Customer Reviews

The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I got this DVD with more than a little trepidation. Being a native of the area described in the movie, I knew it would be very easy to skew the film so that the residents and the small-town life and festival they love so much looked idiotic and shallow to the world. What a lovely surprise to find a sweet little movie that lovingly portrays average Americans in a kind and appreciative light. The girls vying for title of Queen, the older women who once wore the crown and now return to be recognized, the mines that support a large part of the workforce and the people who live their lives there all come across well. Lovely cinematography shows off the best of Southwestern Pennsylvania. You learn a lot about small towns, regular people and an industry that is in the twilight of its existence. Well worth it!

This is a gem of a movie that is both lovely and surprising in its content and tone. I was so enthralled to watch a film about a slice of Americana life and to find myself so engaged by the story, characters, location, photography and music. The narrator, Sarah Rush who is quite engaging and amusing, goes back for her reunion in a small town in Pennsylvania. There we encounter not only the new crop of girls competing but also meet the past winners. It is great to watch these people who seem like characters but yet are real and wonderfully interesting. This is a film where the director, David Hunt, details what is the best part of Americana life but yet it also showcases the pitfalls about real life in the coal mines and competing for something that is important. This is a must see for all!!!!

I enjoyed every minute of this genuine and lovely documentary. It is so clear to me that the narrator remains connected to her hometown and loves and honors the people who live there. I found myself pulling for every one of the young women in the current Coal Queen pagaent--especially after being introduced to their families. I would recommend the film to anyone who wants to be reminded of the strength of family and the grace of smalltown America.

My husband is from southwest PA. and his dad was a coal miner. As were a lot of his relatives. My husband actually knew some of the people in the video. Really makes it a bit personal. Enjoyed it very much.

I love this film. Okay, I helped make it, so maybe I'm biased. But it's a very sweet and funny film about small town America, and it's truly special. We won a Heartland Film Festival Award, as well as a Best Documentary Award from the Renaissance Film Festival. As we traveled to Film Festivals all over the country, it was so rewarding to meet people who really loved the film, and who related to it so deeply. You don't have to be from a small town or even Pennsylvania to connect with it. It's about "going home," and how most of us have a special connection to where we grew up and the folks there. It just so happens that the folks in this film are so authentic and loveable, and as a filmmaker from Australia remarked, "I've never met people like this, and I just love them." It's a movie for everyone. Men find it interesting as we have fantastic coal mining shots, and everyone enjoys the pageant aspect, which is great fun. At one of the first screenings there were several young girls in the audience. I realized that we had made a film that has no bad language and is truly inspiring to young people. It's wonderfully directed by David Hunt, and edited beautifully by Edgar Burcksen, and it was produced by the Emmy Award winning actress, Patricia Heaton. I'm really proud of it. If you want to see a really sweet, funny, and touching film with your family, that reminds you of how great and wonderful the folks in America are, then pick this one. Thanks.

I grew up in Carmichaels, PA and we looked forward to the last week in August all our lives............waiting for the King Coal Parade and the culmination being the float carrying the Bituminus Coal Queen and her court. You will never know what that was like unless you grew up in a small, industrial town that celebrated it's heritage and traditions every year with a festival (with a carnival to follow!). The movie was dead on!

Pop the popcorn and gather the family around the TV for movie night to enjoy a slice of small town life, humor, and heart! Similar to the cult hit "Waiting for Guffman", this movie depicts the lives, hopes, and dreams of "real" people who live in a small coal mining community in Pennsylvania.

You'll fall in love with the narrator, an adorable actress, Sarah Rush, as she takes you on a journey to her hometown and reminisces about her life in the small coal mining community when she was crowned the Bituminous Coal Queen. I recognized her from Battle Star Gallectica and Max Keeble's Big Move plus numerous other TV and movies.

As generations of Coal Queens gather for a reunion, these precious ladies will tug at your heart. You'll laugh until you cry at some of the quirky characters involved in the pageant . . . doesn't every town have them?

This wonderful film once again proves that "real life" is far better than any Hollywood screenwriter can create! A visit with these charming folks will restore your hope in America's small town values!

Look, I like watching untalented people make fools of themselves as much as the rest of America, but between the schmaltzy "aw shucks, rural America is adorable" condescending tone and the technical problems (a lot of it is hard to hear and the DVD is not formatted for television so the edges are cropped, which makes the titles unreadable) this is not worth the watch. The worst part is the narrator - there's something creepy about a midddle aged woman giggling constantly and trying to act adorable. The only good thing is the terrible technical manager of the theatre who is right out of a Chris Guest movie, and the cameo by a creepy old Fabian. Not worth your money or your time. And I actually think most of the people in these towns should be offended.

Had I known this DVD was wholesome Christian product rather than an unbiased documentary I would never have purchased it.