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UC NEWS

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Film@UC Kicks Off Fall Series

Classic Drama "Salt of the Earth" First Fall Cultural Event

Written By Katie Prue '10, PR Intern

Contact - cleogrande@utica.edu

Utica, NY (09/02/2009) - 1954 marked a time of inequality and unjust treatment for the Mexican-American miners of the Empire Zinc Mines in New Mexico. Unwilling to accept the unsafe working conditions and unfair wages any longer, the workers went on strike. The classic drama Salt of the Earth paints a thought-provoking picture of the struggles faced by the miners and their families in their quest for equality. Film@UC will screen the feature film Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. in Macfarlane Auditorium, DePerno Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public.

An enthralling film, Salt of the Earth is unique because it used only five professional actors. The rest of the cast features locals from Grant County, New Mexico where the real-life strike took place. Many members of the cast were actual participants in the strike. Throughout the course of the movie there are several underlying issues that tie together, creating a drama worth watching years later. Not only does the film captivate the struggle of the striking miners, but it is also one of the first films to catapult women’s rights into the eyes of the country. The wives of the strikers work towards the right to strike alongside their husband and this film is a tribute to both the civil right and feminist movements. 

Once a member of the “Hollywood Ten,” director Herbert Biberman was blacklisted by the Motion Picture Association of America and barred from working in the field. The Hollywood Ten is a group of screenwriters, directors, actors, and other entertainment professionals who were denied employment due to their political beliefs or associations. Biberman and nine others became the Hollywood Ten after contempt of Congress charges for refusing to give testimony to the House Committee on Un-American Activities. After his release from jail on contempt charges, Biberman began independent film work, resulting in Salt of the Earth.

Once considered a threat to the country due to Communist Party connections, Biberman directed a film that the Library of Congress now credits as “culturally significant” and the National Film Registry and Museum of Modern Art selected for preservation. This film runs 94 minutes and promises to captivate the audience for the entire showing. 

For more information, visit http://www.utica.edu/film@uc

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www.utica.edu/film@uc