When filming began, the film was intended to be about the 1972 campaign by Arnold Miller and Miners For Democracy to unseat UMWA president Tony Boyle, in the aftermath of Joseph Yablonski's murder; however, the Harlan County strike began and caused the filmmakers to change their principal subject, with the campaign and murder becoming secondary subjects.
This film was selected into the National Film Registry in 1990 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Debut of Barbara Kopple as a director.
This film has a 100% rating based on 22 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #334.