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ezekielbyu's review against another edition
5.0
John Sayles, for the better part of his career (at least in the beginning years, as far as I know) largely self-financed his pictures, and worked with severely limited budgets, leaning on his own resolve as well as the smart, hardscrabble efforts of his cast and crew to carve out a unique niche in the American independent film scene.
This book is an in-depth look into how Sayles and co. got the great Matewan on its feet, and an incredibly thorough survey (complete with helpful diagrams and humorous asides) of the seven weeks of shooting. Sayles knows his shit, and his conversational but clearly erudite tone makes this a breezy and enlightening read - despite some jargon-y moments which are necessary to go over.
Matewan is not only a great film, but an important one, especially in the light of the recent unionization victories against Amazon, whose fingers are everywhere these days, making Stone Mountain Coal Company look puny in comparison. Like Joe Kenehan says, "There are those that work, and those that don't." Matewan remembers this distinction and the bloody cost it has extracted in the annals of American history.
This book is an in-depth look into how Sayles and co. got the great Matewan on its feet, and an incredibly thorough survey (complete with helpful diagrams and humorous asides) of the seven weeks of shooting. Sayles knows his shit, and his conversational but clearly erudite tone makes this a breezy and enlightening read - despite some jargon-y moments which are necessary to go over.
Matewan is not only a great film, but an important one, especially in the light of the recent unionization victories against Amazon, whose fingers are everywhere these days, making Stone Mountain Coal Company look puny in comparison. Like Joe Kenehan says, "There are those that work, and those that don't." Matewan remembers this distinction and the bloody cost it has extracted in the annals of American history.
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