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Salt of the Earth

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02:09

Salt of the Earth

Name: Salt of the Earth
Director: Herbert J Biberman
Genre: Drama, History
Released: 1954
Duration: 1 h 34 min
Cast: Rosaura Revueltas, Juan Chacon, Will Geer, David Wolfe, Melvin Williams

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Drama
History

1954
Herbert J Biberman
94 mins
A

Summary

Mexican workers at a zinc mine call a general strike. It is only through the solidarity of the workers, and importantly the indomitable resolve of their wives, mothers, and daughters, that they eventually triumph.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

John Gammon

Probably the most left-wing movie ever made in America, Salt of the Earth represents an extraordinary act of defiance against McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklist. Its subject is a strike by the miners of Zinc Town, New Mexico, but the picture opens a pandora's box of themes, ranging from immigrant workers, racism, the rights of women and the way that America's postwar economic boom passes these people by. Director Herbert J Biberman, producer Paul Jarrico, Oscar-winning writer Michael Wilson, composer Sol Kaplan and actor Will Geer were all blacklisted at the time and the film, financed by the Miners Union, was subject to constant FBI harassment and barely shown in cinemas. Not only a milestone in the political history of the cinema, it's still a riveting piece of work.

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7.3/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameEsperanza QuinteroRosaura RevueltasRamon QuinteroJuan ChaconSheriffWill GeerBartonDavid WolfeHartwellMelvin WilliamsAlexanderDavid SarvisTeresa VidalHenrietta Williams