SALT OF THE EARTH

SALT OF THE EARTH (1954)

RATING-NR but probably PG

AWARDS-National Film Registry, Library of Congress (1992) and the only blacklisted film in American history.

THEME-Civil rights and feminine rights.

STORY-Based on the true story of the strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico. The Mexican-American miners are fighting for equal wages and equal safety conditions with the 'Anglo' miners. When there is a serious injury caused by lack of safety precautions, the Mexican-American union decides to strike. Ironically, there is a 'strike' brewing on the home front of these workers as well. As bad as these men are treated at the mines, they don't do much better with their own families. Living in the 'company owned' town (we own the flowers-the company owns everything else) the wives are forced to live without indoor hot water, forcing them to chop wood 4-5 times a day for cooking, washing, etc. Several bold wives dare to show up at the union meeting and suggest they make hot water part of the bargaining. The men reject their proposal and a long, ugly strike ensues. When the miners are ordered off the picket line by a federal judge, the wives realize that this doesn't apply to them. This creates a whole new dimension of friction among the miners and their families as many of the men refuse to allow their wives to enter 'their' world. It also creates some humorous times as the men try to handle the home responsibilities and soon realize firsthand what their wives were complaining about. Because the producers and directors had refused to participate in the Congressional anti-Communist inquiries, they were 'blacklisted' and the film was banned by the government, the only blacklisted American film in history. A powerful film that anticipated the civil rights and feminist movements by nearly 10 years. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 9/15/2007.

LINKS-IMBD, AMAZON