Rosaura Revueltas Sánchez (August 6, 1910 – April 30, 1996) was a Mexican actress of stage and screen whose career was cut short by the entertainment industry
blacklist
Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...
in the 1950s. She is best known for her role in the 1954 film ''
Salt of the Earth
Salt of the earth is a phrase used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, part of a discourse on salt and light.
Salt of the earth may also refer to:
Film
* Salt of the Earth (1954 film), ''Salt of the Earth'' (1954 film), an American drama film
...
''.
Early life
Rosaura Revueltas was born in
Lerdo, Durango
Ciudad Lerdo (Lerdo City) is a small city in the northeastern portion of the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Durango. It serves as the municipal seat for the Lerdo (municipality), surrounding municipality of the same name.
It is loca ...
, Mexico in 1910
[ According to this obituary, Revueltas claimed that her widely reported birth year of 1910 was incorrect; it was too early by a decade. The mistake seems plausible since, for example, in ''Salt of the Earth'' (1954) she appears to be a woman in her 30s, not her 40s.] to the famously artistic Revueltas family and had three brothers who were artists:
Silvestre Revueltas
Silvestre Revueltas Sánchez (December 31, 1899 – October 5, 1940) was a Mexican classical music composer, a violinist, and conductor.
Life
Revueltas was born in Santiago Papasquiaro in Durango, and studied at the National Conservatory of Mu ...
, a composer;
José Revueltas, a writer; and
Fermín Revueltas, a painter. The family moved to Mexico City in 1921 and Rosaura enrolled in the Humboldt School, where she learned German and English. She also studied ballet and acting.
After marrying German citizen Frederick Bodenstedt and having a son, Arturo, Rosaura opted for a profession in the arts. She initially took up dance, making her public debut in
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
at
Bellas Artes in 1945. She then participated in the ''Arte Folklórico Español'' production of ''La doma de la fiera'' (1945). She had her first acting success on stage in ''
La desconocida de Arrás'' (1946). By 1950, she was starring in ''El cuadrante de la soledad''. Although she continued to do theatrical work in the early 1950s, such as Edmundo Baez's play ''Un Alfiler en los Ojos'' (1952), she mostly turned her attention to film acting, culminating in her best-known film ''
Salt of the Earth
Salt of the earth is a phrase used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, part of a discourse on salt and light.
Salt of the earth may also refer to:
Film
* Salt of the Earth (1954 film), ''Salt of the Earth'' (1954 film), an American drama film
...
'' (1954).
Film career
In 1950, Revueltas obtained a minor part in ''
Pancho Villa vuelve'' (1950). Next, she earned a more prominent role in ''
Un día de vida'' (1950). She portrayed Rosa Suárez, viuda de Ortiz (the widow of Ortiz), in ''
Las Islas Marías'' (1951), featuring
Pedro Infante
Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera singer and actor whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema.
Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and raised in nearby Guamúchil. He died on 15 Apri ...
. The following year, she was in ''
El rebozo de Soledad'', and in 1953 she played Tia Magdalena in the American-made film ''
Sombrero
In English, a , ; ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the w ...
''.
In 1951, Revueltas began a pattern of selecting roles in politically charged films when she starred as the "Madre superiora" in ''
Muchachas de Uniforme''. It was the Mexican remake of the 1931 German film ''
Mädchen in Uniform
' ("Girls in Uniform") is a 1931 German romantic drama film based on the play ' (''Yesterday and Today'') by Christa Winsloe and directed by Leontine Sagan with artistic direction from Carl Froelich, who also funded the film. Winsloe also wrote ...
'', which was one of the first screen representations of lesbian romance. Her willingness to choose pathbreaking projects sometimes caused her to be targeted by politicians and Catholic Church officials. After the release of ''Muchachas de Uniforme'', the Catholic Church urged a boycott of the film. In the aftermath of the controversy, Revueltas immigrated to the United States. She again sought a role that offered a progressive representation of women when she landed the main part in
Herbert J. Biberman's ''Salt of the Earth''.
[
The story was based on the 1951 Empire Zinc strike in ]Grant County Grant County may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* County of Grant, Victoria
;United States
* Grant County, Arkansas
* Grant County, Indiana
* Grant County, Kansas
*Grant County, Kentucky
Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...
, New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
. She played Esperanza Quintero, the wife of a mine worker. In the film, Esperanza's husband and fellow miners decide to go on strike, and in turn, their wives do the same in order to support their spouses and gain rights of their own.
Revueltas was not Biberman's first choice for Esperanza. Originally his wife Gale Sondergaard
Gale Sondergaard (born Edith Holm Sondergaard; February 15, 1899 – August 14, 1985) was an American actress.
Sondergaard began her acting career in theater and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award ...
was cast, but upon further reflection, Biberman thought the role should be portrayed by a Spanish-speaking actress.[.] Revueltas was one of the few professional actors in ''Salt of the Earth''. Most of the other roles, including that of her husband Ramon, were played by actual miners, some of whom had taken part in real-life strikes. For instance, Juan Chacón, who played Ramon Quintero, was the president of a local miners' union.
Blacklisted
The Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist was the mid-20th century banning of suspected Communists from working in the United States entertainment industry. The blacklisting, blacklist began at the onset of the Cold War and Red Scare#Second Red Scare (1947–1957 ...
and Red Scare
A Red Scare is a form of moral panic provoked by fear of the rise of left-wing ideologies in a society, especially communism and socialism. Historically, red scares have led to mass political persecution, scapegoating, and the ousting of thos ...
cast a shadow over ''Salt of the Earth''. The film's director Herbert Biberman was a member of the Hollywood Ten
The Hollywood blacklist was the mid-20th century banning of suspected Communists from working in the United States entertainment industry. The blacklisting, blacklist began at the onset of the Cold War and Red Scare#Second Red Scare (1947–1957 ...
—the initial group of film artists blacklisted and jailed for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty an ...
. His Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning actress wife Gale Sondergaard
Gale Sondergaard (born Edith Holm Sondergaard; February 15, 1899 – August 14, 1985) was an American actress.
Sondergaard began her acting career in theater and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award ...
supported Biberman throughout this time period, and she was blacklisted as well. The film's producer Paul Jarrico and writer Michael Wilson were also blacklistees. Because of her involvement in ''Salt of the Earth'', Revueltas became a blacklistee too.
Near the end of filming on February 25, 1953, Revueltas was arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a United States federal government agency under the United States Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and under the United States Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003.
Refe ...
(INS) on an alleged passport violation (not having it stamped properly upon entry to the country). She was taken from the filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, instead of or in addition to using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wi ...
in Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704.
History
...
and driven 150 miles to El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
. During the drive, she was repeatedly asked if she was a Communist and if her friends were Communists. "She said she didn't know, that she was just working on the picture, and she hummed. In El Paso she was kept under armed guard in a hotel room." As a result of her confinement, at least one scene was filmed by a Revueltas stand-in with her back to the camera. Esperanza's voice-over narration had to be taped later in Mexico.
Revueltas was released from custody on March 6, 1953 and could return to Mexico, but she was never allowed to work in American films again. She once said that " nce he INShad no evidence to present of my 'subversive' character, I can only conclude that I was 'dangerous' because I had been playing a role that gave status and dignity to the character of a Mexican-American woman."
Due to the political climate, ''Salt of the Earth'' was restricted to a very limited U.S. release and garnered almost no publicity. However, it did receive mild praise from Bosley Crowther
Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...
of ''The New York Times''. He called it
While many people were blacklisted during McCarthyism
McCarthyism is a political practice defined by the political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a Fear mongering, campaign spreading fear of communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and of Soviet espionage i ...
in the 1950s, ''Salt of the Earth'' was the only film to be blacklisted. Because it was largely unknown in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
for the first decade, Revueltas was not given full recognition for her acting achievement (note: she did win Best Actress in 1954 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...
in the former Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
). Then, as a "cult" following for the film grew in the U.S. in the 1960s and '70s, Revueltas was appreciated more and more. For example, at a special Los Angeles screening in 1976, ''L.A. Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' reviewer Linda Gross wrote about the movie's cast of professional and non-professional actors: "All perform exceedingly well. Miss Revueltas is stunning. Her portrayal is unforgettable." In the 1980s, public television began showing ''Salt of the Earth''; film critics and scholars began writing about it; the film was released on videocassette; and increasingly the general public started to see it. In 1992, nearly 40 years after being suppressed, it was inducted into the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
's National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
of significant U.S. films.[
]
Later years
Barred from getting hired in the U.S. or Mexico, Revueltas moved to East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
in 1957 and lived there for three years. While in East Germany, she worked with the Berliner Ensemble
The Berliner Ensemble () is a German theatre company established by actress Helene Weigel and her husband, playwright Bertolt Brecht, in January 1949 in East Berlin. In the time after Brecht's exile, the company first worked at Wolfgang Langh ...
—the company of the late playwright Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
. She also acted on stage in Cuba where she starred in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' () is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than the baby's wealthy b ...
in 1961.[
She moved back to Mexico in the early 1960s and found herself in difficult financial straits. She taught dance and began to write plays.] It was not until 1976 that she made her first film since being blacklisted, '' Mina, Viento de Libertad'' (''Mina, Wind of Freedom''). In that same year, she played Tía Licha in ''Lo Mejor de Teresa'' (''The Best of Teresa''). Her final film was ''Balun Canan'' (1977).
In 1979, she published the book ''Los Revueltas: Biografía de una familia'' (''The Revueltas: Biography of a Family'').[ At the 1982 premiere of ''A Crime to Fit the Punishment''—a documentary about the making of ''Salt of the Earth''—she spoke about her blacklisting by the Mexican film industry. She appeared occasionally at film festivals, such as the ]36th Berlin International Film Festival
The 36th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held 14–25 February 1986. The festival opened with '' Ginger and Fred'' by Federico Fellini, which played out of competition at the festival.
The Golden Bear was awarded to West German ...
in 1986 where she served as one of the judges. At the 1988 Barcelona Film Festival, she sat on a panel with fellow blacklistees Jules Dassin
Julius "Jules" Dassin ( ; December 18, 1911 – March 31, 2008) was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, where he continued hi ...
, John Berry, and Walter Bernstein
Walter Bernstein (August 20, 1919 – January 23, 2021) was an American screenwriter and film producer who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios in the 1950s because of his views on communism. Some of his notable works included '' The ...
for a screening of '' The Front'' (1976).
In her later years, Revueltas made her home in Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca (; , "near the woods" , Otomi language, Otomi: ) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state, state of Morelos in Mexico. Along with Chalcatzingo, it is likely one of the origins of the Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican civilizatio ...
and taught dance and hatha yoga
Hatha yoga (; Sanskrit हठयोग, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''haṭhayoga'') is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word ह� ...
. When asked during an interview on Radio UNAM if she regretted taking the starring role in ''Salt of the Earth'', she replied:
Death
She died in Cuernavaca at age 85 on April 20, 1996, six months after having been diagnosed with lung cancer. She was survived by her son and grandchildren.[
]
Awards
She won a Cuauhtémoc Award for her work in '' Un día de vida'', and then a Best Supporting Actress honor at Mexico's 1953 Ariel Awards
The Ariel Award () is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excellence in the Mexic ...
for ''El rebozo de Soledad''. In 1954, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...
conferred its Best Actress Award on Revueltas for ''Salt of the Earth''.[
]
Legacy
In 2000, the film ''One of the Hollywood Ten'' was released. Written and directed by Karl Francis, it's a dramatization of Herbert Biberman's blacklist experience, and includes a segment on ''Salt of the Earth'' in which Revueltas is portrayed by actress Ángela Molina
Ángela Molina Tejedor (born 5 October 1955) is a Spanish actress. Aside from her performances in Spanish films, she has starred in multiple international productions, particularly in a number of Italian films and television series.
Family
Mol ...
.
Selected filmography
*''Pancho Villa vuelve'', a.k.a. '' Pancho Villa Returns'' (1950)
*''Del odio nace el amor'', a.k.a. '' The Torch'' (1950)
*''Un Día de Vida'', a.k.a. ''One Day of Life'' (1950)
*''Muchachas de Uniforme'', a.k.a. '' Girls in Uniform'' (1951)
*''Las Islas Marías'' (1951)
*''El Cuarto Cerrado'' (1952)
*''El rebozo de Soledad'' (1952)
*''Sombrero
In English, a , ; ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the w ...
'' (1953)
*''Salt of the Earth
Salt of the earth is a phrase used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, part of a discourse on salt and light.
Salt of the earth may also refer to:
Film
* Salt of the Earth (1954 film), ''Salt of the Earth'' (1954 film), an American drama film
...
'' (1954)
*'' Mina, Viento de Libertad'', a.k.a. ''Mina, Wind of Freedom'' (1976)
*''Lo Mejor de Teresa'' (1976)
*''Balún Canán'' (1976)
References
Further reading
*
*
* Lorence, James J. ''The Suppression of 'Salt of the Earth'. How Hollywood, Big Labor, and Politicians Blacklisted a Movie in Cold War America'', University of New Mexico Press: 1999 ( - cloth version/ - paper version)
50 años de Danza, Palacio de Bellas Artes. Vol. I y II. México: INBA/SEP, 1985.
50 años de Ópera, Palacio de Bellas Artes. México: INBA/SEP, 1986.
50 años de Teatro, Palacio de Bellas Artes. México: INBA/SEP, 1986.
Azar, Héctor. Funciones Teatrales. México: SEP/CADAC, 1982.
Bake’s Biografical Dictionary of Musicians. 8a. Ed. Revisada por Nicolás Slonimsky. New York: Schirmer Books, 1992.
Careaga, Gabriel. Sociedad y Teatro Moderno en México. México: Contrapuntos, 1994.
Ceballos, Edgar. Diccionario Enciclopédico Básico de Teatro Mexicano. Col. Escenología. México: Siglo XX, 1996.
---. Las Técnicas de Actuación en México. Colección Escenología. México: Gaceta, 1993.
Encyclopaedia Britannica de México. Lexipedia Barsa. Tomo II. México: 1984.
Enciclopedia de México. Dir. José Rogelio Álvarez. Tomo 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, y 13. México: S.E.P./Enciclopedia de México, 1987.
García Riera, E., Macotela, F. La Guia del Cine Mexicano. 1919-1984. México: Patria, 1985
García Riera, Emilio. Historia Documental del Cine Mexicano. Tomo IV (1949-1951). México: Era, 1972.
---. Historia Documental del Cine Mexicano. Tomo V (1952-1954). Tomo VII (1955-1957). México: Era, 1973.
---. Historia Documental del Cine Mexicano. Tomo 4 (1946-1948). Tomo 5 (1949-1950). Tomo 6 (1951-1952). Tomo 7 (1953-1954). México: Universidad de Guadalajara et. al., 1993.
---. Historia Documental del Cine Mexicano. Tomo 17 (1974-1976). México: Universidad de Guadalajara et. al., 1995.
Garraty, John A. The nature of biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1957.
Gorostiza, Celestino. Teatro mexicano del S. XX. México: FCE, 1956.
Hernández Camargo, Emiliano. Durangueñeidad, el orgullo de lo nuestro. Durango: Dirección General de Culturas Populares Unidad Regional Norte La Laguna, 1997.
Hernández, Ignacio. Prólogo en Revueltas, José. El cuadrante de la soledad (y otras obras de teatro). No. 21. Andrea Revueltas y Philippe Cheron recop. y notas. México: Era, 1984.
Hernández Sampieri, et. al. Metodología de la Investigación. Colombia: McGraw Hill, 1991.
Johnson, Rodrigo ed. Brecht en México a cien años de su nacimiento México: U.N.A.M./La Compañía Perpetua/ I.N.B.A., C.I.T.R.U., 1998.
Kschemisvara; Hsing-Tao, Li. La ira de caúsica y El círculo de tiza Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 1941.
Leyva, José Angél. El Naranjo en Flor (Homenaje a los Revueltas). Juan Pablos y el Instituto Municipal del Arte y la Cultura eds. 2a. Ed. México: Sin Nombre, 1999.
Lozoya Cigarroa, Manuel. Historia Mínima de Durango. Durango: Ed. Durango, 1995.
---. Hombre y Mujeres de Durango. 2a. Ed. Durango: Comisión de Estudios Históricos e Investigaciones Sociales del Estado de Durango-PRI, 1985.
Magaña Esquivel, Antonio, y Ruth S. Lamb. Breve Historia del Teatro Mexicano. México: Andrea, 1958.
Magaña Esquivel, Antonio. Medio Siglo de Teatro Mexicano 900-1961 México: Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, 1964.
---. Teatro Mexicano del Siglo XX. Vol. II. México: FCE, 1986.
May, Georges. La autobiografía. Trad. Danubio Torres Fierro. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1982.
Murray Kendall, Paul. The art of biography. New York: Norton & Co., 1965.
de Olavarria y Ferrari, Enrique. Reseña Histórica del Teatro en México Tomo V. 3a. Ed. México: Porrúa, 1961.
Pâris, Alain. Diccionario de Intérpretes. Trad. Juan Sainz de los Terreros. Madrid: Turner Música, 1985.
Revueltas, José. Cuestionamientos e intenciones No. 18. 2a. Ed. Andrea Revueltas y Philippe Cheron recop. y notas. México: Era, 1981.
---. El cuadrante de la soledad (y otras obras de teatro). No. 21. Andrea Revueltas y Philippe Cheron recop. y notas. México: Era, 1984.
---. El cuadrante de la soledad. México: Novaro, 1971.
---. Las Evocaciones Requeridas. Vol. I y II. Andrea Revueltas y Philippe Cheron recop. y notas. México: Era, 1987.
Revueltas, Rosaura. Los Revueltas. México: Grijalbo, 1979.
---. Silvestre Revueltas por él mismo. México: Era, 1989.
Testimonios para la Historia del Cine Mexicano. IV. Cuadernos de la Cineteca Nacional. Dir. General de Cinematografía et. al. México: Secretaría de Gobierno, 1976.
Völker, Klaus. Brecht: a Biography. Trad. John Norwell. New York: Seabury Press, 1978.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Revueltas, Rosaura
1910 births
1996 deaths
Actresses from Durango
Hollywood blacklist
Mexican film actresses
Deaths from lung cancer in Mexico
People deported from the United States
20th-century Mexican actresses