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Mining has all the elements that make for a good movie: long odds, adventure, conflict, danger, amazing natural scenery, and heroes and villains.
Here’s our list of top movies about mining. Let us know in the comments below if we missed any.
Although it is 60 years old and showing its age, the film is still the ultimate movie about mining.
Humphrey Bogart had the lead role, but the core of the movie is grizzled prospector Sam Dobbs, played by Walter Houston. Bogart said that: “He’s probably the only performer in Hollywood to whom I’d gladly lost a scene”.
During the movie, Dobbs famously reflects on mining:
A thousand men, say, go searchin’ for gold. After six months, one of them’s lucky: one out of a thousand. His find represents not only his own labor, but that of nine hundred and ninety-nine others to boot. That’s six thousand months, five hundred years, scramblin’ over a mountain, goin’ hungry and thirsty. An ounce of gold, mister, is worth what it is because of the human labor that went into the findin’ and the gettin’ of it.
John Houston, Sam Houston’s son wrote and directed the 1948 movie. He won an Academy Award for directing and writing the adapted screenplay. The movie also has a cameo by Robert Blake, who went on to star in the TV cop series Baretta.
Although the movie is mostly centered around oil, the lead character amasses his wealth by mining for gold. His profits launch his careers as an industrialist.
The movie captures the human cost of mining in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when there were little to no safeguards for the work. It also shows the hustle and cunning that is acquired to put together a property.
The movie was inspired by the Treasure of the Sierra Madre. There Will be Blood director, Paul Thomas Anderson, said he watched the movie nightly to help him write his screenplay.
The movie was released in 2007 and starred Daniel Day-Lewis.
A 2005 movie inspired by true events, a sexual harassment case filed by a female worker filed against the Eveleth Taconite Company in northern Minnesota. The movie stars Chalize Theron.
The story of Loretta Lynn, who married young and came from poverty. He father was a coal miner in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. Lynn found fame after her husband promoted her singing talent.
The Academy Award winning film starred Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones and came out in 1980.
An adventurer tries to find a explorer who went missing in Africa looking for a diamond mine. The movie was release in 1950.
OK, this is a notable mention. The movie is a spoof of Star Trek and every other science fiction series. But the movie does have a scene, a common scene in science fiction, where the ships captain, played by Tim Allen in this role, tries to steal some space rocks from an alien mining colony that will power his crippled ship.
Image is from the movie trailer of the Treasure of the Sierra Madre
35 Comments
Guest
Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood makes his money from silver, not gold.
Jeff Ragland
How Green Was My Valley
Alastair Lings
Another great film is “The brave don’t cry” (1952). It’s based on the rescue of 116 miners from the Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery in Scotland, after an inrush of peat which killed 13 of their comrades.
Brantley Gilbert songs
Apple Inc began talks earlier this year to stream films owned by EPIX, which is backed by three major movie studios, on devices including a long-anticipated TV, according to two people with knowledge of the negotiations. .
ARTURO ROBLES ORTIZ
excellents pictures!!
we need to “dignify” (from eecological, social and human point of viww) mining industrial field.
congratullations.
Tony
Run down and Avatar. I like being considered an unethical, brutal, greed driven, man without feelings…..I laugh at the producers perceptions or what a viable and valuable industry is.
Dan G
How about “Ace in the Hole (1951)?”
Kirt Douglas, Directed by Billy Wilder
Okay, it was a story of a cave collapse in the Southwest U.S., but the rescue and “The Big (media) Carniaval,” surrounding the accident make up the bulk of the movie. That was the title during the original U.S. release. The papers took offense to the slight and sunk it by giving it bad reviews. It was a hit in Europe and when it was re-released as “Ace in the Hole” it magically did much better.
Sittin_Pretty
It’s not really about mining… One of my favorite Wilder films but I can’t remember if he’s trapped in a mine or in an IMdian cave. I think it’s the latter…
Hem
October’s Sky??
Though, its something against the will of mining…but its one of my favorite
Slprager
“Unsinkable Molly Brown”
Jrxplor
you forgot a few:
Blood Diamond – 2006
Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
Under Rich Earth (2008)
Salt of the Earth (1954)
Outland (1981)
Uranium Boom (1956)
Germinal (1993)
Fury Below (1936)
Donghai Du
Blood Diamond.
Michael Allan McCrae
Nice catch, Donghai
Robert Leonard
What about Zorba the Greek?
Michael Allan McCrae
Big oversight. I loved that movie, and it is a classic.
Enkhbaatar
Avatar’s concept is to run a mine in different planet
Patty Lynn
Fun story! However, you did not include “Paint Your Wagon” or “Mine Your Own Business” (although the latter may not be considered a top movie)
Chris
What about October sky
Schlosserfc
Eight Legged Freaks
Brad
How about – Wages of fear
Alan Tidwell
Why is treasure of Sierra Nader penultimate? You list as number one; penultimate is one before the ultimate
Buck Terginson
Penultimate should mean second to last….
Michael Allan McCrae
You are correct. Paragraph has been fixed.
Stephen Partney
Mother Lode – Charlton Heston
Pale Rider – Clint Eastwood
Matewan – James Earl Jones
North Country – Charlize Theron
Chelahoure
THE SALT OF THE EARTH A hard movie to find, about striking miners in Silver City NM made in the 50’s or 60’s Filmed at the mine with real working miners. And A true story.
muddog
Lust for Gold.I think Glenn Ford
Jamie
Couple of others that could make the list – they’re about mining companies/workers or set at mines but don’t necessarily show much mining happening:
– Avatar
– Red Dog
Avatar actually sparke quite a few debates on the net about the intergalactic future of mining, and about the current relevance of the theme of mining destroying forests etc without proper consultation. I can share likes to these discussions if people are interested.
Next up – songs about mining?
Michael Allan McCrae
D’oh, Avatar. Terrible oversight.
Stephen Araluen
Gold
North To Alaska
Rush
Tenpan
Paint your Wagon – a raucous musical that captures the spirit of the California Gold Rush. As a bonus you get to hear Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin sing.
jabba
total recall?
Construct Australia
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Robert Leonard
What about Zorba the Greek?
Miki Lou
“Harlan County USA”,
Davidcadwell
How Green Was my Valley, there is also a good promo type movie on Butte,