Salt of the Earth

Good intentions do not a good movie make. The story behind the production is remarkable, and it is nice to see the locale and focus on underrepresented minorities in this era, but there's no way getting around the simplistic execution. A film where every character's words and actions can be surmised before being presented is not one that bears watching.

Made by blacklisted American communists, this eye-opening leftist polemic which focuses on a strike by Mexican-American workers in New Mexico, particularly the role of women, is nevertheless exciting, intelligent film-making, notable for its disciplined performances by amateurs and the spare b&w cinematography.

The background behind the film is really interesting and it deserves credit for tackling subjects head on, but the production is so depressingly mediocre it hurts. The script isn't bad, but it's way too blunt, the direction is talented but obviously restricted, and the less said about the acting and sound the better. It also doesn't feel that daring beyond being unabashedly socialist. Historically important but not that effective or interesting.

Not a bad pro-union movie, and it's strikingly different from the other 1954 movie about a union, On the Waterfront, but it isn't completely compelling either.

I got drawn to this from an Audible serial The Big Lie (save your time and skip it) and was surprised to discover it was based on a real film, which I had not heard of (shame on me). I like that it's not only a focus on the poor, but also minorities and women. Strictly pro-union films are still rare unless you count cynical crime films. The background of using actual people involved in the story and the blacklisting is interesting too. Fav scene: election night when the women spoke up.

I can appreciate the political message this film is trying to convey, but the execution is devastatingly poor. I can't rate a movie highly connecting it to my personal viewpoints when its artistic quality is that low.

Less of a socialist propaganda and more of a feminist eulogy, the blacklisting of this movie in the McCarthyist period says a lot about the real fears of the US elites. The figure of the good american is present in the character of the union leader but when usually this trope comes in a negative way, here it gains a positive look by pointing the fragile masculinity. The men use a foreign leader but the women are able to organize and mobilize by themselves.

The fact of the film's making, by a blacklisted crew in the 50's, stands as a testament to the kind of stand portrayed in the film. It is powerful precisely because it comes from a place of unity in its making. And as it uses close-up to great effect, we see brown and female faces throughout, reminding us that people can, if they so choose, stand up for social change, persevere in the midst of suffering at the hands of the powerful, and transform their own lives and perspectives in the process.

Mistura de neorealismo italiano com construtivismo russo na estética e uma pegada feminista e comunista na ética, não é à toa que foi o único filme proibido na história dos EUA. O ano era 1954 em pleno macarthismo e as mulheres eram condicionadas a serem as donas de casa perfeitas, este filme foi uma afronta sócio-política sem igual. Visto por indicação da maravilhosa Rebecca Solnit. Rip no MakingOff.

Lots of heart

while politically progressive, Salt of the Earth delivers little in the way of narrative engagement. Rosaura Revueltas' dry narration, and Michael Wilson's labored (har!) screenplay cause the whole thing to feel like a drag to get through.

As it stands from a filmmaking point of view, it's alright but nothing special, dragging at times without seeming too exciting. Storywise it's fantastic and all the more relevant today than when it was made.

It's agit-prop made on a shoe-string budget, but it still possesses subtlety and irony, particularly in the portrayal of the miners' grudging acceptance of their wives as partners in the struggle. The non-professional actors--particularly Chacon and the women--have memorable, haunting faces, and Rosaura Revueltas--a pro--gives a strong and moving performance. This film, unique in U.S. history, has a unique power: women working together had never before been shown to be so brave and so strong.

only film ever blacklisted in the USA