Salt Of The Earth [1954]

Published 2019-07-19

Noam Chomsky on "Salt of the Earth:" "It came out at the same time as On the Waterfront, which is a rotten movie. And On the Waterfront became a huge hit — because it was anti-union. See, On the Waterfront was part of a big campaign to destroy unions while pretending to be for, you know, Joe Sixpack. So On the Waterfront is about this Marlon Brando or somebody who stands up for the poor working man against the corrupt union boss. Okay, things like that exist, but that’s not unions — I mean, sure, there are plenty of union bosses who are crooked, but nowhere near as many as C.E.O.s who are crooked, or what have you. But since On the Waterfront combined that anti-union message with “standing up for the poor working man,” it became a huge hit. On the other hand, Salt of the Earth, which was an authentic and I thought very well-done story about a strike and the people involved in it, that was just flat killed, I don’t even think it was shown anywhere. I mean, you could see it at an art theater, I guess, but that was about it. I don’t know what those of you who know something about film would think of it, but I thought it was a really outstanding film."

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The film depicts the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, a militant CIO union expelled in 1951 for its Communist leadership [beginning in the late 40's, the CIO's tactic under liberal reformist Walter Reuther, was to expel Communists from the unions themselves, but some unions, like the mine workers and United Public Workers of America were so saturated with Communists they were expelled wholesale]

What's daring about the film is the women and men who stubbornly made it, right down the slew of extras, who are actual workers in that New Mexico town. The film's screenwriter, director, and producer, were all blacklisted Hollywood talent - who obviously despite the blacklist put together the funds for this decidedly pro-worker, pro-union film. Biberman, the director, was a member of the "Hollywood Ten," which included Lester Cole, Dalton Trumbo, and John Howard Lawson, all Party members as well.

Among the cast are actors Will Geer and David Wolfe. Geer was a longtime labor organizer with the Communist Party and former lover of Harry Hay. Wolfe, whose film career seems to end here, goes on to become the partner of entertainer Tommy Tune before dying from AIDS in 1994.