Salt of the Earth
1954 · Movie · 94 min · ★ 7.0 · 87% critics
In a New Mexico mining town, Mexican-American workers challenge unsafe conditions and unequal pay compared with Anglo coworkers. As the strike grows and legal pressure mounts, tensions at home expose everyday unfairness too, pushing families to rethink who gets a voice and who takes action.
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Details
- Years
- 1954
- Release date
- 1954-03-14
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 87/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.0/10 (101 votes)
- Budget
- $250,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a grounded, socially focused drama about labor rights, discrimination, and shifting family roles, especially if you’ve seen A Place in the Sun; Not for you if you need fast pacing or polished performances.
Pros: powerful equality themes; based on real events; inspiring solidarity | Cons: rough, low-budget feel; uneven amateur acting; on-the-nose speeches
Themes
- strike
- labor union
- women empowerment
Cast & crew
Rosaura Revueltas
as Esperanza Quintero
Juan Chacón
as Ramon Quintero
Will Geer
as Sheriff
David Bauer
as Barton
- MW
Mervin Williams
as Hartwell
- DS
David Sarvis
as Alexander
- CJ
Clinton Jencks
as Frank Barnes
- VJ
Virginia Jencks
as Ruth Barnes
- HW
Henrietta Williams
as Teresa Vidal
- EV
Ernesto Velázquez
as Charley Vidal
Directed by Herbert J. Biberman