La terra trema: Episodio del mare (1948)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Antonio Pietrangeli (dialogue)
Antonio Pietrangeli (screenplay)

Release Date:

1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In rural Sicily, the fishermen live at the mercy of the greedy wholesalers. One family risks everything to buy their own boat and operate independently.

Plot Keywords:

Sicilian | Sicily | South Italy | Island | Volcano

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Antonio Arcidiacono	...	Ntoni (uncredited)
Giuseppe Arcidiacono	...	Cola (uncredited)
Venera Bonaccorso	...	La vecchia che ride (uncredited)
Nicola Castorino	...	Nicola (uncredited)
Rosa Catalano	...	Rosa (uncredited)
Rosa Costanzo	...	Nedda (uncredited)
Alfio Fichera	...	Michele (uncredited)
Carmela Fichera	...	La baronessa (uncredited)
Rosario Galvagno	...	Don Salvatore, il maresciallo dei carabinieri (uncredited)
Agnese Giammona	...	Lucia (uncredited)
Nelluccia Giammona	...	Mara (uncredited)
Giovanni Greco	...	(uncredited)
Ignazio Maccarone	...	Maccarone (uncredited)
Giovanni Maiorana	...	Un bambino (uncredited)
Antonino Micale	...	Vanni (uncredited)
Maria Micale	...	La madre (uncredited)
Concettina Mirabella	...	(uncredited)
Angelo Morabito	...	Un cliente dell'osteria (uncredited)
Pasquale Pellegrino	...	Pescatore (uncredited)
Amilcare Pettinelli	...	Voce narrante (uncredited)
Antonio Pietrangeli	...	Voce narrante (uncredited)
Alfio Valastro	...	Bandiera (uncredited)
Antonino Valastro	...	Pandolla (uncredited)
Francesco Valastro	...	Afro (uncredited)
Lorenzo Valastro	...	Lorenzo (uncredited)
Raimondo Valastro	...	Raimondo (uncredited)
Salvatore Valastro	...	Il pignoratore (uncredited)
Santo Valastro	...	Santo (uncredited)
Sebastiano Valastro	...	Il padre (uncredited)
Giuseppe Vicari	...	Piccola (uncredited)
Salvatore Vicari	...	Alfio (uncredited)
Luchino Visconti	...	Voce narrante (uncredited)

Also Known As:

La terra trema: Episodio del mare
The Earth Trembles
The Earth Will Tremble

Runtime:

160 min | France:152 min | Germany:92 min (video version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Sicilian | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Aci Trezza, Aci Castello, Catania, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Universalia Film

Trivia:

When financing fell through, Visconti was forced to sell some of his mother's jewelry and one of the family's apartments in Rome to finish the film.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Bellissimo: Immagini del cinema italiano (1985)

Neo-realist masterpiece

It's hard to believe that I am the first person to comment on this masterpiece at this website. One reason could be that it's not that easy to see. Thank God for Turner Classic Movies, which is where I finally saw it. I'm happy to see that there's a DVD available.

This is one of those amazing films that uses only non-professionals and in which they perform as well, if not better, than any professional could. The actors are the inhabitants of a small Sicilian fishing village. The film is cliche-ridden (the Marxist variety) and at times predictable. I didn't care about any of this. The film is a true epic about a few people trying to break out of their rut of exploitation and the wretchedness of their everyday living, and failing. The film thus achieves the status of true tragedy. This one shouldn't be missed.