A SHALLOW 'MINERS' STORY'.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic YOU CAN get a sense of what's wrong with ``The Pennsylvania Miners' Story'' from its very (clunky) title. The film, based on the happily miraculous July rescue of nine Quecreek coal miners trapped for 77 hours after accidentally opening an underground passage filled with water, was rushed into production and hurtled onto the air so quickly no one could even be bothered to concoct con·coct tr.v. con·coct·ed, con·coct·ing, con·cocts 1. To prepare by mixing ingredients, as in cooking. 2. a decent title. What about ``Nine for Nine,'' the rousing chant that went up when it was discovered that all men had indeed survived? Once the men were rescued, the race was on to churn this puppy out in a timely fashion - that is, before too many other news stories pushed this one out of our short-attention-span memories - and actually, given the circumstances, one might expect far worse. Certainly, screenwriter Elwood Reid Elwood Reid is an American novelist and short-story writer. He is a 1996 graduate of the University of Michigan Creative Writing MFA Program. A native of Willoughby, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, he attended Michigan as an undergraduate and played football for the Wolverines. gives director David Frankel David Frankel (born April 2, 1959, New York City, New York) is an American director, screenwriter, executive producer. He is the son of Max Frankel, former executive editor and later columnist for the New York Times. the absolute bare bones No frills. No luxuries. See bare bones system. of a structure to work with; Frankel, nonetheless, manages a few striking images that look like he had more time than he no doubt did to compose. A requisite amount of characterization is attempted for each man before the disaster befalls them, to no avail, really: Once they're down in the hole, their faces caked with grime, they pretty much become interchangeable. Except, of course, for two; The Burly Miner Who Falls Ill and The Miner Played by ``Cheers' '' John Ratzenberger John Deszo Ratzenberger (born April 6 1947) is an American actor. Ratzenberger is perhaps best known for his role as "Clifford C. 'Cliff' Clavin, Jr." in the Cheers (1982) TV series. . There's a lot of padding here - cars and trucks driving up to edifices and stopping, the guys pushing through water for five minutes at a time. Some histrionics come courtesy of family members who are so loud and boisterous in their demands for information that the authorities simply can't give them any. The rescue is handled in a curiously undramatic fashion. But along the way, there are some nice moments, the best coming when a miner's wife is taken to the site of the accident and kneels, distraught and imploringly im·plore v. im·plored, im·plor·ing, im·plores v.tr. 1. To appeal to in supplication; beseech: implored the tribunal to have mercy. 2. , to the earth that has swallowed her husband. Since several of the miners and their family members declare at various points in the film that they'll never go back to work at the mine, it would've been nice for a recap on each of the survivor's lives post-rescue. But since the film doesn't grant you this, I will: Each miner (and the chief rescuer) reportedly received $150,000 for the rights to their story. Which makes it a little tough to grouse grouse, common name for a game bird of the colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 18 species. Grouse are henlike terrestrial birds, protectively plumaged in shades of red, brown, and gray. about the rawness of the movie. THE PENNSYLVANIA MINERS' STORY - Two stars What: Docudrama about the July rescue of nine trapped men. Where: ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. (Channel 7). When: 9 tonight. In a nutshell: Better than one might expect from a rush job but still not very good. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Brad Greenquist, left, Robert Knepper, William Mapother and John Ratzenberger play men trapped underground in ``The Pennsylvania Miners' Story.'' |
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