Latina/o Lawyers Assoc. of Santa Barbara Presents a film “Salt of The Earth”

Tuesday, April 17th--12:10 PM Department 1 of the Superior Court

The year was 1954. Director Elia Kazan’s movie On the Waterfront opened to critical acclaim. It was based on the historical circumstances of the Hoboken dockworkers and critics applauded Marlon Brando’s performance as the boxer who “coulda been a contender”. The film won Oscar’s for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

Another movie based on the historical circumstances of a beleaguered group of workers opened the same year to quite a different reception. Salt of the Earth was a docudrama based on a miner’s strike by Mexican-American mineworkers in 1951-52. Both movies were shot on location with the participation of those who had lived the real stories. And both were produced and directed by people who had been on the McCarthy era Hollywood blacklist. They had been labeled as Communist sympathizers by the House Un-American Activities Committee. On the Waterfront was a hit and is remembered as a classic film. Salt of the Earth was the only film to be officially blacklisted by the United States government, and it was a tremendous struggle to find any theater owner who would be willing to show the incendiary film.

The film is one of the first pictures to advance the feminist social and political point of view. It demonstrates how feminism is a different concept in the Latino world than it is in the majoritarian society. Its plot centers on a long and difficult strike against a company identified as “Delaware Zinc” and the setting is “Zinctown”, New Mexico. The miners strike over wages and working conditions. When the mine owners obtain a Taft-Hartley injunction against the strikers, the miners face jailing if the strike continues. The film shows how the miners, their wives, the company, and the police react during the strike. In neorealistic style, the producers and director used actual miners and their families as actors.

Only five professional actors were used in the film. One, Will Geer, who was Grandpa in The Waltons, plays the Sheriff. He also was blacklisted for refusing to testify before the HUAC Committee. The other actors were locals from Grant County, New Mexico, or members of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 890, many of whom were part of the strike that inspired the plot. The main protagonist, Ramon Quintero (played by Juan Chacon) was a real-life Union Local president. In the film, he has to deal with circumstances which range from his treatment of his wife as a second-class citizen, to his having to yield to her the familial driver’s seat.

Despite its initial suppression (anti-Communist vigilantes fired rifle shots at the set, the films leading lady (Rosaura Revueltes) was deported to Mexico near the end of filming, causing final filming to be done in Mexico, and the film was edited in secret and stored for safekeeping in an anonymous wooden shack in Los Angeles) it eventually received critical acclaim, international awards, and a strong following. The film lasts 92 minutes, so it is strongly suggested that you try to clear your calendar until 2:00 PM to accommodate viewing the entire film and to have time for a brief discussion. Bring your own lunch and a soda. Call Josefina at 882-4560 24 hours in advance of the film so we know how many people to expect.