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La Terra Trema

Play trailer Poster for La Terra Trema 1948 2h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Antonio (Maria Micale) returns to his home in an Italian fishing village, convinced that he can buck the long-entrenched practices of low-paying wholesalers by purchasing his own fishing boat and running his own business. Unfortunately, going solo is extremely demanding, and when a disaster at sea severely damages his boat, he finds that he must again work for his rivals. His family begins to disintegrate from the stress and misfortune, as do his dreams of social justice.
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La Terra Trema

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
André Bazin Esprit There is no doubt that the film does have propaganda value, but this value is purely objective: there is no moving eloquence to bolster its documentary vigor. Jan 5, 2022 Full Review Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine This one-way pathos trundles along for three hours slowly, glumly, predictably. Aug 13, 2019 Full Review Sean Axmaker Parallax View It's as if Sicily has existed in a bubble, unchanging for a century as sons take over the boats of their fathers and children apprentice at their feet, taking their place in "a hopeless slavery." Apr 25, 2015 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Luchino Visconti's epic account of peasant defiance inflamed and squelched, where to live in poverty is to drown on dry land Apr 17, 2015 Full Review Christopher Long Movie Metropolis It's a rough slog... but La terra trema shows that Visconti, with just his second feature, was already a master of the medium. Rated: 7/10 Aug 21, 2012 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Visconti used real Sicilian fishermen as non-actors expressing their circumstances and beliefs. The effect is a powerful portrait of graceful human dignity caught between the cruelty of the sea and opportunistic greed. Rated: A+ Apr 12, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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William L It's purely the timing of the viewing, but there are many parallels between Visconti's La Terra Trema and Chloé Zhao's Nomadland - both featuring non-professional actors with nonfiction roles, (albeit to a different degree), both focusing on the social consequences of financial exploitation in a true-to-life setting, and both having received critical acclaim (Nomadland being the recipient of both the Golden Lion and the Academy Award for Best Picture, La Terra Trema a top ten film on the 1962 Sight & Sound poll). However, while logistically impressive, Visconti's film stands out as the far more straightforward and rather protracted of the two, using its nonprofessional talent in conventional dramatic contexts (where their inexperience is less of a virtue) and taking an achingly long time to hammer home its obvious (if still relevant) point, that the working class is constantly forced into unbreakable cycles of poverty and self-betterment has been demonized on a social level such that even fellow victims look down on those attempting to break the wheel, either out of prejudice or jealousy. More an academically relevant and historically significant film than a well-aged classic; the docudrama format isn't really used to its fullest here. Love how the Italian theatrical release poster looks like the cover of an old adventure novel, with a crew ferociously battling a storm in their small skiff. Just know, that borders on false advertising; nothing even remotely that exciting happens in this film's 165 minutes. (3/5) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/09/22 Full Review Audience Member A rustic setting, real looking people, and enough social commentary to make up its runtime. Glad I finally gave it a look. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Lost somewhere between realism and neorealism, this film focuses on attempted socialist leader Ntoni facing the insuperable force of a fascist-loving business owner who controls every fisherman's salary in Trezza, no matter what their output is. The film has us experiencing long drawn out shots, moments of quiet, which typically I enjoy in a film with better cinematography. As many great tracking and dolly shots as there are, the film has trouble with exposure, often right on the edge of complete underexposure. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member "La Terra trema" is director Luchino Visconti at his very best. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Despite a slow start, this highly Marxist drama reflects the destitute of the proletariat and sarcasm over Mussolini's regime vividly and vigorously. A true masterpiece for both the Neorealist cinema and Communist studies. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member I found it very dull and boring :/ Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews
La Terra Trema

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Movie Info

Synopsis Antonio (Maria Micale) returns to his home in an Italian fishing village, convinced that he can buck the long-entrenched practices of low-paying wholesalers by purchasing his own fishing boat and running his own business. Unfortunately, going solo is extremely demanding, and when a disaster at sea severely damages his boat, he finds that he must again work for his rivals. His family begins to disintegrate from the stress and misfortune, as do his dreams of social justice.
Director
Luchino Visconti
Producer
Salvo D'Anglo
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 10, 2012
Runtime
2h 40m
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