Communist Controversy over Film Salt of the Earth Essay -- Politics Mc

Communist Controversy over Film brininess of the Earth flavour of the Earth was released in 1954, during the anticommunist McCarthy era by a collection of blacklisted individuals, including film writer Michael Wilson, producer Paul Jarrico, and Hollywood 10 director Herbert J. Biberman. Salt is establish on the Empire Zinc strike of Local 890 in Bayard County, naked as a jaybird Mexico that took place from 1950-1952. In many another(prenominal) ways, Salt of the Earth resembles the archetypal American dream by presenting the triumph of ordinary, working class Americans over the forces of discrimination, inequality, and injustice. Salt enjoyed widespread acclaim in Europe, and won prestigious awards in Czechoslovakia and France. until now in the United States, its production encountered violent opposition from agencies such as the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Labor and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. What contingent element of Salt made it seem so threaten ing and instigative?According to film critic Pauline Kael Salt was nothing more than shrewd propaganda for the urgent business of the USSR. (Kael, 331-332) She unhesitatingly asserts that Salt is as receive a piece of communist propaganda as we have had in many years (Kael 331-332). In short, Kael argues that Salt is fundamentally subversive, threatening and un-American. Yet what does it ungenerous to be subversive in the context of the McCarthy era? The Oxford slope mental lexicon defines the noun subversive as wishing to revolutionize a regime (OED). Kaels argument seems to be congruous to this definition. Does Salt of the Earth intend to overthrow the existing political order and replace it with a communist habitus of government?Several scholars have responded to Kaels communist reading of Salt. Lorence... ...d English Dictionary. Accessed 2. June.2003 9. Rosseau, Jean-Jacques. The Social Contract. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Exploringthe French Revolution. Hunt, Lynn & Censer, Jack. University Park, Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania State University invoke (2001) 10. Rosenfelt, Deborah S. Salt of the Earth commentary by Deborah Silverton Rosenfeltand Screenplay by Michael Wilson New York The feminist Press, (1978) 11. Salt of the Earth. Dir. Herbert J. Bibberman. Produced by Paul Jarrico. Screenplay byMichael Wilson. Video recording. Independent Productions spate and theInternational Union of Mine. (1954) 12. Wilson, Michael. Salt of the Earth commentary by Deborah Silverton Rosenfelt andScreenplay by Michael Wilson. (The Screenplay) New York The Feminist Press, (1978)