Rather well-researched

I just saw this film last night. I was surprised when I looked at the birthplaces of the writer, screenwriter, director, etc. that none of them were born in Pennsylvania. I grew up in the coal mining region of Pa. and I think many aspects of this film are historically accurate. Kids often worked in the mines, and the smaller ones often had to crawl in narrow crevices, like the character Sara did in the opening scene. In the beginning where one of the workers had a canary in a cage is also correct for mining practices because canaries were used to detect the presence of dangerous gases (I think if it died that was a sign for the miners to get out immediately). Even the town's name of "Addytown" strikes a resemblance to the names of patch towns throughout PA.

One of the few things I questioned was why the Tunny childrens' family lived in such a large house (I mean in 1913). A house that size would be for the people in the company who had high positions, not the typical miners. Miners usually lived in extreme poverty in tiny houses.