L'albero degli zoccoli
An absolutely engrossing film. A wonderful slice of life in rural Italy at the turn of the century. No great dramatics but a detailed examination of a year of peasant life. The characters, especially the young children are so endearing. A three hour film but never dull. No big name stars but each performance is so very real. A must see. The photography of northern Italy is so very atmospheric. The plot emphasizes the extreme poverty of the people but also how well they treat one another and the limitations of living in the homes and the land of a well to do but uncaring landlord. The only parts that are difficult to watch are the slaughtering of livestock that was so much a part of life at the time. The program not only shows the extreme poverty of the farmers abut also their remarkable ingenuity in dealing with the trials that they face. The challenges faced are those relatively unknown to us, we who are so well off here in America. You can see from this film why so many individuals migrated from Italy to America at that time. However, this film is in no way downbeat, the viewer revels in the persistence, good cheer and adaptability of these people.
romantic, horror, storytelling