The Salt of the Earth (2014)

During the last forty years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents, in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity. He has witnessed the major events of our recent history and is now embarking on a huge photographic project which is a tribute to the planet's beauty. Sebastião's Salgado's life and work are revealed to us by his son, Juliano, who went with him during his last journeys, and by Wim Wenders, a photographer himself. (festival-cannes.com)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Written By: Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, David Rosier, Camille Delafon
Starring: Sebastião Salgado
Genres: Documentary, Biography
AKA: Le Sel De La Terre
Country: Brazil, France, Italy
Where to Stream
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The Salt of the Earth belongs to 13 collections
1. List: Empire's five star movies (public: moderated by KasperL - 24 stars)
2. Best of criticker: Documentary (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 20 stars)
3. Photography (public: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 5 stars)
4. Directed collaboratively (public: moderated by djross - 3 stars)
5. Best of criticker: Biography (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 2 stars)
6. Best of criticker: 2014 (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 2 stars)
7. DtC Doubling the Canon 2022 Nominees (public: moderated by lineuphere - 2 stars)
8. Netflix instant LATAM (public: moderated by Roman_Herbom - 1 star)
9. watching 2015 (public: moderated by max805)
10. 87th Academy Awards: Nominated (private: okayfrog - 3 stars)
11. Unconventional Cinema (private: holsgr - 3 stars)
12. The Greatest Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 500 (private: Hadleyreis - 1 star)
13. 2010s Watchlist (private: TraverseTown)
Browse the full list of collections
Date | User | Rating | |
Apr 06 | ![]() |
capodelnulla | 85 90% |
do you wonder how many different emotions you can express by simply crying? watch this and find out!
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Mar 13 | ![]() |
Ab-ı Haya | 76 48% |
12.21 Sarıgül
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Oct 06, 2021 | doyler29 | 90 85% |
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Salgado's work is stark and visually striking and it's worth watching this film just to see it. The opening photograph of hundreds and hundreds of men working under harsh conditions in a gold mine is worth watching the whole film for. But Salgado also has incredible stories to tell and Wenders coaxes them all out. It's both depressing and inspiring.
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Aug 06, 2021 | ![]() |
radumsmn | 83 94% |
I was lucky enough to see some of Salgado's photos live and they are incredible. Seeing some back story and more of them explained by the man himself was a treat. Just like the fantastic score which brought the black and white shots to life. If you have any interest in photography, you must watch this.
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Oct 19, 2020 | ![]() |
Judo Koala | 80 75% |
Curb Your Misanthropy, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Natural World
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Apr 25, 2020 | ![]() |
Gwaihir_15 | 97 99% |
Amazing! This is not just a acclaimed photographer Sebastião Salgado's story. This is also a story about the late 20th century of humankind; a brief history of violence and hope. This is one of the masterpieces that brings people closer to catching the essence of life; inspiring!
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Feb 11, 2019 | chengming | 70 62% |
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This documentary mostly rests on the photos by Salgado, which I love. Beyond that, there are only a few points of human interest, especially when chronicling Salgado's early life and when talking to his father. The later trips as well as the forest project get more screen time than they should have.
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Dec 05, 2018 | ![]() |
larmor | 50 41% |
It's fine, but it terribly lacks substance. Forgettable except for the beautiful photographies.
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Jul 30, 2018 | ![]() |
evrana | 91 92% |
Salgado and his family are amazing role models, I am in awe of what they achieved with the replanting project. I was not familiar with his work, but what he has done definitely merits a documentary. As usual Wenders still, the documentary is low-key but impressive and impactful. Salgado's pictures are in general otherworldly, particularly the ones in the mines are mind-boggling. also, his level of courage is unreal; 99% of lives would look plae compared to his.
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Jun 29, 2018 | ![]() |
ciyakedi | 93 97% |
:8
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Nov 10, 2017 | spacefloh | 70 82% |
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eng; [das salz der erde; the salt of the earth]; ein dokumentarfilm und biographie über einen berühmten photografen aus brasilien, welcher die menschen und die natur portraitiert.;
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Mar 27, 2017 | ![]() |
mandy | 7 74% |
A fascinating account of a life documenting the best and worst of mankind. Beautifully paced and put together.
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Sep 25, 2016 | ![]() |
jfisherman | 83 41% |
An elegant dance between two beautiful dinosaurs of the photographic art form. And a light shone on the mythical figure of Salgado, at times simple and complex, magical.
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Jun 12, 2016 | ![]() |
VinegarBob | 85 89% |
Salt of the earth indeed. And a fantastic chronicler of the world and its inhabitants, through images of immense depth and poignancy. This film is engaging, beautifully shot and features an evocative score by Laurent Petitgand. A top tier documentary if ever there was one.
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Mar 14, 2016 | ![]() |
cinegeek.de | 83 67% |
Mein Beruf ist der des Videothekars. Ich sehe mir die Kunstwerke anderer an und geniesse sie. Meine liebste Filme empfehle ich den Kunden, auf dass sie genauso begeistert reagieren! Wim Wenders hat denselben Job, indem er uns den Fotografen Sebastiao Salgado nahe bringt... die ganze Rezension sowie die interessantesten Dokus über Fotografie auf cinegeek.de
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Aug 18, 2015 | christiaanb | 78 58% |
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This is not a critical documentary; it is meant to inspire, by showing us a life lived on its own terms. Salgado's photography is equally awe-inspiring - surreal places and grim tableaus drawn in light and shadow. Nevertheless I was left with some ethical questions that the movie refused to answer or even engage. Not that I suspected Salgado - a humanist if there ever was one - of impure motivations; but even good men have to make morally ambiguous decisions in situations like these.
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May 29, 2015 | doughbaron | 81 83% |
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Stunning imagery that captures the extremities of life on earth. Salgado's passion for capturing those highs and lows is intoxicating. I only wish I had a better theater experience to fully absorb it.
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May 09, 2015 | ![]() |
moraesfelipe | 34 8% |
Just another doc about people who Wim digs. Well, I don't really dig Salgado's black and white -- and too vivid -- aesthetics of poverty.
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Mar 16, 2015 | ![]() |
teddi | 100 99% |
This film is asking all the essential questions and what is even better - it has all the right answers. It will open your eyes, it will touch your soul, it will leave you breathless. So much talent and honesty in one place. An absolute beauty from Salgado and Wenders.
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Mar 14, 2015 | ![]() |
Actionberg | 85 84% |
Sebastião Salgado's photography is a already enough to justify a big-screen experience; the human truth found in his work is so deftly composed that it's impossible for even an unexperienced appreciator of the medium not to notice. On top of this, Wenders and Salgado's son provide compelling essayistic commentary to abet what is mostly a montage of Salgado's work through the decades. It's a memorable film experience familiar to fans of Wenders' nonfiction, subtly impactful and full of life.
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Mar 09, 2015 | ![]() |
cagedwisdom | 100 90% |
I wish it would have focused more on photography and recounting the stories behind the photographs, than on Salgado's personal life. It tries to strike a balance between the two but it feels a bit unfocused even though both are interesting and have a lot of merit.
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Nov 29, 2014 | ![]() |
mathiascz | 85 78% |
A beautiful movie about a very impressive person.
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May 27, 2014 | ![]() |
nilooravaei | 95 96% |
breathtakingly wonderful and moving in every way. so beautifully shot, so personal yet expansive. so simple yet significant. a real filmic experience. it was truly baffling to go through sebastio salgado's life journey and truly understand what it means to live in this planet. salgado was truly the most interesting subject anyone could have filmed, and wenders did a fantastic job capturing his essence and his story in a way that was cathartic and authentic without being sentimental.
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Average Percentile 74.54% from 483 Ratings | ![]() |