Looking back at this film from the perspective of the Trump administration we could use a little radicalism such as the men and women demonstrate in Salt Of The Earth.Based on a real strike by Mexican-American workers of a zinc mine in New Mexico it was about the usual labor issues, but also a component of racism and sexism. The Mexicans are given lower wages by the owners for being Mexican, rather baldfaced discrimination to say the least. But the sexism comes from the strikers themselves who believe firmly that woman's place is in the home.Needless to say the women sacrifice much, but they prove indispensable to the movement. In fact the message is that oppressed folks of all kinds have to unite to cast off the oppression.Well with that kind of message you know the mastodons that ran all kinds of agencies concerned with security got all hot and bothered. Of course having blacklisted people like Will Geer in the cast certainly drew everyone's attention. Geer is the only name in the cast that most American viewers will recognize.The non-professionals the actual miners playing themselves should be given a lot of credit wanting to bring their own story to our attention. I noted one anachronism though, mention of the Taft- Hartley Act is made and not favorably. For about 20 years Democrats faithfully included it in their platform, a repeal of the law. But both organized labor and the Democratic party eventually learned to live with it.Being an independent film with no studio backing at all it sure lacks a lot of production values. But it's heart is big as all outdoors and its place in history is secure.And this review is dedicated to the men and women of local 890 of the mine workers union who fought the good fight.

This classic film is the only film to come out of the 1950s blacklist of Hollywood actors and filmmakers, a "crime to fit the punishment" after the professional filmmakers were barred from practicing their trade. Shot in Silver City, New Mexico, using mostly ordinary citizens, it tells the story of a Chicano community of mineworkers who go on strike against the unsafe conditions. When the men are threatened (and punished) for picketing, the women take over the lines and are themselves jailed. It's fiction, but based upon real events and an incredibly compelling film. The story of the production itself is harrowing, and both this and the original strike and the people behind it, are told in the special edition DVD sold on the organa.com website, based on tremendous research and the participation of the original filmmakers and actors/actresses. All other editions are only the film.

This by no means is a great or greatly made movie but it tells a good story. It's a movie about standing up for your rights and against discrimination as well as female emancipation. All in all more than enough elements for the American government to ban this movie and blacklist basically every person involved with it, if they weren't blacklisted already that is. Pretty ridicules of course in todays light but that's how things were during the McCartney-era. Most notable blacklisted person involved with this movie was writer Michael Wilson, who would later write the classics "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia" but never in his life-time received the acknowledgment or acclaim for it because he simply couldn't been given the writing credits for its, due to the fact he got blacklisted in the '50's. Prior to that he also wrote the screenplay for other classics "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Place in the Sun".It is still a relevant movie because of the issues it handles. And this is also one of my complaints with this movie. At the end you don't really feel that the characters and this movie actually achieved anything the change the whole situation. As long as money is important companies like this will use cheap labor forces, with minimum wage and without overly expensive safety measures. This is not something typical American. Of course not everything is still the same now days but some of the problems of the old days got replaced by a whole new similar bunch of problems.The movie got made very cheaply and in secret, due to the involvement of blacklisted persons. Because of this the movie does not exactly use the best director, the best cinematographer, the best editor or the best actors. As a matter of fact the movie its cast largely consists out of non-actors and it gets presented and mentioned as if that's something to be proud. I'm sorry but more than halve of these persons in this movie just really can't act. But granted that this movie is not necessarily a movie, so not everything I just mentioned really matters for the end result. It can be seen as the telling of a true story, in an almost documentary like style. It got shot at the spot, with only the available things and persons at hand. It got shot at a real Mexican miners community, with real miners and their families.Really not the greatest looking or made movie but it tells a good story.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

77/100. A very real and believably done movie, and it makes a powerful statement in a simple but persuasive way. What is amazing is how excellent the mostly non professional cast is, especially Rosaura Revueltas. She gives a beautiful and sensitive portrayal. Director Herbert J. Biberman does an excellent job developing the characters. Surprisingly the film has a feminist slant, one of the earliest examples of that in cinema. Making the film even more interesting is the group of men that participated in the film, producer Paul Jarrico, actor Will Geer, director Biberman and screenplay writer Michael Wilson were victims of the Blacklist. Very well done and a good of what you can do without much of a budget.