The Tree of Wooden Clogs

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The Tree of Wooden Clogs

1978

2h 55m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

On a northern Italian farm in the late 19th century, a group of sharecroppers eke out a threadbare existence. A priest advises Batisti (Luigi Ornaghi) and his wife, Batistina (Francesca Moriggi), that their young son, Minec (Omar Brignoli), should be formally educated, so they sacrifice his help in the fields and send him to school. When Minec's wooden shoe breaks one day, Batisti--in an act of desperation--puts the family's future at risk to replace the clog.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

I found the film most successful when it left its tenant farm setting for a lovely, lyrical boat trip to the big city, the one moment of expansiveness in Olmi's otherwise hermetic narration.

Jul 3, 2019

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

The film has a tempo as slow as the seasons' turn, but there is something magnificent in its utter commitment and authenticity.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 7, 2017

Full Review

Glenn Heath Jr.

Little White Lies

Produces feelings of aching joy and melancholy in equal measure.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 7, 2017

Full Review

Wael Khairy

The Cinephile Fix

The photographic images in this film are on par with the greatest paintings ever made. The warm lighting and earthy texture within each perfectly composed shot are so vivid, rich and layered, you could almost smell the scent of soil as it rains...

Oct 22, 2023

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

A hypnotic look at a way of life that no longer exists.

Sep 30, 2019

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Jesús Fernández Santos

El Pais (Spain)

The asceticism of the film accentuates the slowness of a story that is already too prolonged. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 6, 2019

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Jacqui F

An absorbing film of the joys and hardships of life when 2/3rds of what is produced goes to the landlord. I felt bereft when it finished as the film had seeped into me. The message is in the title. Do watch it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

s r

1001 movies to see before you die. This was something different from what I've ever seen. The short shots throughout helped keep your interest. The sincere stories were moving in showing the hardness of peasantry in Italy. It was a bit long though, but I respect it. It was an STG DVD.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

dave s

In many ways, Ermanno Olmi's The Tree of Wooden Clogs pays homage to the Italian neorealism films of the 40s and 50s. Set in a rural environment in northern Italy, it tells the simple story of an impoverished family tending to the crops and livestock of a wealthy landowner, cobbling together their limited resources in order to eke out an existence. Short on plot but expansive in the scope of its themes of oppression, poverty and familial love, it has all of the elements that made neorealism such an impactful film movement many decades earlier. With a running time of almost three hours, it is not a movie for the impatient but pays significant dividends for those who allow the simple story and its related themes to wash over them.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Bex W

My toe's first dip into Italian Neorealism; I'll be returning with my bathing suit on.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/11/22

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Audience Member

I would like to know if the music is largely Donizetti?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

It's a good film but painfully slow. Well shot, fascinating but three hours! I loved it in many ways but nah just too much given the pace.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

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Ermanno Olmi

Director

Luigi Ornaghi

Batistì

Francesca Moriggi

Batistina

Omar Brignoli

Minec

Antonio Ferrari

Tuni

Teresa Brescianini

Widow Runk

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Synopsis

On a northern Italian farm in the late 19th century, a group of sharecroppers eke out a threadbare existence. A priest advises Batisti (Luigi Ornaghi) and his wife, Batistina (Francesca Moriggi), that their young son, Minec (Omar Brignoli), should be formally educated, so they sacrifice his help in the fields and send him to school. When Minec's wooden shoe breaks one day, Batisti--in an act of desperation--puts the family's future at risk to replace the clog.

Director: Ermanno Olmi
Screenwriter: Ermanno Olmi
Production Co: RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 14, 2017
Runtime: 2h 55m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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