Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

The Salt of the Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 27, 2020

It might seem antithetical in a way that a movie, a medium built after all upon moving images (albeit movement achieved by tricking the cerebral cortex), should celebrate still photography, but the incredibly appealing The Salt of the Earth does just that in its recounting of the life and work of Sebastião Salgado. In a very real way this documentary serves not just as a biography of Salgado, or even an overview of his immense and often challenging body of work, but also as a more personal statement, a true homage in a way, as the film was co- directed by Salgado's own son Juliano Ribeiro Salgado along with Wim Wenders. The result is an often moving (no pun intended) portrait of an artist and a human being, and it supported by a vast array of Salgado's often breathtaking (if at times disturbing) photography.

The Salt of the Earth received a Blu-ray release for the American market which received a full review by my colleague Martin Liebman some time ago. Those interested in more information about the film are encouraged to read Marty's The Salt of the Earth Blu-ray review of the version put out by Sony Pictures. Marty's review also contains more screenshots and a listing of that disc's supplements, which differ in some respects from the supplements offered on this disc. As is often the case, in what I have repeatedly referred to as "different reviewers, different opinions", those interested in such things will note that my scores vary just a bit from Marty's, though not by much.

The Salt of the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Curzon Artificial Eye provided only a check disc for the purposes of this review.

The Salt of the Earth is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer (often) in 1.85:1 (as can be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review, both stills and archival video can be in narrower aspect ratios. In a kind of ironic presentational issue, the bulk of the still imagery is often breathtakingly luminous and sharp, with gorgeously deep blacks and well modulated grays and whites, while quite a bit of the actual "movie" elements can look fairly ragged by comparison. There's some older archival video where this raggedness is perhaps more understandable than some sometimes curiously soft looking footage that is ostensibly newer and more contemporary. That said, some of the landscapes that show up in the moving picture category can be rather awe inspiring, with a nicely burnished palette and generally excellent detail levels (see screenshot 4). While inherent quality of some of the video is fairly variant, on the plus side I noticed no real compression issues despite the wide gamut of source material.

The Salt of the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Salt of the Earth features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 tracks (the Sony release for the North American market looks like it only featured the surround track). The surround track here is definitely a more immersive experience than the stereo track on this disc, offering good placement of both some evocative scoring as well as glut of ambient environmental sounds that are "naturally" present during some of the many outdoor sequences, but which have also been added to some of the moments featuring some of Salgado's many still photographs. Both on screen dialogue and narration are presented cleanly and clearly, and I noticed no problems whatsoever with regard to any damage or other problems.

The Salt of the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 1:54)


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 36:12)


• Papu's Song (HD; 2:48)

The Salt of the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm reviewing The Salt of the Earth while our planet is in "shutdown" mode due to the Coronavirus epidemic, and when many people have been speaking very eloquently about the need for community, caring and working together. Salgado's work, while sometimes harrowing due its subject matter (some of his photos of drought and famine are intensely disturbing), and his life and mission would seem to serve as a really excellent example in that regard. There have been a number of interesting documentaries I've reviewed lately that have at least some connection to photographers of one sort or another (Cameraperson comes to mind), but The Salt of the Earth is a uniquely emotionally cathartic piece that even those without any particular interest in still photography or even documentaries may well find edifying. Technical merits are solid, and The Salt of the Earth comes Highly recommended.