Salt of the Earth (1954)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Herbert J. Biberman

Writers:

Michael Biberman (writer)
Michael Wilson (writer)

Release Date:

14 March 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Banned! The film the US government didn't want you to see!

Plot:

Based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, the film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers...

Plot Keywords:

Strike | Zinc Mine | Feminism | New Mexico | Mexican American

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Will Geer	...	Sheriff
David Wolfe	...	Barton
Mervin Williams	...	Hartwell
David Sarvis	...	Alexander
Rosaura Revueltas	...	Esperanza Quintero
E.A. Rockwell	...	Vance
William Rockwell	...	Kimbrough
Juan Chacón	...	Ramon Quintero (as Juan Chacon)
Henrietta Williams	...	Teresa Vidal
Ángela Sánchez	...	Consuelo Ruiz (as Angela Sanchez)
Clorinda Alderette	...	Luz Morales
Virginia Jencks	...	Ruth Barnes
Clinton Jencks	...	Frank Barnes
Joe T. Morales	...	Sal Ruiz
Ernesto Velázquez	...	Charley Vidal (as Ernest Velaquez)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:13 | Portugal:17 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Bayard, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Independent Production Company (IPC)

Trivia:

Rosaura Revueltas, who played Esperanza Quintero, was a noted screen actress in her native Mexico. After this film was distributed, she was accused of being a Communist and deported. While she continued to appear in Mexican cinema, she never made another film in the US.

Quotes:

Esperanza Quintero: [opening narration] How shall I begin my story that has no beginning? My name is Esperanza, Esperanza Quintero. I am a miner's wife. This is our home. The house is not ours. But the flowers... the flowers are ours. This is my village. When I was a child, it was called San Marcos...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Crime to Fit the Punishment (1982)

America strikes back - At Itself

At the height of anti-communist paranoia this film was bound to be blacklisted. But its realism, naturalism, cinematography and significant plot make it a work of art. A harsh yet beautiful one. And one that has aged well - not dating itself at all even after the fall of communism. Things were never as simple as a duel. They are even less so now. And much of our hope resides with the fact that within the remaining superpower dissent should be at the very least tolerated - at best a multiplicity of views encouraged.