La terra trema (1948)
"La terra trema: Episodio del mare" (original title)

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.

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Stars:

Antonio Arcidiacono, Giuseppe Arcidiacono, Antonio Pietrangeli

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Uncredited 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)

Storyline

Poor Sicilian fishers are exploited by fish wholesalers. One of the families is trying to escape them by being their own boss. But fate nobody helps them, and even fate is against them.

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Plot Keywords:

fish | sicily | fishermen | boat | debt | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Sicilian Italian

Release Date:

1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

La terra trema

Filming Locations:

Aci Trezza, Aci Castello, Catania, Sicily, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universalia Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

160 min 92 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast was exclusively composed of non-professional actors. They were genuine fishermen and inhabitants of Aci Trezza (Sicily). The credits do not name any of the actors, who are collectively listed as "Pescatori Siciliani" (Sicilian Fishermen).

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Quotes

Ntoni: [in Italian] Always the same. We work for nothing. It's always been like this. As long as I can remember.

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Connections

Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)

User Reviews

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.