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45-564: 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. Joe Kenehan is an ex- Wobbly organizer for the United Mine Workers . He arrives in Matewan, West Virginia in 1920 to organize miners against

90-552: A cause not helped by C. E. Lively , a spy for the company within the union, who tries to goad the miners into violence and secretly informs the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency of the "red" Kenehan's presence. The next day, two Baldwin-Felts men, Hickey and Griggs, show up in town and take up residence at the Radnor boarding house . Danny at first refuses to give rooms to Hickey and Griggs, but Kenehan voluntarily moves to

135-453: A harder edge and a stronger conclusion." The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 94% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 34 reviews. Cinematographer Haskell Wexler received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography at the 60th Academy Awards . In 2011, Empire ranked the film at number 21 on its list of the 50 Greatest American Independent Movies. Its description read, "The film not only marked

180-480: A mine accident years before and muses that the death of a young boy will complicate things. The situation between the Baldwin-Felts men and Chief Hatfield reaches a boiling point with the arrival of reinforcements with orders to carry out the evictions. The mayor tries to negotiate as Kenehan comes running to try to stop the fight. The sudden movement sets off a climactic gunfight between the exposed mercenaries and

225-602: A powerful presence and a quick smile. Jones' performance practically glows in the dark. Also a standout is Sayles veteran David Strathairn as the sheriff with quiet integrity who puts his life on the line." Film critic Vincent Canby lauded the acting and the cinematography in the film and wrote in his review, "There's not a weak performance in the film, but I especially admired the work of Mr. Cooper, Mr. Tighe, Miss McDonnell, Miss Mette, Mr. Gunton, Mr. Strathairn and Mr. Mostel. They may be playing Social-Realist icons, but each manages to make something personal and idiosyncratic out of

270-687: A significant turning point in Sayles’ career (it was his first film to attract anything like a mainstream audience), it's arguably an even more relevant, cautionary tale today than it was during the Reagan / Thatcher controlled-climate of its release year." In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." The film

315-422: A single film was adopted in all profession-related categories. From 1939 to 1966 with the exception of 1957, there were also separate awards for color and black-and-white cinematography. After Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), the most recent black-and-white films to win since then are Schindler's List (1993), Roma (2018) and Mank (2020). Floyd Crosby won the award for Tabu in 1931, which

360-512: A story, without actors and without music. No single film has ever existed without cinematography ..." Winners are listed first in colored row, followed by the other nominees. Battle of Matewan Sid Hatfield Mayor Cabell Testerman † Albert Felts † The Battle of Matewan (also known as the Matewan Massacre ) was a shootout in the town of Matewan in Mingo County and

405-591: Is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture . In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) was not tied to a specific film; all of the work by the nominated cinematographers during the qualifying period was listed after their names. The problem with this system became obvious the first year, since Karl Struss and Charles Rosher were nominated for their work together on Sunrise . Still, three other films shot individually by either Rosher or Struss were also listed as part of

450-779: Is incomplete, and Sadie Thompson (1927) is incomplete and partially reconstructed with stills. David Lean holds the record for the director with the most films that won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography at the Oscars with five wins out of six nominations for Great Expectations , The Bridge on the River Kwai , Lawrence of Arabia , Doctor Zhivago , and Ryan's Daughter . The first nominees shot primarily on digital video were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire in 2009, with Slumdog Millionaire being

495-613: The Ludlow Massacre in Colorado six years earlier, marked an important turning point in the battle for miners' rights. At the time, the United Mine Workers of America had just elected John L. Lewis as their president. During this period, miners worked long hours in unsafe and dismal working conditions, while being paid low wages. Adding to the hardship was the use of coal scrip by the Stone Mountain Coal Company, because

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540-570: The Mingo County sheriff. Hatfield, a native of the Tug River Valley, was a supporter of the miners' attempts to organize the UMWA in the southern coalfields of West Virginia. Detective Albert Felts and his brother Lee Felts then produced their own warrant for Sid Hatfield's arrest. Upon inspection, Matewan mayor Cabell Testerman claimed it was fraudulent. Unbeknownst to the detectives, they had been surrounded by armed miners, who watched intently from

585-631: The Pocahontas Coalfield mining district, in southern West Virginia . It occurred on May 19, 1920 between local coal miners and their allies and the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency . The dead included two brothers of the detective agency's founder and Matewan's mayor Cabell Testerman, who supported the union. Employed by the Stone Mountain Coal Company, a contingent of the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency arrived on

630-537: The Baldwin–Felts detectives at the train station. News of the evictions soon spread around the town. When Sid Hatfield approached Felts, Felts served a warrant on Hatfield, which had been issued by Squire R. M. Stafford, a Justice of the Peace of Magnolia District, Mingo County, for the arrest of Hatfield, Bas Ball, Tony Webb and others. The warrant had been directed to Albert C. Felts for execution. Burgraff's son reported that

675-665: The No. 29 morning train to evict families that had been living at the Stone Mountain Coal Camp just on the outskirts of town. The detectives carried out several evictions before they ate dinner at the Urias Hotel and, upon finishing, they walked toward the train depot to catch the five o'clock train back to Bluefield, West Virginia . While the detectives made their way to the train depot, they were intercepted by Matewan Chief of Police Sid Hatfield , who claimed to have arrest warrants from

720-448: The Stone Mountain Coal Company. His introduction to the town is his witnessing of a mob of miners angry at wage cuts beating up black miners who intended to cross the picket line. He takes up residence at a boarding house run by a coal miner's widow, Elma Radnor, and her 15-year-old son, Danny, who is also a miner and a budding Baptist preacher. The miners are reluctant to bring the imported workers, both black and Italian, into their union,

765-574: The West Virginia Division of Culture and History. It is located off Main Street in Matewan. The marker reads: MATEWAN MASSACRE. In 1920 area miners went on strike to gain recognition of UMWA. On May 19 of the same year, twelve Baldwin–Felts Agency guards came from Bluefield to evict the miners from company houses. As guards left town, they argued with town police chief Sid Hatfield and Mayor Testerman. Shooting of undetermined origins resulted in

810-445: The agents and Sephus is wounded. He is rescued by some hill people but not before he recognizes Lively as the infiltrator. Lively tries to drive a wedge between Kenehan and the miners by convincing a young widow, Bridey Mae Tolliver, to falsely accuse Kenehan of sexual assault, and he plants a letter that makes Kenehan appear to be the infiltrator, leading the miners to plot to kill Kenehan. Danny overhears Hickey and Griggs talking about

855-521: The armed townspeople firing from barricades and rooftops. Hatfield shoots two men and survives the battle, but Kenehan is killed and the mayor is shot in the stomach. Griggs is brought down, while Hickey escapes to Elma Radnor's boarding house, where he is shot and killed by Elma Radnor. Seven Baldwin-Felts men and two townspeople are ultimately killed. In the epilogue, the narrator (revealed to be an elderly Danny recalling those days in "Bloody Mingo" ) recounts that Mayor Testerman succumbed to his wounds and

900-423: The coal mines of West Virginia in 1920 that runs its course like a train coming down the track. Among the memorable characters is Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper), a young union organizer who comes to Matewan to buck the bosses. With his strong face and Harrison Ford good-looks, Cooper gives the film its heartbeat...Most notable of the black workers is 'Few Clothes' Johnson (James Earl Jones), a burly good-natured man with

945-495: The detectives had sub-machine guns with them in their suitcases. Hatfield, Burgraff, and Mayor Cabell Testerman met with the detectives on the porch of the Chambers Hardware Store. It was then that Albert Felts fired from his coat pocket, mortally wounding Testerman, and then fired over his shoulder at Sid Hatfield, instantly killing a miner, Tot Tinsley. At this time Sid Hatfield opened fire, killing Albert Felts. When

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990-490: The famous Mary Harris "Mother" Jones . Roughly 3000 men signed the union's roster in the spring of 1920. They signed their union cards at the community church, something that they knew could cost them their jobs, and in many cases their homes. The coal companies controlled many aspects of the miners' lives. Stone Mountain Coal Corporation fought back with mass firings, harassment, and evictions. Matewan, founded in 1895,

1035-754: The film as a member of the Freewill Baptist Church whose voice is heard leading the congregation in an a cappella hymn ("What A Friend We Have in Jesus") and also sings over the grave of a fallen union miner, Hillard Elkins, ("Gathering Storm"). Dickens also sings "Hills of Galilee" over the closing credits. The soundtrack was released on LP by Columbia. Other performers are John Hammond , Phil Wiggins (harmonica); Gerry Milnes, Stuart Schulman (fiddle), Jim Costa (mandolin); John Curtis (guitar), and Mason Daring (guitar, dobro). Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography

1080-470: The first winner of this category to have also served as director on the film, for Roma . This followed a public dispute between Cuarón and the Academy over the Academy's plan to shorten the Oscars broadcast by relegating four awards, including cinematography, to the commercial breaks in the show. Cuarón objected by saying, "In the history of cinema, masterpieces have existed without sound, without color, without

1125-484: The first winner. The following year, Avatar was the first nominee and winner to be shot entirely on digital video. In 2018, Rachel Morrison became the first woman to receive a nomination. Prior to that, it had been the last non-acting Academy Award category to never nominate a woman. In January 2017, Bradford Young became the first African-American cinematographer to be nominated for an Academy Award, for his work on Arrival . In 2019, Alfonso Cuarón became

1170-463: The grim grey struggle of it all. And Sayles, struggling for authority from Return of the Secaucus 7 through The Brother from Another Planet , has finally tapped the vein." Jonathan Rosenbaum called Matewan a "simpleminded yet stirring" film which "offers a bracing alternative to complacent right-wing as well as liberal claptrap. If Sayles’s bite were as lethal as his bark, he might have given this

1215-478: The hotel, freeing up a room for the two men and averting trouble for Mrs. Radnor. Hickey and Griggs then start their campaign against the union by forcibly evicting miners from company-owned houses in town. Mayor Testerman and Police Chief Sid Hatfield refuse to let them be evicted without eviction writs from Charleston . Hatfield deputizes all the men in town and tells them to go home and come back with their guns. The Baldwin-Felts men then turn their attention on

1260-400: The material, without destroying the ballad-like style. For the most part, Haskell Wexler's photography doesn't go overboard in finding poetry in the images." Critic Desson Howe liked the look of the film and wrote, "Cinematographer Haskell Wexler etches the characters in dark charcoal against a misty background. You get the feeling of dirt, sweat and – despite the story's mythic intentions –

1305-581: The mayor's wife married Chief Sid Hatfield. But Hatfield was later gunned down in broad daylight on the steps of the McDowell County Courthouse in Welch , with Lively stepping up to deliver the coup de grâce . He recalls the event as the start of the Great Coalfield War . Variety praised the acting in the film, writing, " Matewan is a heartfelt, straight-ahead tale of labor organizing in

1350-481: The miners and their families from the company owned houses. As a result, hundreds of miner families spent the spring of 1920 in tents. The assemblage of tents was known as Stony Mountain Camp Tent Colony. On the day of the fight, a group of the Baldwin–Felts enforcers arrived to evict families living at the mountain coal camp, just outside Matewan. The sheriff and his deputy, Fred Burgraff, sensed trouble and met

1395-403: The noise caused by the gunmen's automobile the night before, their presence and sympathy for the miners compels the Baldwin-Felts men to leave empty-handed. The slow arrival of the union's thinly stretched strike funds tests the patience of Danny Radnor and other miners who become disillusioned and turn to violence in spite of Kenehan's warnings. The miners are involved in a night-time shootout with

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1440-450: The nomination. In the second year, 1929, there were no nominations at all, although the Academy has a list of unofficial titles that were under consideration by the Board of Judges. In the third year, 1930, films, not cinematographers, were nominated, and the final award did not show the cinematographer's name. Finally, for the 1931 awards, the modern system in which individuals are nominated for

1485-465: The others of Lively's betrayal, furiously burning down his restaurant. Lively flees town by swimming across the Tug Fork River . Later, while Danny and his friend Hillard Elkins are stealing coal from the mine, they are confronted by the detectives. Danny hides, while Elkins is tortured for information. He provides five names, and is killed by Griggs anyway. Lively reveals that the men he named died in

1530-504: The scheme and is discovered and threatened by Hickey. That night, while preaching at the Freewill church, Danny relates a parable about Joseph that convinces the miners they have been deceived by a false story, taking advantage of the now-inebriated detectives. Lively silently slips out of the back of the church while a miner runs to the camp to stop Few Clothes from killing Kenehan. Meanwhile, Sephus has made his way back to town and informed

1575-418: The scrip could only be used for those goods the company sold through their company stores . A few months before the battle at Matewan, union miners in other parts of the country went on strike, receiving a full 27 percent pay increase for their efforts. Lewis recognized that the area was ripe for change, and planned to organize the coal fields of southern Appalachia . The union sent its top organizers, including

1620-438: The shooting finally stopped, there were casualties on both sides. Seven Baldwin–Felts detectives were killed, including Albert and Lee Felts. One more detective had been wounded. Two miners were killed: Tinsley and Bob Mullins, who had just been fired for joining the union; both were unarmed. Mayor Testerman died in hospital the next day from his gunshot wound. Four other bystanders were wounded. Governor John J. Cornwell ordered

1665-503: The side of the road. The trial for the miners who killed the seven agents started January 26, 1921, and ended March 19, 1921, with all defendants being acquitted of all charges. Tom Felts, the last remaining Felts brother, sent undercover operatives to collect evidence to convict Sid Hatfield and his men. When the charges against Hatfield and 22 others for the murder of Albert Felts were dismissed, Baldwin–Felts detectives assassinated Hatfield and his deputy Ed Chambers on August 1, 1921, on

1710-567: The state police force to take control of Matewan. Hatfield and his men cooperated, and stacked their arms inside the hardware store. The miners, encouraged by their success in getting the Baldwin–Felts detectives out of Matewan, improved their efforts to organize. Hatfield and Testerman's widow, Jessie, were married twelve days after the May 19 shootout. On July 1 the miners' union went on another strike, and widespread violence erupted. Railroad cars were blown up, and strikers were beaten and left to die by

1755-514: The steps of the McDowell County courthouse located in Welch , West Virginia. Of those defendants whose charges were not dismissed, all were acquitted. Less than a month later, miners from the state gathered in Charleston . They were even more determined to organize the southern coal fields, and began the march to Logan County . Thousands of miners joined them along the way, culminating in what

1800-436: The strikers' camp outside town, where the miners and their families are living in tents. At night, the armed strikebreakers fire shots into the camp, injuring some strikers. The next day, they enter the camp to demand that all food and clothing purchased at the company store with scrip be turned over to them, but are thwarted by the arrival of armed hill people , whose land was taken by the coal company. Expressing disdain for

1845-463: The windows, doorways, and roofs of the businesses that lined Mate Street. Accounts vary as to who actually fired the first shot and the ensuing gun battle left seven detectives and three townspeople dead, including the Felts brothers and Testerman. The battle was hailed by miners and their supporters for the number of casualties inflicted on the Baldwin–Felts detectives. This incident, along with events such as

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1890-539: Was a small independent town with only a few elected officials. The mayor at the time was Cabell Testerman, and the chief of police was Sid Hatfield . Both refused to succumb to the company's plans, and sided with the miners. In turn, the Stone Mountain Coal Corporation hired their own enforcers, the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency , dubbed the "Baldwin Thugs" by the miners. The coal operators hired them to evict

1935-585: Was made in West Virginia with the town of Thurmond standing in for Matewan. Other scenes were filmed along the New River Gorge National River . The film score features Appalachian music of the period composed and performed by Mason Daring , who frequently works on John Sayles ' films. West Virginia bluegrass singer Hazel Dickens sings the film's title track, "Fire in the Hole", and appears in

1980-473: Was the last silent film to win in this category. Hal Mohr won the only write-in Academy Award ever, in 1935 for A Midsummer Night's Dream . Mohr was also the first person to win for both black-and-white and color cinematography. No winners are lost , although some of the earliest nominees (and of the unofficial nominees of 1928–29) are lost, including The Devil Dancer (1927), The Magic Flame (1927), and 4 Devils (1928). The Right to Love (1930)

2025-653: Was to become known as the Battle of Blair Mountain . The headquarters of the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency was the Urias hotel and was destroyed in a fire in December 1992. The Matewan Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 1993. The Matewan massacre is related by the State of West Virginia through a Historic Highway marker produced by

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