( there may be spoiler ) free after do a six month stretch in a federal prison for contempt of congress hollywood writer or directer herbert biberman and jeff goldblum and as well a his actress wife gale sondergaard and greta scacchi and future in the world of the movie and theater in america be all but over . be the most out spoken of the so called hollywood ten herbert be especially single out by the u state department with him have his passport revoke make it impossible for herbert to even get work a a writer and director of movie in friendly country overseas . herbert be in for one the big surprise of his life later in the movie when his friend and fellow hollywood ten and and fellow prisoner and film director edward dmytryk and sean chapman and become a friendly witness to the huac committee and rat out six fellow traveler and member or former member of the communist party and with him be one of them . this just about seal herbert coffin with no way from him to redeem himself from his past activity and be brand a dirty commie rat for the rest of his life . it so happen that the year 1954 be a year of destiny for both herbert biberman and edward dmytryk with both of them direct a movie of high quality that stand the test of time over the year . edward dmytryk direct the caine mutiny for a major hollywood studio with top star like humpret bogart van johnson and fred macmurray . herbert biberman direct a film about the true story of a labor strike in silver city new mexico by low pay and overwork mexican zinc mill worker with a cast of non actor but the very worker and their family a the star . baseicaly a movie within a movie one of the hollywood ten zero in on the effort it take to film and later release the ground break salt of the earth and how the fbi together with a bunch of pay off local goon try to prevent that film from ever see the light of day . herbert who be socially conscious all his life and join the communist party back in the 1930 . not because herbert have any love for joseph stalin soviet union but believe and unrealistically and that communisum be the only way that those hundred of million exploit by the big corporation can get their share of the wealth that they provide for them with their hard and back break labor which they get pay next to nothing for . the filming of the movie salt of the earth be constantly harass by the u government with it star mexican peasant rosaura reweitas and angela molina and be kick out of the u and on a bogus passport violation . this have herbret film rosaura scene in mexico and have them smuggle back into the u to be edit into the movie . rosaura final scene in the film be so touching simple and powerful that it rank right up there with the final scene in grape of warth with henry fonda . it take until 1965 and over ten year and for salt of the earth to be release in the united state . salt of the earth show the american people how the mass hysteria of the late 1940 and 50 communist witch hunt do far more damage to the american way of life and u consitution then what all the subversive activity of all the soviet agent in the u combine could have do .