loading...
Tree Of Wooden Clogs
1978
Ermanno Olmi's THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS presents a year in the life of peasants in northern Italy near the turn of the 20th century. A little boy breaks his precious pair of clogs, which he needs for his long trek to school. Desperate for wood to make a new pair, his father sneaks into a prized grove in their small village. .. Read more
| Starring | Luigi Ornaghi, Francesca Moriggi, Omar Brignoli, Antonio Ferrari |
|---|---|
| Director | Ermanno Olmi |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
loading...
Tree Of Wooden Clogs
Ermanno Olmi's THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS presents a year in the life of peasants in northern Italy near the turn of the 20th century. A little boy breaks his precious pair of clogs, which he needs for his long trek to school. Desperate for wood to make a new pair, his father sneaks into a prized grove in their small village. When he's caught, the unfeeling, wealthy landlord punishes him severely for his transgression. This small incident, and the various viewpoints of the peasants, reveal in beautiful detail rural life under oppressive rule.
| Starring | Luigi Ornaghi, Francesca Moriggi, Omar Brignoli, Antonio Ferrari, Teresa Brescianini |
|---|---|
| Director | Ermanno Olmi |
| Studio | ARROW FILM |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 50 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Italian |
| Released | DVD: 11 Feb 2002 Production year: 1978 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews (3)
View all -
Following in the tradition of Georges Rouquier's Farrebique, Ermanno Olmi's sprawling study of peasant life in Lombardy at the end of the 19th century, is one of the last great neorealist films. Shot on 16mm and using only non-professional players, this pseudo-documentary epic finds drama in the changing of the seasons and the everyday tasks of the farm. Acting as his own cameraman, Olmi opts for muted colours that suggest both the period and the simplicity of the lifestyle. However, he is somewhat less subtle in emphasising the Marxist message, which he neatly conveys by means of religious, as well as traditional, rural imagery.
-
Sensitive, novel-like investigation of times gone by; never very exciting but certainly never dull, despite the limits of 16mm and a non-professional cast.
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Beautiful poignancy
It unfolds as the year unfolds. The annual cycle on a farmstead in Northern Italy at the turn from the 19th century. The harshness of the life dependent on the kindness of the land and the whim of the landlord. You think you are observing the routines of life and yet it becomes a poignant tale.
Beautifully filmed. Highly recommended. Don’t be put off by the length - it needs every minute! -
Most recent members' review
View all -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
A magnificent picture of a past age
Don't watch this picture for the plot, there is virtually none.
The story of the characters in this closeknit little settlement of Italian peasants is close to what one can imagine real life, must have been like 100 or more years ago.
These are intelligent and dignified people living near the poverty line but showing the richness of their human relationships. Education is an almost unattainable privilege and the power of the landlord is a constant threat.
The acting is entirely convincing and the photography is full of the beauty and the hardship of life close to the soil in Lombardy through the seasons.
Very rewarding if you have the patience to accept what the film offers, and not yearn for sensationalism. -
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They Greatest 1000 Films... (321)
79.2% from 13 members
by:
Tolis
from Kent
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
-
-
-
Tree Of Wooden Clogs
Ermanno Olmi's THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS presents a year in the life of peasants in northern Italy near the turn of the 20th century. A little boy breaks his precious pair of clogs, which he needs for his long trek to school. Desperate for wood to make a new pair, his father sneaks into a prized ...
-