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Written and Directed by John Sayles (PIRANHA, THE HOWLING) this 1920’s set drama based on real events, details the brutal battle between miners, strikebreakers and a corrupt coal mining company in a tense and emotional story of small-town poverty, bitterness and exploitation. When union man Joe Kenehan (Chis Cooper) arrives in the backwater town of Matewan, West Virginia to organise a workforce to stand up against the Stone Mountain Coal company, he finds that instead of the men presenting a united force against their real enemy, they are embroiled in disputes between themselves as tensions rise between white miners and black workers. Despite all good intentions, the situation spirals out of all control and a bloody fight for livelihoods and dignity ensues. SPECIAL FEATURES: 4K digital restoration, supervised by director John Sayles, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Company Man: Remembering Matewan - An Interview with Actor Kevin Tighe Union Dues: Producing Matewan - An Interview with Producer Maggie Renzi Gathering Storm: Composing Matewan - An Interview with Composer Mason Daring Fire in the Hole: Designing Matewan - An Interview with Nora Chavooshian Original Theatrical Trailer Reversible Sleeve Featuring New and Original Poster Artwork TECHNICAL SPECS: Region Code: B Audio: LPCM Dual Mono Picture: HD 1080p 1.85:1 Runtime: 133 mins approx Language: English Subtitles: English
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Matewan (1987)
132 min
Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, "Matewan" celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Kenehan, a scab named "Few Clothes" Johnson and a sympathetic mayor and police chief heroically fight the power represented by a coal company and Matewan's vested interests so that justice and workers' rights need not take a back seat to squalid working conditions, exploitation and the bottom line.