Salt of the earth

Résumé du document

The upheaval triggered by Salt of the Earth may come as a surprise to the modern viewer. As the New York Times film critic of the time put it: "it is somewhat surprising to find that Salt of the Earth is, in substance, simply a strong pro-labor film with a particularly sympathetic interest in the Mexican-Americans with whom it deals." Of course, the hostility to the film comes largely from its socialist sympathies and its pro-labor depiction of the miners' strike in the context of the emerging Cold War and McCarthyism: the film had been written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. Biberman and produced by Paul Jarrico who had all been blacklisted in the beginning of the fifties. Projectionists were pressured not to show the film which could only be seen in twelve theatres in the Unites States. The House of Representatives itself criticized the film for its communist views and the film's financing was under the investigation of the FBI.

Extraits

[...] One can also wonder why Salt of the Earth has acquired such a cult following. Of course, the history of the movie perfectly illustrates the dangers of censorship and the anti-democratic excesses of anti-communism in the forties and the fifties. However, I believe its lasting popularity stems from the fact that main dichotomies explored by the movies are still relevant and still prevail in today's society. In fact, it would be interesting to visit San Marco in order to analyse what has become of the miners. [...]

[...] Salt of the earth The upheaval triggered by Salt of the Earth may come as a surprise to the modern viewer. As the New York Times film critic of the time put it: is somewhat surprising to find that Salt of the Earth is, in substance, simply a strong pro-labor film with a particularly sympathetic interest in the Mexican-Americans with whom it deals.”[1] Of course, the hostility to the film comes largely from its socialist sympathies and its pro-labour depiction of the miners' strike in the context of the emerging Cold War and McCarthyism: the film had been written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. [...]

[...] The creation of groups like “minute-men”, formed by voluntary US citizens who patrol the Mexican border in order to prevent Mexican immigration illustrate today's tensions and unfortunately proves the educational role of such a movie to be limited. I personally enjoyed the film and was pleasantly surprised by the depth and diversity of the issues tackled. Although the acting was partly unprofessional, this was compensated by the fact that most actors were members of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. The contribution of workers to the film made it more authentic and helped to prevent a stereotypical representation of workers. [...]

[...] However, the movie goes beyond this question and addresses themes such as gender and race. Once again, these issues can be thought of in terms of dichotomy: men versus women, Anglo versus Mexicans. In fact, the movies draws clear parallels between them when Rosaura Revueltas compares the domination of the employers on workers to the domination of men on women. All these dichotomies share a pattern of domination by one side on the other and play a vital role in the social structure. [...]