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The Salt of the Earth

Play trailer 1:48 Poster for The Salt of the Earth PG-13 2015 1h 49m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 95 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Juliano Ribeiro Salgado co-directs a look at the career of his father, photographer Sebastião Salgado.
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The Salt of the Earth

The Salt of the Earth

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Critics Consensus

While the work it honors may pose thorny ethical questions that Salt of the Earth neglects to answer, it remains a shattering, thought-provoking testament to Sebastião Salgado's career.

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Critics Reviews

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Geoffrey Macnab Independent (UK) Jul 23, 2015
4/5
Wenders showcases his work while giving him a platform to express his philosophical and political views. The doc benefits from a subtly affecting use of music. Go to Full Review Mark Kermode Observer (UK) Jul 19, 2015
4/5
Salgado proves an adept and compassionate storyteller, his training as an economist providing sociopolitical insight into the suffering (manmade rather than natural) that threatens to engulf his work. Go to Full Review Donald Clarke Irish Times Jul 19, 2015
4/5
Wenders introduces us to an intelligent, rigorous man who thinks hard about the structures that impose hardship on the powerless. Go to Full Review Diego Batlle Otroscines.com Oct 17, 2023
2.5/5
... Beautiful and carefully presented (a la National Geographic), but also solemn and -- as the artist's oeuvre -- a bit exploitative. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review En Filme Staff En Filme Nov 30, 2022
4/5
Wenders' aesthetic in The Salt of Earth is inherent to Salgado's characteristic style, his black-and-white universe that's predominately black as an authentic contrast to the whites. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Chris McCoy Memphis Flyer Jan 9, 2020
Co-directors Win Wenders' and Salgado's son Juliano's documentary chronicling the life of the photographer is so full of jaw-dropping moments that getting up close and personal with a whale merits only a passing mention. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Fernando D @Maqroll Apr 21, 2026 Artistic sensitive. Best documentary seen in many years See more Kyle M @RT77296778 Nov 10, 2024 Documentaries profiling photographed testaments typically enriching feats over deepened scenic beauty, but no more [respectfully] than what Salgado also captured as his legacy is like what a picture’s worth in terms of words with unflinching rawness weighed volume in sorrowful shocks. (B+) See more Georgan G @RT98616417 Jul 28, 2024 This documentary is as moving as it is breath-taking. Many parts made my heart ache. Some parts put a huge smile on my face. Positively. amazing. cinematography. See more vander a @RT27493688 Nov 5, 2022 Par excellence. Should be shown on the first day of film school for all wannabe film makers. If you can even come close to achieving this level of filmmaking then you can call yourself an artist. See more colin m @RT35044827 Jul 8, 2022 Insightful documentary about aspects of the world as seen by photographer Sebastiao Salgado. In French with subtitles. See more Mar 1, 2022 I left this review by accident on the wrong movie and want to delete it. See more Read all reviews
The Salt of the Earth

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Cast & Crew

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Wim Wenders

Director

Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Director

Sebastião Salgado

Self

Wim Wenders

Narrator

Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Narrator

Hugo Barbier

Self
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The Salt of the Earth

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The Salt of the Earth

The Salt of the Earth (2014) The Salt of the Earth (2014) The Salt of the Earth (2014) The Salt of the Earth (2014) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Juliano Ribeiro Salgado co-directs a look at the career of his father, photographer Sebastião Salgado.
Director
Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Producer
David Rosier
Screenwriter
Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders, David Rosier
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Decia Films, Amazonas Images, Solares Fondazione delle Arti
Rating
PG-13 (Images of Violence/Suffering|Disturbing Images|Nudity|Thematic Material)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 27, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.1M
Runtime
1h 49m
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