Herbert J. Biberman's Salt of the Earth may be the greatest working class movie of all time. Not only is it a rousing, detailed story about real people and real struggles, it's also a deeply feminist and anti-racist film, championing the role that women and Mexican-Americans have played in labor organizing all over the world.
Salt of the Earth (1954)
Salt of the Earth is the story of Zinc Town, New Mexico, a fictional town based on San Marcos, New Mexico. Corporate interests bought the land that Mexican-Americans had been mining for years and then "allowing" them to continue to work the mine, being paid low wages in company scrip while living in homes owned by the corporation. The plot begins when the Mexican-Americans began demanding the same treatment as white miners, resulting in Union leader Ramon - played by Juan Chacon, a real-life miner and strike organizer - being charged with "resisting arrest" after being brutalized.
Things get even more complicated when Ramon is released from jail, when the corporation gets the local law to declare it illegal for any striking miner to walk the picket line. During a Union meeting, one of the miner's wives astutely observes the law only forbids striking miners from walking the picket line. It doesn't say anything about the women. She proposes the women take over the strike. Esperenza, gloriously depicted by Rosaura Revueltas, also moves that since they're the one who'll be doing the work, they should also be allowed to vote. After some policy discussions, a vote is held and approved. The women of Zinc Town will carry on the strike.
The remainder of the movie deals with the fallout of this decision. Despite his progressive politics, Ramon remains steadfastly conservative in the home, as do most of the other men in Salt of the Earth. They feel emasculated, not being able to work or strike. Furthermore, with their wives on the picket line, the out-of-work husbands need to take care of the house and children. At first they're resentful, but it ends up giving the men a greater appreciation of what their wives go through. The strike is able to succeed due to the true solidarity between men, women, and workers of all races.
Salt of the Earth bears the distinction of being the only blacklisted film, due to it being perceived as Communist propaganda. It was also written by three blacklisted Hollywood insiders, including one of the original "Hollywood Ten," when director Herbert J. Biberman refused to cooperate with House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Rather than giving in, Biberman, Paul Jarrico and Michael Wilson started Independent Productions Corp, a production company for creating legitimate working-class cinema that made exactly one film - 1954's Salt of the Earth.
These political tensions followed the film's production itself, including the threat of vigilante justice. Rosaura Revueltas was even deported to Mexico when filming was almost complete. Everybody involved clearly had a lot on the line - one more reason it should be considered as one of the all time great working-class movies.
Salt of the Earth might play kind of slow for modern audiences, coming across as a mix of straight-up documentary and a kitchen sink neorealist drama. It's not all straight and deadly serious, though. Some grand music - usually reserved for capitalists and empire - brings some real heroism and grandiosity to the working-class struggle. Razor-sharp attention to detail and a true understanding of mid-Century labor organizing makes Salt of the Earth more documentary than documentary, even. It's a detailed, factual, accurate movie that's still capable of heart, heroism, love, and courage.
Salt of the Earth can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
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