Join us at the Paul and Eslanda Robeson Cinema at The People’s Forum, created in the spirit of their love of art, film and revolutionary culture.
Salt of the Earth is based on the long and difficult 1951 Empire Zinc mining company strike in New Mexico, especially focusing on the role of women in the strike and how the wives of the miners use the same logic as their husbands to build solidarity and gain rights of their own. Other than just five professional actors, the film uses real miners and their families as actors in the film. Upon its release, both the film and virtually everyone involved in its production were blacklisted for its progressive, feminist and pro-labor politics, and the director was called in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and imprisoned. After being blacklisted, the film found an audience in the Soviet Union, and the lead actress moved to East Germany and continued a career in film.
US | 1954 | Herbert J. Biberman | 94 min
This is a free educational program, however, in order to maintain a safe capacity level, we ask that you get an $8 solidarity ticket to reserve your participation and to sustain our educational programming.
