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Herbert BibermanSalt Of The Earth (1954)

Tells the tale of a real life strike by Mexican-American miners. The story is set in a remote New Mexico town where the workers live in a company town in company owned shacks without basic plumbing. Put at risk by cost cutting bosses, the miners strike for safe working conditions. As the strike progresses the issues at stake grow beyond that, driven by the workers' wives. At first the wives are patronized by the traditional patriarchical culture, however they assert themselves as equals and an integral part of the struggle, calling for improved sanitation and dignified treatment. Ultimately, when the bosses win a court order against the workers preventing them from demonstrating gender roles reverse with the wives taking over the picket line and preventing scab workers from being brought in while the husbands stay at home and take care of house and children.

This film was selected for the National Film Registry in 1992 by the Library of Congress. It became public domain after its copyright was not renewed in 1982.

"Salt of the Earth" was produced, written and directed by victims of the Hollywood blacklist. Unable to make films in Hollywood they looked for worthy social issues to put on screen independently. This film never would have been made in Hollywood at the time, so it is ironic that it was the anti-communist backlash that brought about the conditions for it to be made. In many ways it was a film ahead of its time, mainstream culture did not pick up on its civil rights and feminist themes for at least a decade.

Unfortunately, the source of this copy is not of very good quality, hopefully it can be replaced by a better version.

You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page.


This movie is part of the collection: Feature Films

Director: Herbert Biberman
Producer: Independent Productions / International Union Of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers
Audio/Visual: sound, b/w
Keywords: labor; feminism; latino

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Individual Files

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Reviewer: jwkphoto - - October 19, 2007
Subject: Salt of the Earth, WOW!
I found "Salt of the Earth" to be a very powerful and moving motion picture! With the things that have been happening in the USA over the last twenty-five years, "Salt of the Earth" is still very relevant.

I will make copies of it to give out to all of my progressive friends, none of them have ever seen it.

Many things in New Mexico have changed since Salt was made. I lived in Albuquerque, N.M., for nearly ten years, only recently moving away back to the east. My work took me all over the state and overall, meeting thousands of warm and wonderful people. Compared to here in Virginia, I found, even with all of New Mexico's problems, the New Mexicans get along much better with each other than any other place I've been.

I miss the New Mexico land and especially it's great people, there is no other place like it!

Jerry

Reviewer: me#1 - - June 22, 2006
Subject: does it work?
did the 3.7GB download work? i'm downloading it and i have downloaded more than 6GB and it still isn't finished!
how can that be??

Reviewer: b11761500s - - February 19, 2006
Subject: Salt of the Earth
Excellent production given the times. Deals with social issues in a manner ahead of its times. Well acted and written. A little known story about an out of the way mining operation that deserved to be told.

Reviewer: TedErnst - - February 7, 2006
Subject: Watch this film!
Totally awesome movie about class, unions, gender, discrimination, and the power of people to shape their own futures, regardless of their circumstances.

Reviewer: CyborgSam - - December 31, 2005
Subject: A Must-See Movie
IMHO, this is the best movie I've downloaded here. A timeless and powerful portrayal of human behavior, as apropos today as it was when filmed. Highly recommended.

Reviewer: joelguide - - November 17, 2005
Subject: A Powerful Film
You will find a powerful message here. Together we can overcome the powerful.

Reviewer: Dr Hilary Rhodes - - September 23, 2005
Subject: Dignity
What dignity! What inspiration! We could do with a few lessons from this today. Solidarity!

Reviewer: karlom - - May 21, 2005
Subject: great working class movie!
This is quite simply one of best working class movies - and among the best in this archive. Watch it for yourself.

Reviewer: cainmark - - April 6, 2005
Subject: Watch this. It'll do you good.
Slow to get started for a modern audience, but once it gets going, it goes full-force.

This is a a very good "Social issues" film. In contemporary terms, think The Insider. Different subject matter, but still the fight for equality recognition, owning up and mainly truth.

Credits

Writers

Michael Biberman
Michael Wilson

Producers

Adolfo Barela
Sonja Dahl Biberman
Paul Jarrico

Music

Sol Kaplan

Cinematography

Stanley Meredith
Leonard Stark

Editing

Joan Laird
Ed Spiegel

Production Design

Adolfo Barela
Sonja Dahl Biberman

Cast

Rosaura Revueltas (Esperanza Quintero)
Juan Chacón (Ramon Quintero)
Will Geer (Sheriff)
David Wolfe (Barton)
Mervin Williams (Hartwell)
David Sarvis (Alexander)