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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #675 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
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1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View Harlan County U.S.A. film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

Coal miners and their families in Kentucky organize a prolonged strike against the owners of the Brookside Mine.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Coal miners and their families in Harlan County, Kentucky, strike against the Brookside Mine’s owners while demanding a union contract. Barbara Kopple’s crew remains alongside the picket lines, community meetings, armed confrontations, and organizing led prominently by miners’ wives.

Why it belongs

Harlan County U.S.A. embeds with miners and families through a long strike, letting picket lines, songs, meetings, gunfire, and women's organizing define the struggle.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Kopple's embedded handheld footage places the viewer inside meetings, picket lines, kitchens, confrontations, and funerals, while miners' songs and women's organizing widen the strike into a collective portrait of labor and survival.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards1 win1977 · official ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound225IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.7
Engagement6.5
Ease5.4

English · Not Rated
Documentary Feature
Mood: Thought-Provoking