The Salt of the Earth - Blu-ray + DVD

I’ve long been a fan of documentary photography, ever since I purchased a copy of The Family Of Man a half century ago. Another age, when “the great ones” roamed the world. There were the few who worked for the Farm Security Administration, and documented the plight of farmers during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. And there was W. Eugene Smith, badly wounded in World War II, with his picture of hope as his two children walked out of the tunnel of trees into the light. Most regrettably, I had never heard of Sebastiao Salgado until I saw this movie. He has – brilliantly – maintained the fine tradition of documentary photography, and perhaps even improved on it. This movie documents his life and work.Salgado grew up in central Brazil, and is an economist by training, once going out to the countries he now provides images of, as a World Bank official. The documentary starts with a very large hole in the ground, in Brazil, where 50,000 men work every day, nary a machine in site, all in the pursuit of gold, climbing rickety ladders with their bags of dirt, one of which, all hope, will be “pay dirt.” Salgado climbs down into the hole to obtain those impressive pictures. Then there is a moving photograph of a blind Tuareg woman, that is reflective of his empathy for the all-too-many forgotten.Brazil was under a dictatorship when Salgado commenced his career. He decided to flee in August 1969 and settled in Paris. Lelia would become his wife. Early on, they made the decision to abandon the “safe career” of work with the World Bank, and take up photography. He would travel the world, often to destinations untrampled by tourists, to document the lives of people who may have never even heard the term: “celebrity culture.” People who can be called “the salt of the earth.”Salgado and his wife would select certain areas of the world as a “project.” The first area was the Sahel region of Africa. He went to Niger, in 1973 and photographed the devastation and deaths caused by the serious drought. A marabout predicted that his wife was pregnant. Their first child, Juliano, was born in Paris, 1974, and would, much later, help produce this film.From 1977 to 1984 the project was “the other Americas,” “profonde” South America, as the French might say, where “Liberation Theology,” medieval living conditions, and the music all co-existed. He would return to Brazil when the military dictatorship ended and document the northeast region, which he called the “Sahel” of Brazil, since it was also suffering from drought. His parents were now old, and the family farm devastated. The solution: one of my all-time favorites, straight out of Jean Giono’s L'Homme Qui Plantait Des Arbres (French Edition)).He would return to Africa, 1984 to ’86, again the drought, killing millions. He started in Ethiopia, and lived with the people of Tigray for two months, eventually accompanying them on their exodus to Sudan. They would be strafed by government helicopters along the way. Salgado denounced the central government for withholding food. He went on to Mali in 1985. There is absolutely no mention of his own health and logistics living under such conditions. His actions, and his telling photographs helped call attention to the plight of these peoples.His next project was on the workers of the world, a five-year project from 1986 to 1991. The resultant work was translated into many languages. He went to Kuwait in 1991, and photographed the oil field fires, started with the compliments of the retreating Iraq Army. Back to Africa, and he was in Tanzania when the genocide/civil war broke in Rwanda. On the road to Kilgali, there were “150 km of dead bodies.” He would go to Yugoslavia in 1995, and photograph that civil war. Back to Africa, the Congo, where 250,000 Rwandans were expelled from the town of Goma. Into the jungle, only 40,000 survived a long trek. They too would disappear, and only because Salgado was willing to get off the UN relief train, and stay with them, would any of this be known.He would make other journeys to Papua New Guinea, to his native Brazil to photograph a “lost tribe” that place a wooden tube through their chins, and to an uninhabited Siberian island to photograph the walruses. His latest book, “Genesis,” is of the natural world, the “half of the planet” that remains, still not impacted by humans (a rather amazing percentage, if true). What is true is that Salgado is an amazing man, who, along with his wife, have roamed the globe, providing vital and brilliant images of areas and people that receive virtually no attention. His books are “pricey,” but a collection of them should be considered essential. As for this movie, and its insights into Salgado and his work, 6-stars.

You can't have a good documentary if you don't have a good story. The life story of Sabastiao Salgado, THE SALT OF THE EARTH, couldn't get any better. He is an incredible photographer and artist who has devoted his life to creating powerful images of humanity and nature. Some of his work is witness to many of the horrible atrocities brought about by conflict and greed that have resulted in immense suffering and destruction in various places in the world. (Not for the faint of heart.)Acclaimed film maker Wim Wenders unites with Salgado's son, Juliano, to tell the life story of the artist over his decades of world travel. They, and Salgado, appear on camera to portray the man and his many photographic conquests and adventures, completing the story with Salgado's latest accomplishment in attempting to heal the Earth.

Salgado was/is a HIGHLY dedicated, focused, admirable and UNIQUE photographer!! Though some parts of The Salt of the Earth were painful to view, all were compelling and some downright remarkable. After I watched it, I felt I must buy this - to not only see it again (and again) but to share with others. One is just not the same after seeing it! To go far from home, leave one's nuclear family for years at a time, and stay some places "as long as it took" to become intimate with a place/its people, not to mention taking risks great and small, now that's not your everyday career! (It was good to see that the son who was left at home with his mom - she who handled the archiving, editing and promoting of Salvado's published photo collections - for the majority of time in his growing up years, did in time travel and learn at the hand of this master, his father. His was an understanding and supportive family!)One question: The case says "Academy Award Nominee," who/what could have outdone (vote-wise) THIS documentary?Does anyone know?

I saw one of Sebastião Salgado's shows in Berkeley back in 2002. I was an immediate fan. So since then I've tried to follow his work. I just recently bought his latest book about coffee. So I had to get this DVD. It shows us, the viewer why his images are so important to view, to dissect and understand. It's art to me but it also makes the viewer see how important human compassion truly is. It's like Salgado is half photographer and half humanitarian. His work moves anyone willing to give it the time it deserves. As I watched his life story unfold, I felt like I was seeing my dream life. I envy his work, his travels and how he has such a genuine care for all that he photographs. He's not just a humanitarian, he's a true conservationist. What you'll see in this video is a perfect mixture of those two. He's my favorite photographer. I just want to say, "Obrigado Sebastião".

heartbreaking, and beautiful simultaneously

This is one of the most compelling works that I've ever seen in my life. You cannot see this movie and be the same person when it's over. The presentation of Salgado's life's work is lovingly and expertly woven into this film through three narrative voices: the son, who is one of the film makers, the other film maker, and Salgado himself. The movie is both thoughtful and thought provoking. As a photographer, I am inspired to take on more personal projects and find passion in my work. As a human being, I am inspired to have a better understanding of my fellow man and my place and contribution on and to this earth. This movie is phenomenal.

I wanted to love this film as much as I admire Salgado, but it was a bit drawn out and could have used additional editing down. That said, it was a beautiful. The beginning went into Salgado's earlier work and family life. The part about the famine was too long for such a heavy topic. A friend walked out just before it got more hopeful. Still definitely worth watching to learn about this photographic genius.