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The Tree of Wooden Clogs

Play trailer Poster for The Tree of Wooden Clogs 1978 2h 55m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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The Tree of Wooden Clogs

Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review David Harris Spectrum Culture A hypnotic look at a way of life that no longer exists. Sep 30, 2019 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review Audience Member I would like to know if the music is largely Donizetti? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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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