74
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThe 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.
- Salt of the Earth has humour, genuine feeling and great sincerity: it's a film about hope.
- 80Time OutTime OutThe film's targets multiply - workers' rights, racism, feminism - and for 1953 this is pretty amazing.
- 80Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumLeftist propaganda of a very high order, powerful and intelligent even when the film registers in spots as naive or dated.
- 70The New YorkerPauline KaelThe New YorkerPauline KaelA 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.
- 60The New York TimesBosley CrowtherThe New York TimesBosley CrowtherThe hard-focus, realistic quality of the picture's photography and style completes its characterization as a calculated social document.