Salt of the Earth (1954)

At last, an honest movie about American working people

• Drama
• History

At New Mexico's Empire Zinc mine, Mexican-American workers protest the unsafe work conditions and unequal wages compared to their Anglo counterparts. Ramon Quintero helps organize the strike, but he is shown to be a hypocrite by treating his pregnant wife, Esperanza, with a similar unfairness. When an injunction stops the men from protesting, however, the gender roles are reversed, and women find themselves on the picket lines while the men stay at home.

Rating

7 / 10 (105 votes)

Release date

March 14, 1954

Runtime

1h 34m

Language

English

Director

Herbert J. Biberman

Status

Released