The Salt of the Earth (2014)

The life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting deprived societies in hidden corners of the world.

Directors:

Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders

Writers:

Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Stars:

Sebastião Salgado, Wim Wenders, Lélia Wanick Salgado

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Sebastião Salgado	...	Himself - Photographer
Wim Wenders	...	Himself - Narrator
Lélia Wanick Salgado	...	Herself - Sebastião's wife and collaborator
Juliano Ribeiro Salgado	...	Himself / Narrator
Hugo Barbier	...	Himself
Jacques Barthélémy	...	Himself
Régis Muller	...	Himself
João Pessoa Mattos	...	Himself
Leny Wanick Mattos	...	Sebastião's Sister-in-Law
Maria Teresa Salgado Rocha Bastos	...	Herself
Rodrigo Ribeiro Salgado	...	Sebastião's Son

Storyline

For the last 40 years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents, in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity. He has witnessed some of the major events of our recent history; international conflicts, starvation and exodus. He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of wild fauna and flora, and of grandiose landscapes as part of a huge photographic project which is a tribute to the planet's beauty.

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Plot Keywords:

humanity | starvation | rwandan genocide | wildlife photography | nature photography | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving disturbing images of violence and human suffering, and for nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Brazil Italy

Language:

French English Portuguese

Release Date:

27 March 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

La sal de la Tierra

Filming Locations:

Yalimo, Papua, Indonesia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$44,900, 29 March 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,343,349

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,402,761

Company Credits

Production Co:

Decia Films, Amazonas Images, Solares Fondazione delle arti

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In regard to his photograph of a gorilla putting its finger in its mouth, Sebastião Salgado states in the film that it is recognizing its own image for the first time after seeing the reflection of the lens. However, studies have shown that gorillas probably can't recognize themselves in mirrors.

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Quotes

Sebastião Salgado - Photographer: To think that these three-month-old trees will reach their apex in 400 years. Perhaps from there we could try to grasp the concept of eternity. Maybe eternity is measurable.

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Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2015)

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Soundtracks

Papu's Song
Written by Laurent Petitgand
Performed by Laurent Petitgand

User Reviews

a precious and terrible gift

Wim Wenders being Wim Wenders, he has nothing left to prove about movie making. So most of this documentary is simply made by the pictures of Sebastião Salgado, and by close-ups of his face: he is looking at the images (but through the screen at the same time), while telling and explaining to the audience the genesis and the reasons of his work. It is very simple, yes, but at the same time it's extremely powerful. So powerful that, after a while, I was under the impression that those still b/w images were alive: crowds in the mass scenes seemed to move, people in portraits looked like they were going to turn their heads, and talk.

This movie should be shown in schools. The work of Salgado has testified some of the major (but lesser known) disasters of recent world history, none of which came within ear of the western world - much more interested in the brilliant lives of the fashion victims than in the tragic fate of the casualties of famines and wars.

Nietzsche famously once wrote: "When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you". Salgado had the guts to stare to the abyss, without blinking - but clicking. He did it to give to others the opportunity to know, and possibly to better understand the meaning of the term "humanity". Some of Sebastião Salgado images are horrible, but it is by far more horrible to think that without him those horrors would have happened with nobody to remember about them. His work creates grounds for memory, and memory grows some chances for hope, and hope give us and some reason to believe in a better future for our troubled planet.