Rating: 
Summary: Spririt of America portrayed
Review: It upsets me to see people write negative things about this movie. My grandmother and grandfather were involved in the making of this movie and appear in it along with my dad who was a child. Although I hated watching it as a child (I was forced to)I have learned to see past the not so great acting and cinematography to see the true spirit of the film. I am so proud of what they did to bring equality and safety to those workers who were discriminated against because of their race and their bravery. I am very proud of this movie as are my grandparents and entire family. I have no clue how anyone could view this as communist propoganda! I thought we had all learned our lessons from the Mc Carthy era. Perhaps I have a deeply personal stake in this movie but for me it represents everything that is American about America. Free speech, civil rights, gender equality. Strength and perseverance of the American people to stand up for what is right. I can tell you from personal knowlege that this movie is an entirely accurate account of a very important event in American history and is truly a treasure.
Rating: 
Summary: Historical value only
Review: Much has been made of the courage and heart that went into the making of "Salt of the Earth." After considering these facts, modern viewers are left to wonder how well the movie has held up over the years. Sad to say, it hasn't. First of all, the production values of the film are extremely poor. The cinematography is washed out and grainy, and the dialogue is laugh-out-loud melodramatic. Fans will say that this is because the film was under fire from the beginning, and perhaps the cinematography, painful as it is to watch, can be forgiven. The script cannot, however, as it is blatantly clear that the writer was more intersted in getting his message across than giving the audience a well paced story. While this style of writing may inspire people already committed to the writer's cause, it will alienate the undecided who came expecting a decent movie. Thus writing for melodrama hurts the cause more than it helps it. "Salt..." suffers further when it is held next to movies like Enrice's "Spirit of the Beehive." The latter film was also made under the spectre of censorship, but its production values are excellent, proving that a truly talented director can produce a good quality movie and get a message across despite adverse conditions. Even if one forgives these facts, however, the film still fails modern audiences because of its datedness. Although modern social activitsts are loathe to admit it, the American labor movement has progressed greatly over the last 50 years. A White, college student activist who sees this film and is inspired to search the southwest looking for oppressed towns to liberate is likely to be very disappointed, as wage gaurantees, working hour caps, overtime laws, group health plans and spanish speaking lawyers who specialize in labor law have changed the scene dramatically since 1954. In short, although "Salt..." deserves a modicum of recognition for the bravery of its very existence, the film's only real value is as a historical curiosity and a rallying call to radical activists who cannot see that the era of the film has long since passed.
Rating:
Summary: Historical value only
Review: Much has been made of the courage and heart that went into the making of "Salt of the Earth." After considering these facts, modern viewers are left to wonder how well the movie has held up over the years. Sad to say, it hasn't. First of all, the production values of the film are extremely poor. The cinematography is washed out and grainy, and the dialogue is laugh-out-loud melodramatic. Fans will say that this is because the film was under fire from the beginning, and perhaps the cinematography, painful as it is to watch, can be forgiven. The script cannot, however, as it is blatantly clear that the writer was more intersted in getting his message across than giving the audience a well paced story. While this style of writing may inspire people already committed to the writer's cause, it will alienate the undecided who came expecting a decent movie. Thus writing for melodrama hurts the cause more than it helps it. "Salt..." suffers further when it is held next to movies like Enrice's "Spirit of the Beehive." The latter film was also made under the spectre of censorship, but its production values are excellent, proving that a truly talented director can produce a good quality movie and get a message across despite adverse conditions. Even if one forgives these facts, however, the film still fails modern audiences because of its datedness. Although modern social activitsts are loathe to admit it, the American labor movement has progressed greatly over the last 50 years. A White, college student activist who sees this film and is inspired to search the southwest looking for oppressed towns to liberate is likely to be very disappointed, as wage gaurantees, working hour caps, overtime laws, group health plans and spanish speaking lawyers who specialize in labor law have changed the scene dramatically since 1954. In short, although "Salt..." deserves a modicum of recognition for the bravery of its very existence, the film's only real value is as a historical curiosity and a rallying call to radical activists who cannot see that the era of the film has long since passed.
Rating:
Summary: Not much else of its kind
Review: Salt of The Earth has no equal. An intelligent and well done film with sharp political content. This is most certainly a propaganda film, but propaganda in the best sense: getting a lot of ideas out to a few people. This is one of the few films that sees working people in struggle (with the company, but also with themselves on issues of gender) as capable, intelligent and something better than they were before hand.Far from being bad, this movie shows how people in struggle can rise up against the alienation and oppression of this world. Marx said Communism is the actual movement of the working class. That means that workers' everyday struggles contain the future within them, contain insurrection in daily life. This movie is a good slice of what that means.
Rating:
Summary: The best film ever made about labor organizing.
Review: The only movie ever to be banned in the United States, Salt of the Earth is the best film ever made about unions and working people fighting for a better life. Made during the McCarthy era, all who were involved in making this film were on Hollywood's blacklist. This film is also strongly feminist.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most significant films of the century
Review: This is an essential film, because of this early discussion of feminist themes, depiction of an orgnized working class, and evidence of the quality work produced by these black listed film producers and actors.
Rating: 
Summary: DANGEROUS (COMMUNIST) propaganda film
Review: This movie is propaganda if I ever saw it. With not undertones, but OVERTONES, of communist and "feminist" (read MAOIST/getting power through crushing democracy) rhetoric. The commies (Nazi's who "embrace" "feminism" so as to not appear mean-spirited (hehe, look how that went over -- do Mao, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot, Hitler ring a bell? ) said capitalism wouldn't work. Well, it did. All else they say is rendered moot. Hopefully for me (and the commies), this movie will make no money. I could go on and on about this P.O.S., but it would be a waste of time. And if I could give this negative 50 stars, I would.Stay away from this one, and pray your children's "progressive" college professors do not try to assimilate their young minds (crush their ability to be individuals) with this anti-capitalist propaganda.
Rating:
Summary: Salt of the Earth
Review: This movie is very moving for the people that had relatives during this black period of time in my own family history. My father and uncles were employed by the mines in this period of time and are shown in this movie (I recogned them). I was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico when is was the Chino/Kennicott copper mines. They have since overrun the town and not longer exists. In speaking to my living relatives all is true as depicted in this movie. My brothers and sisters were teenagers and had to go to the "Mexican School" All is true, the hardships real. Some of the original homes of Santa Rita were moved to Hurley and Silver City that is now a "Tourist Attraction". Mexicans had their own cemetary called Georgetown Cemetary. I went looking for my Grandfathers grave. I could not find it along the hillside only to find that I was in the white cemetary. I am in pursuit of finding out more of my family history and had seen this movie on tv in the sixties. It seems this story is coming to light and will be more popular. I believe my cousin studied at Berkely UC where I believe he was studies the humanities. This really depicts the white people as they are only now they are restrained as new laws came into being and forced them to finally accept minorities and this is not yet 100%. I believe the prejudice is still there but very suttle. This movie shows the stuggles of the mexican people and of many other races can relate to.
Rating:
Summary: Viva La Huelga!
Review: What reviewer Herr Gruber fails to realize is that workers sometimes have to band together to accomplish their legitimate goals; this is a right protected by Federal law (National Labor Relations Act). People have "banded" together to get things done throughout recorded history; nothing particularly communist about that. Apparently, Gruber is a hater, and there are too many of those poor creatures.
The movie is a historical gem, and well worth seeing! It emphasizes human dignity. The strikers are multi-racial, respect each other, and are NON-VIOLENT. The movie shows that women are as smart and as capable of standing up for their rights as men are. It is quite accurate, historically. It is definitely worth seeing. As for Gruber, well, perhaps the best we can do for him is pray for him.
Rating:
Summary: In response to comments from Roy Jacques
Review: When you suggest that I am ignorant of the injustices visited on the Jews I assume you are talking about the Holocaust. Yes, I am well aware of the Holocaust. As "Salt..." was not about genocide I do not understand what your point was mentioning it in your review. Many readers have disparaged my previous review, but I would point out that NONE have refuted it. The movies' time has passed, period. The labor movement is not what it was 50 years ago. I am not "wrathful" when I point this out, I merely state fact. As proof I would point out that modern unions are not the benevolent institution portrayed in this film. When my county was unionized all county workers had to join the union or be fired. Once we were all signed on and paying monthly dues our benefits were slashed, and the union representative stopped returning our phone calls. Nothing like that appeared in "Salt..." of course, perhaps nothing like that happened in 1954, but it happens now WHICH WAS MY POINT!. If you feel my review is inadequate, please do not attack me. Instead, try to show how "Salt..." has any value for modern audiences (with the obvious exception of labor activists and college students who have never been enslaved by a union).
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