Matewan (1987)
Directed by John Sayles · Cinematography by Haskell Wexler
PG-13135 min47 frames
DramaHistory
It takes more than guns to kill a man.
Stills, screencaps & shots from Matewan
16 of 47 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.
Matewan — official trailer
What is Matewan about?
Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, "Matewan" celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Kenehan, a scab named "Few Clothes" Johnson and a sympathetic mayor and police chief heroically fight the power represented by a coal company and Matewan's vested interests so that justice and workers' rights need not take a back seat to squalid working conditions, exploitation and the bottom line.
Where can you watch Matewan?
US availability for Matewan (1987). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.
Who stars in Matewan?
Who made Matewan?
What does the cinematography of Matewan look like?
Sampled across 46 frames, the coverage of Matewan leans on medium shots (70% of the sample) and close-ups (17%). Cinematographer Haskell Wexler keeps 76% of it in soft, low-key light. Night and dusk account for 74% of the frames. Focus stays shallow in 72% of the frames, isolating subjects from their surroundings.
What is the color palette of Matewan?
The dominant colors across the sampled frames of Matewan (1987) are #302e2c, #171514, #463831, #55504b, #a89b8e, #241b18 — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.
#302e2c#171514#463831#55504b#a89b8e#241b18
See the full Matewan colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.
A reference database for filmmakers
FrameThrower is a fully machine-searchable film database and visual reference library — all 47 frames of Matewan (1987), and 5,000+ films besides, indexed frame by frame and readable by AI. Search it in plain language, from a reference image, or by colour; call it from an API, an MCP server or an SDK. It's the reference layer for making the next movie.
Techniques in this film
More films by John Sayles
More Drama films
Cast, trailer and streaming data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.