| Matewan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Sayles |
| Written by | John Sayles |
| Produced by | Peggy Rajski Maggie Renzi |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Haskell Wexler |
| Edited by | Sonya Polonsky |
| Music by | Mason Daring |
| Distributed by | Cinecom Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million (estimated)[1] |
| Box office | under $2 million (US)[1] |
Matewan (/ˈmeɪtwɒn/) is a 1987 American independent[2][3] drama film written and directed by John Sayles, and starring Chris Cooper (in his film debut), James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell and Will Oldham, with David Strathairn, Kevin Tighe and Gordon Clapp in supporting roles.[4] The film dramatizes the events of the Battle of Matewan, a coal miners' strike in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia.
Matewan was a critical success but a box office flop, grossing under $2 million on an estimated $4 million budget. The film received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, and received a Criterion Collection re-release in 2019.[5]
- ^ a b Gerry Molyneaux, John Sayles, Renaissance Books, 2000 p 155.
- ^ The 50 Greatest American Independent Movies|Movies|Empire
- ^ The Best Indie Movie of Every Year in the 80s - MovieWeb
- ^ "Matewan". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
- ^ Lund, Carson (November 19, 2019). "Blu-ray Review: John Sayles's Matewan on the Criterion Collection". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 9, 2020.