Product Description

Experience the unbelievable but true account of hope, friendship, and courage that captivated an entire nation in THE PENNSYLVANIA MINERS' STORY. Relive every gut-wrenching, heart-rending minute of the ordeal when a close-knit group of nine coal miners accidentally punch into an old mine shaft that's holding back millions of gallons of trapped groundwater. Now tragically trapped themselves in claustrophobic four-foot-high shafts, time becomes the real enemy. As their families gather above ground, the miners must battle rising water, hypothermia, "black damp," and the odds below -- armed only with the will to survive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43605 in DVD
• Brand: Disney
• Released on: 2003-06-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.com
The Pennsylvania Miners' Story gives a realistic and heartfelt depiction of the true story of nine men trapped in coal mine. After breaking into a water-filled abandoned mine, the nine miners struggle to stay alive while rescue crews fight against time to drill down. There are no surprises to the story, but the harrowing circumstances of both the trapped men and their wives and children up above is made acutely, powerfully clear. What could be mawkish--for example, one shivering miner realizes he didn't kiss his wife goodbye that morning--is given compelling emotional weight by the movie's straightforward realism and solid performances by a largely unknown cast (the most famous face is probably John Ratzenberger, from the TV show Cheers). Only the hardest heart could remain unmoved. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Real Life Thrills
This made-for-tv movie is based on a real life incident in 2002, when nine Pennsylvania coal miners were trapped for three days when water flooded their mine. Partially shot at the Quecreek mine, where the accident happened, this movie is a realistic look at what the miners had to do to survive, as well as what their families went through while waiting for the miners to be rescued.

At just 90 minutes long, this is a fast paced and thrilling movie. The miners and their families are introduced in quick segments at the beginning of the movie and then the film moves right into the mine flooding and the miners struggle to say alive. The film alternates scenes in the mine with scenes of the miners families waiting at the fire hall for news of their loved ones.

The filmmakers do a good job filming the scenes with the trapped miners to the point where I felt claustrophobic watching some of the mine scenes. Even though I knew the miners all got out safely, I was on the edge of my seat watching them struggle in the water. The scenes with the families are, with one or two exceptions, emotional without being cloying.

I really enjoyed this movie and recommend it to fans of movies based on real-life events.

Sad
This movie was such a good movie, but I would advise if you do not like the coal mines since there have been so many accidents then I don't think that you should watch it. I cried my eyes out. But other than that its such a good movie.

Pennsyvania Miner's Story
This is a very good movie based on a true story. Trapped miners and what devestation it causes for the families not knowing whether they are a live or not after 5 days.