Length: 154 minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Luchino Visconti's "La Terra trema" (1948) is a visually lyrical
film that tells the tragic story of a poor Sicilian family. This great
movie has been rather difficult to see in the United States for some years
now, and as of this writing, it is not readily available on videotape
in North America. But now it is available on DVD, and when I watched it
at home recently, I loved it.
"La Terra trema" was shot entirely on location in Acitrezza,
a small coastal town in Sicily. Professional actors were not used; instead
townspeople played all the roles. But Visconti did a good job of typecasting,
and he spent countless hours working on the dialogue with the people who
appear on camera. The characters in the film speak in a Sicilian dialect,
but voice-over narration in standard Italian is used to explain and comment
on the events we are shown. The storytelling style is operatic, and I
found the movie to be very emotionally engaging.
The central character in the film is 'Ntoni Valastro, a twenty-something
man who lives with his mother, his seven younger siblings, and his grandfather.
'Ntoni, his three brothers, and his grandfather work on fishing boats,
as did 'Ntoni's father, who was recently killed in an accident while at
sea. The Valastros are poor, but they have a strong sense of family. 'Ntoni
yearns to bring in more money, primarily so he and his siblings can make
good marriages, thus building an even stronger family in the future.
The commercial fishing business in Acitrezza is structured in such a
way that nearly all the money derived from it goes to wholesalers and
boat owners, while the men who actually catch the fish are barely able
to eke out a living. 'Ntoni and the Valastros try to escape from this
system by mortgaging the humble house they live in, using the money to
buy their own boat, and going into business for themselves. But things
go badly, and the Valastros end up poorer than ever, the family apparently
loses three of its members, and the hopes that 'Ntoni and two of his sisters
will make good marriages are dashed.
"La Terra trema" is obviously intended to convey a Marxist
message. This is clearest near the end of the movie when 'Ntoni tells
a little girl that he failed to overcome exploitation because he tried
to do it alone rather than as part of a collective effort. Also, Visconti's
title for the film, which is best translated into English as "The
Earth Will Tremble," expresses the notion of impending revolution.
Yet "La Terra trema" doesn't feel all that much like a propaganda
piece to me, and I think this is because the people, time, and place are
so specific. I come away from watching the movie feeling I have gained
insight into the human condition, but I am not persuaded that Marxism—or,
for that matter, any other ism—could solve the problems of the fishermen
of Acitrezza. For me, the genius of Visconti's achievement is that he
captured the more general theme of the exploitation of the weak by the
strong better in "La Terra trema" than in any film I know.
I like the way "La Terra trema" closely observes the details
of daily life, showing fishermen selling their catch, mending nets, and
engaging in banal conversations. But the film doesn't give me the feeling
I'm watching a documentary because of its lyrical cinematography and stately
pace. Rather, watching this movie makes me feel like I'm watching something
akin to grand opera or classical theater. Also, the movie offers some
unforgettable images, such as the one where the black-shawled Valastro
females stand on rocks looking out to sea after the boat containing all
the Valastro males has gone missing.
Unfortunately the "La Terra trema" DVD provides no bonus materials
at all. Except for scene selection, the only thing you can control on
the DVD is whether English subtitles are turned on or off. But "La
Terra trema" is a great film, and I'm really glad to own it on DVD.
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