Salt of the Earth

The film rises above the level of agitprop by avoiding sloganeering and using the real words of real people to tell its story. Its feminism, too, is real and unforced, with women simply being shown struggling alongside--and when necessary defying--their male counterparts.

Leftist propaganda of a very high order, powerful and intelligent even when the film registers in spots as naive or dated.

The film's targets multiply - workers' rights, racism, feminism - and for 1953 this is pretty amazing.

Salt of the Earth has humour, genuine feeling and great sincerity: it's a film about hope.

A pedagogical tone, reminiscent of the 30s, is maintained throughout much of the movie: these strikers are always teaching each other little constructive lessons, and their dialogue is blown up to the rank of folk wisdom.

Salt of the Earth is a good, highly dramatic and emotion-charged piece of work that tells its story straight. It is, however, a propaganda picture which belongs in union halls rather than theatres.

The hard-focus, realistic quality of the picture's photography and style completes its characterization as a calculated social document.