understated realism. There is action, there is drama and a great story, all intelligently done. I've shared my copy with a number of friends who were equally impressed. I believe this is Sayles' finest picture.
DVD Review: Great Historically Accurate Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I grew up in the Western Pennsylvania coal fields hearing similar stories and the area portrayed in this movie is very much like that area. The movie is intense and viewed from the vantage point of the 21st century, we tend to forget how badly laborers as a whole were treated in the early half of the 20th century. Memorable performances abound and the movie will leave an indelible imprint in your memory.DVD Review: Dramatic. Real. Unforgettable.
Summary: 5 Stars
This has got to be one of the best, if not the best, American films of the past 30 years. It is for me anyway. It's about a miner's strike in Mingo county West Virginia in 1920. From what I understand it's based on true events. The basic story is - Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper) comes to town to help the coal miners set up a union. The Stone Mountain Coal Company paid little, paid in company scrip, and owned the houses the workers lived in. The company brings in two Baldwin Phelps private detectives (Pinkerton types) to fight back against this labor organization. It's a fascinating battle as the union goes on strike and the detectives do anything they can, legal or otherwise, to subvert them. Classic storytelling.
The cast was superb. Many of these guys are from the Sayles *company* so to speak - Mary McDonnell, David Straithairn, Chris Cooper and the others. Not a bad performance in the movie.
Another thing I liked about the movie is it's attention to detail. I noticed the baseball Kenehan and Danny Radnor (a young Will Oldham) were throwing around in one scene. It certainly looked like something from the dead ball era. They filmed on location. The clothes were totally from the period. They used oil lamps. All these details added up, powerfully evoking the time and place - West Virginia in 1920.
Lastly, I didn't have any problem with the DVD as others seemed to. It didn't have any extras, but I don't care about that stuff anyway, so no loss. I did have to get it used though. I'm not sure why the company isn't releasing it new. (Well, it wasn't a commercial hit and movies about coal mining strikes probably aren't easy sells. I guess that's it.) It cost me [...] and it was worth every penny.
DVD Review: Matewan
Summary: 4 Stars
A movie that allows one to get an idea of what the Coal Mining Wars of West Virginia involved. Could do without the rebel flag in the background since it is misleading the main idea of the story. DVD Review: great movie and hard to find about coalminers and union
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for my boyfriend for christmas and I was lucky to find it on amazon. It is hard to find anywhere else. But it is a great movie about coalminers and the union. Buy it
Description of Matewan
A little-known chapter of American labor history is brought vividly to life in this period drama from writer-director John Sayles. It's a fictional story about labor wars among West Virginia coal miners during the 1920's, but every detail is so right that the film has the unmistakable ring of truth. The tension begins when the Stone Mountain Coal Company of Matewan, West Virginia, announces a lower pay rate for miners, who respond by calling a strike under the leadership of a United Mine Workers representative (Chris Cooper). Proving strength in numbers, the miners are joined by black and Italian miners who initially resist the strike, and a fateful battle ensues when detectives hired by the coal company attempt to evict miners from company housing. Violence erupts in a sequence of astonishing, cathartic intensity, and Matewan achieves a rare degree of moral complexity combined with gut-wrenching tragedy. The film salutes a pacifist ideal while recognizing that personal and political convictions often must be defended with violence. To illustrate this point, Sayles enlisted master cinematographer Haskell Wexler, who creates the film's authentic visual texture--a triumph of artistry over limited resources. The result is a milestone of independent filmmaking, and Matewan remains one of Sayles's finest achievements. --Jeff ShannonGeneral DVDs
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Bestsellers in General DVDs
Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition)Universal; Release date: 2009-03-21; DVD
Best price: $15.88
Price in other shops:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Full-Screen Edition)Release date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Lost: The Complete Fifth SeasonRelease date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $36.99
Price in other shops:
The Proposal (Single Disc Widescreen)BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-10-13; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
![Angels & Demons [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Angels-Demons-Blu-ray-B002O5M4SU-X.jpg)
Angels & Demons [Blu-ray]SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2009-11-24; DVD
Best price: $18.90
Price in other shops:
Four ChristmasesNEW LINE HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-11-24; DVD
Best price: $12.66
Price in other shops:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Two-Disc Limited Special Edition + Digital Copy)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops:
Julie & JuliaRelease date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Angels & Demons (Single-Disc Theatrical Edition)SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2009-11-24; DVD
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Widescreen Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Bloodletting in Appalachia: The Story of West Virginia's Four Major Mine Wars and Other Thrilling Incidents of Its Coal Fieldsby Howard Burton Lee
West Virginia University Press; Published: 1969-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.00
Passion FishMCDONNELL,MARY; Release date: 1999-03-30; DVD
Best price: $8.38
Price in other shops:
Return of the Secaucus 7TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2003-09-16; DVD
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
Lone StarKRISTOFFERSON,KRIS; Release date: 1999-12-21; DVD
Best price: $5.77
Price in other shops:
Thinking In Pictures: The Making Of The Movie Matewanby John Sayles
Da Capo Press; Published: 2003-07-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.20
Price in other shops:
Harlan County, U.S.A. - Criterion CollectionImage Entertainment; Release date: 2006-05-23; DVD
Best price: $24.61
Price in other shops:
The Battle of Blair Mountain: The Story of America's Largest Labor Uprisingby Robert Shogan
Basic Books; Published: 2006-07-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.92
Price in other shops:
Harlan County WarParamount; Release date: 2001-08-07; DVD
Best price: $6.10
Price in other shops:
The Molly MaguiresCONNERY,SEAN; Release date: 2004-04-27; DVD
Best price: $4.39
Price in other shops:
Thunder In the Mountans: The West Virginia Mine War, 1920-21by Lon Savage
University of Pittsburgh Press; Published: 1990-09-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.04
Price in other shops: