jim-herb-williams
Saw this film on TV. Came in about half-way. I met Juan and Virginia Chacon when I was organizing steelworkers in the southwest. I also met Francis Williams (no relation) an African-American cultural worker who played an important role in developing the script. yes, the movie is didactic and preachy--but so is Salt of the Earth. Unless you are Pauline Kael, you can't help but be moved by it.I show Salt of the Earth to my students and I wonder how I can get a copy of this film to show them as well?James H. Williams, PhD Department of Social Work Savannah State University Savannah, GA 31404
Sleepy-17
There were an awful lot of angry comments aimed at this "direct-to-TV" movie. Interesting... Nobody points out how much better the original "Salt of the Earth" was, and how much fun it is to watch, not because of its limp direction, but because of the spirit of the acting. And nobody commented on how the Mexican leads in this new version don't really look Mexican, even though they have Spanish surnames. Hmmm...is this because the new version was made in Spain? Or why? It seemed contrary to the point the the main character Biberman was trying to make.As far as the theme, lots of people are losing their jobs right now for reasons a lot more unfair than their lack of cooperation with a government committee. And at the same time as these historical incidents, Black people were being lynched for next to nothing.Anyway, this is an amusing story-behind-the-movie about the making of the indelible original "Salt of the Earth."
jlm-6
Why, sorry? Because I played a part in this (call it a) movie and cannot be proud that I did.This was my second piece in a movie. Not a word to speak, but a name part, all the same. At first, I was thrilled... For, yes, it really was a privilege, having Jeff Goldblum's fine FINE work to watch and learn from, over the three days that I was on set. And, yes, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with names I had long known, such as Shane Rimmer (Out of Africa, The Spy Who Loved Me) Greta Scacchi (Presumed Innocent, Le Violon Rouge) and Peter Bowles (To The Manor Born, The Irish R.M.). And, I'll, certainly, never forget comedian John Sessions' hilarious impersonations - between takes - of Robert de Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Joe Pesci and Roger Moore.However, I am forever embarrassed and disgusted with myself at not having trusted my own judgement and at having, instead, allowed "director" Carl Francis to "not direct" me. I would have used "misdirect", only all I saw him do (over three days) was pout and moan, but never once direct nor even misdirect the actors. I should have known not to trust him when, having been auditioned by Mr Francis, in person, I was called in to play some guy called Ring Lardner, though not told till the day before and - because I had no lines to speak - was ignored and given no background material on the character. The character, I found out, later, just happened to be one of lead character Herbert Biberman's closest friends!! Instead, I was just told to "stand there" or "sit there", with only my common sense and inexperience to rely on (I had only had a played another minor film role, prior to this).My part may have been insignificant compared to, say, Jeff Goldblum's Biberman or, indeed, compared to anyone else's. But when a director and his team decide to overlook the supposed "minor" details, you can be sure they do so because they're having trouble coping with the "bigger" stuff. And, if you ever waste a second of your life watching "One of the Hollywood Ten" you'll see what I mean!This film is a free-for-all; a riot, in the saddest sense of the word. If you had the vast self-assuredness and professional aplomb of someone like Mr Goldblum or Ms Scacchi, you were sure to do a good job (no-one to stop you!) even if your effort was later completely wasted or misplaced within the haphazard confines of Mr Francis' movie. If, on the other hand, you were a beginner, then, you were finished before you'd even had a chance to start. A cast brimming with professionals might just have made it happen, regardless of the movie's directing. Sadly, however, this was not the case, for many of the "minor" parts in the cast (and there were many slightly-above-extra roles in this film) had been filled with inexperienced English-speaking film actors, such as myself, most of us living here, in cheap-labour Spain, which is where most of the film was shot.As with any society, a film is a universe, where everything - from its subatomic particles, through to its larger atoms and, even, the greater moons and planets - needs to feel it has its place; an orbiting code. Without codes, chaos and voids appear.This film is a chaos and a void. Avoid this film!
