283. Salt Of The Earth (1954)

Directed By Herbert J. Biberman

Synopsis

Shock! Horror! Companies will exploit workers for profit! Unions help workers! Women's work isn't easy! Institutionalised racism exists!

Review

Ok let's get the technical bits out of the way. The non-professional cast does few favours to the film, there isn't much to talk about in terms of direction or camera-work, the film is in bad need of restoration that no one will do as it is in public domain so there is no money to be had.

That said, if you thought Carmen Jones with its All-Black cast was a gutsy film to make in the mid 50s, then this will blow you away. Of course the film teaches nothing new to today's informed people, but in the 50s during McCarthy's reign of terror it was dangerous indeed to imply that workers have rights, and that striking is a useful tool. Remember that Civil Rights activism was still some years away.

Weird thing is that it isn't that different in many places in the States today, from companies who don't allow workers to be unionised to the exploitation of migrant workers, many of the subjects addressed by the film are equally relevant today, and that is truly sad.

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The film was denounced by the United States House of Representatives for its supposed Communist sympathies, and the FBI investigated the film's financing. The American Legion called for a nation-wide boycott of the film. Also, film-processing labs were told not to work on Salt of the Earth and unionized projectionists were instructed not to show it.

After its opening night in New York City, the film languished for ten years because all but twelve theaters in the country refused to screen it.

Lee Hockstader writing for The Washington Post wrote: "During the course of production in New Mexico in 1953, the trade press denounced it as a subversive plot, anti-Communist vigilantes fired rifle shots at the set, the film's leading lady [Rosaura Revueltas] was deported to Mexico, and from time to time a small airplane buzzed noisily overhead....The film, edited in secret, was stored for safekeeping in an anonymous wooden shack in Los Angeles."

You can watch it all on Youtube, here's part 1: