Salt of the Earth

Starring:Will Geer
Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

An inspiring film

Salt of the Earth
Starring: Clorinda Alderette , Juan Chacón , Charles Coleman , Joe T. Morales , and Rosaura Revueltas
Director: Herbert Biberman
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Salt of the Earth Special Edition
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ASIN: B0001ZMXGI
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Customer Reviews:

An inspiring film.......2005-12-29

This film shows how a group of mainly Hispanic miners who are discriminated against with dangerous working conditions and unsanitary housing better their lot through industrial action. But in the process the miners also have to change their attitudes towards women, so that the film acts against several social injustices at once. The film remains powerful even though it was made 50 years ago. It reminded me of the story of a successful hunger strike by ANC prisoners on Robben Island in the days of apartheid South Africa, told in Indres Naidoo's book Island in Chains.
Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

connect the dots.... <~
Salt of the Earth still relevant
This is the official edition
Must see film for all Activists
Public Domain

Salt of the Earth Special Edition
Starring: Rosaura Revueltas , Will Geer , David Wolfe , Mervin Williams , and David Sarvis
Director: Rosaura Revueltas , and Herbert J. Biberman
Manufacturer: Organa
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Suppression of Salt of the Earth: How Hollywood, Big Labor, and Politicians Blacklisted a Movie in Cold War America

ASIN: 6304863365
Release Date: 1999-07-27

Amazon.com

Included in the prestigious National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, Salt of the Earth represents a milestone in the history of American movies. It was produced, written, and directed by filmmakers who were still blacklisted when the film was made in 1953, during the anticommunist witch-hunts that plagued Hollywood (and the entire country) at the height of the McCarthy era. While the filmmakers faced misguided suspicion of promoting anti-American sentiments, the film was financed in part by the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers, which strongly supported this powerful social-realist drama about a strike by Mexican American zinc miners in New Mexico. Featuring a prominent role for blacklisted actor Will Geer (later famous as Grandpa on TV's The Waltons), the story intensifies when the strikers are forced to stop picketing and their wives take up the cause. Focusing on one struggling couple to illustrate its themes of individual dignity and human rights, the film was released in only 13 theaters nationwide in 1954, receiving a majority of highly positive reviews. Still, Salt of the Earth was surrounded by controversy before, during, and after its production, and it was widely misinterpreted as a call for social revolution. It remained largely unseen in America until the 1960s, but this boldly independent film has since been duly recognized for its artistic and social importance. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Based on actual events, this landmark film depicts a strike by Mexican-American mineworkers in New Mexico. With the exception of five actors, the cast comprises non-professionals, mostly participants in the real-life strike.

The film is remarkably prophetic in its portrayal of the wives of the oppressed workers which seem to anticipate the women's liberation movement that would rise over a decade later. The film's very existence is the result of political struggle. It was made during the height of the McCarthy era, and the blacklisted cast and crew were subject to attacks by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and other anti-Communist organizations. These attacks were misguided, however, as Salt of the Earth is now considered one of the most important American films in history.

Included on this disc is the documentary The Hollywood Ten about the ten filmmakers who defied the HUAC, resulting in their blacklisting. Based on actual events: A critically acclaimed film of politics and passion. Directed by Herbert Biberman, one of the Hollywood Ten, Salt of the Earth was chosen by the Library of Congress as one of only 100 films to be preserved for posterity. Salt of the Earth is the only American blacklisted film.

Includes the documentary The Hollywood Ten.

Includes production notes, hundreds of production stills, a history (and hundreds of pictures) of the strike the film was based on, a history of the blacklist in Hollywood, and Congressional testimony of the blacklisted filmmakers.

This is the official edition of the film, produced under license from the filmmakers' families. The digitally enhanced transfer is far superior to VHS and other versions.

Customer Reviews:

connect the dots.... <~.......2006-06-12

Yes it is propaganda....I see it as a brilliant example of creating discord and division as a good thing. We don't see what happens after. Like if you saw Kinsey he goes looking for butterflies in the forest at the end. In reality he went off to "investigate" sado masochistic sex...then to an unglorious demise.Salt Of The Earth ( a horrible contradiction) offers with the promise of equality driven by the typical feeling and emotion driven responses which in reality the antithesis never delivers as advertised(the norm with the communism hoax) Most women were able to raise thier own children at home ,have farm life where "economic forces "wouldnt cause them to have 3 part time jobs with no benefits,and dictatorial (to be equal and even steven)idiotic policies of some nut who owns so many corporations he has no idea who the woman is and crushes her daily like an ant. Yay for women ! Forget just one "opressor" who was her husband. King of the Castle was made a joke by Gleason...Lucille Ball never obeyed her husband. But the fact is many women were queens of the castle. Women weren't soldiers. They and children were the spoils of war. The fair things. And we see them quitting thier careers daily to raise children contrary the utopian liberation from thier intended purposes. They are hard wired to do this. (most are anyway) The King and Queen of the castle was a layer of strength and autonomy the communists were terrified of. A nation of soverigns. I guess they are much better off now being un-oppressed by multinational megalomaniacs corporate middle management weenies whims? The husband and wife both HAVE to work now and can barely make it. But public private partnerships will raise junior for you these days or an afterschool programmer at the afterschool program. Oh yes. Much better comrade. The kids now get after school mentors and the molesters have a data base you can look up to see how close they are to junior's school which is locked down like an armed camp. So you have peace of mind while you are working at MalWart (eg) . That is if you even have a husband.(Or maybe he's had a sex change like Klinger) <~ not thats theres anything wrong with that!! Yep...these guys like Ring Lardner were wonderful at changing peoples thinking . I urge anyone else who loves this movie to see Ring Lardners Coup' De Tat ~~>M*A*S*H The movie about lazy drunk American soldiers,who wince and abhor the carnage inflicted on the soldiers by the communists. In the TV show they give aid and comfort to the enemy whenever possible.It was an particularly effective movie capitalizing on the first War the US was to supposedly lose after the big so called World War 2 victory. So make a movie about it Ring ! About soldiers (but doctors) synthesis requires a emotional trigger to stir you from your foundational beliefs invoked by feeling or opinions and a freezing of the emotional state just where you want your audience torn somewhere inbetween. They are soldiers but they save lives....Hmmm rock and a hard place.Then get to work with incompetent US Commanding Officers drinking sex...etc Nothing demoralizing about that ! The US now has the highest morals of any nation in the world. Ask anyone. Lardner illustrates US command is totally out of touch with the heroes who would be better spent saving lives in a nice community center perhaps at home. These freaks and weidohs who just HATED fighting "commies" ! No they are not freaks today. But we considered that immoral behavior back when we were immoral. Yep..shame on us for being mean to the poor hollywood movie makers.=_-( They were showing us the better world of today yesterday,and we didn't appreciate it.How many of us were walking around humming Suicide Is Painless ? Thats a nice thought to have on your mind now isn't it? Thanks Ring Lardner ! Oh but we can laugh at ourselves as we are sooooo sophisticated. Unless we are on "meds" and thats normal now. Meds for lil' Johnny(odds are he has some "disorder")too. It never got to us! Everything is swell. And we're all better off! Oh yes...Those loveable Hollywood Ten ...they are masters at thier craft. HOW COULD WE HAVE BEEN SO CLOSE MINDED? Folks.... They weren't called the Hollywood Ten....They were called the UNFRIENDLY Hollywood Ten. Connect the dots. Thesis...Antithesis...Synthesis

Salt of the Earth still relevant.......2006-05-16

Salt of the Earth is the ONLY film which suffered the repression and supression, not only in its filming (shooting up the set with real guns, deporting the main actress), but in actually preventing access to film dev labs--it was finally developed in a [...] lab under another name, and finally prevented from being shown theatrically. It was selected by the Library of Congress for Preservation for Posterity.
There has been a serious misconception that the film is in public domain, but that is only a bootleg copy, not the restored version of the film, along with the complete story of the making of the film, the strike it was based upon, the lives of the actors (real mine workers) and the aftermath. Despite being blacklisted in the U.S., this film was the most-widely seen non-local film in several countries (including China).
If you haven't seen the film in this version, I urge you to see it. This version is the only legal one, and returns a significant portion of its proceeds to the surviving filmmakers and their families. You can find out more about the film, and the making of it, at Organa.com.
There is no other film like it, and the issues it raises, despite the half-century that has transpired, are still relevant, even if the details have changed.
Aleen Stein

This is the official edition.......2005-06-22

This edition of Salt of the Earth was produced by Organa LLC under license from the filmmakers' families. The high-quality transfer was digitally enhanced. In my opinion both image and sound are far superior to the VHS and other versions.

Must see film for all Activists.......2005-06-20

I had heard about this film from my activists friends and I ordered it, and loved it ! It energizes my mind and body ! It makes one feel like going out and fighting for any Cause, " there are plenty out there " I have lent the dvd to friends and they liked it. I especially like that it shows the women as we are. We are strong, unafraid, and we can be vicious if pushed too far.! " Que Viva La Mujer" This was a film well done !

Public Domain.......2005-06-17

Salt of the Earth is in the public domain and can be released by anyone willing to go through the trouble. It is available for download at the Internet Archive, www.archive.org

That said let me say that Salt of the Earth is a great film and so poignant even for today.

The Greatest Journeys on Earth: Austria Journeys through the Salt Mines

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The Greatest Journeys on Earth: Austria Journeys through the Salt Mines
Director: Jean LaClerc
Manufacturer: Janson Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007LPDMW
Release Date: 2004-12-01

Description

From the thirteenth century onward the name of the city of Salzburg is synonomus with wealth, opulence and magnificence. If at first prosperity is derived from mining salt and the turquoise water of its many lakes, it also comes from the romantic spirit floating in the air of Mozart's birth place. Austria also boasts it is the kingdom pastryand a gastronomy whose variety is equal only to its alpine views.

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