Long Journey Home (Film)

Long Journey Home

  •  Elizabeth Barret
  •  1987
  • Color IconColor
  •  57:30
  •  16 mm film
Film Description
Long Journey Home explores the ethnic diversity of the Appalachian region, the economic forces causing people to migrate into and out of the area, and the choices individuals make to stay, to leave, and to come back. European immigrants recall the ethnic variety that existed in Appalachia during the first coal boom of the 1910s and ’20s, while African-Americans whose families left sharecropping in the South to build railroads and work in the mines talk about the transition to life in the coal camps. Common to all groups? Their dispersal across the country as automation took their jobs.

Screenings & Festivals
  • American Film Festival
  • Baltimore Independent Film Festival


Not yet preserved. To support the work of preserving and safeguarding the collections, please consider designating a donation to Appalshop Archive.


Reviews

“A damn good film.” — Studs Terkel, author
“Highly recommended.” — Choice
“Encountering prejudice against hillbillies and briars, difficulties in adjustment to the urban environment, the role of extended kin in easing adjustment problems, and the contrasts in men’s and women’s experiences are all touched on … provides excellent narration on the history of black people in the region. Useful for dealing with the effects of economic change, migration, and ethnic identity.” — American Anthropologist