In a gritty mining town in New Mexico, Mexican-American workers go on strike to protest their dangerous working conditions and low wages. They meet with fierce opposition from company thugs and local sheriff's deputies. After vicious beatings and the suffering of the miners' families, the wives and mothers of the striking workers take over the picket line in a final demand for justice.
Stylistically mirroring Italian neo-realism, Salt of the Earth was produced, directed and written by victims of the 1950's anti-Communist blacklisting, including Herbert Biberman - one of the "Hollywood Ten" who was jailed for refusing to cooperate with Congressional inquiries. With the notable exception of Will Geer (Grandpa on "The Waltons"), the cast is almost entirely comprised of workers who participated in the real-life strike on which the story is based. The only blacklisted American film in history, Salt of the Earth was banned for its daring political content, which anticipated the civil rights and feminist movements by nearly ten years. This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library Of Congress, in 1992.