Tonight I watched a masterpiece from Italian director Ernanno Olmi : "The Tree of Wooden Clogs"(1978), which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and has been released on dvd by Criterion. I wasn't aware of this film when it came out; it was recommended to me by my sister many years ago, and in fact I saw it about 8-10 years ago (I'm guessing), except that I didn't really see it, because the doggone dvd froze up twenty minutes before the ending, and nothing I did would get it to play again. Now, this is a 3 hour and 7 minute movie, so at the time I'd invested about two hours and forty seven minutes in it, and it's a captivating film in every way, so you can imagine how frustrated I was when the disc froze up with just twenty minutes to go. I was never able to find another copy until today at Northridge Libe, and by serendipity I was also off work tonight, affording me the time to watch such a long picture. So everything worked out, and the dvd was brand new. It played all the way through without a problem.
"Tree" is set in rural Italy at the end of the 19th century. It's about the lives of several peasant families who live and work on a farm run by a wealthy landowner. One thing to be noted right away is that all the actors in the film are non-professional, and are from the village where the movie was made. What is amazing about this, and it was noted by English director Mike Leigh in his introduction, is that you'd never know for a minute that you were watching amateurs. Olmi gets realistic, nuanced performances out of everyone, right down to the smallest child.
These people are poor and can barely make ends meet. The landowner gets two thirds of each year's harvest, leaving the final third to be split between the five families. The feudal system is at work here, but the families have rich lives in spite of their poverty, and this is what the film is all about. We see them going about their business, working the farm by day and getting together at night with their loved ones and friends. Their dwellings are small and in some cases they all sleep in the same room, with several children to a bed. There are three protagonists, the main one being Mr. Batisti, a vibrant man with an Enormous Moustachio whose youngest child (a boy) is about to enter school, a rarity for any of the farm children. Mr. Batisti is a hard worker who loves his family and is also popular with the other children at nighttime gatherings for his expertise at telling ghost stories. These are people who have little of material value but an abundance of soul.
They are also devoutly Catholic, and this is the other theme that powers the film. As they struggle, day after day, just to put food on the table, to devise a way to grow bigger tomatoes to sell, or in one woman's case, to wash laundry for the other peasants, they rely on the Holy Trinity to get them through. Every night, the wives lead the children in the Rosary. One woman saves the life of a sick cow by giving it Holy Water to drink. These are real people who believe in miracles. Because of their belief, miracles happen for them.
There are however, the realities of their situation to deal with. They are at the mercy of the landowner for everything. We rarely see him, his rules are enforced by a gruff foreman who will have a bearing on the single significant plot thread in the picture. Mostly, though, what we see are the peasants living their lives. As Mike Leigh says in his introduction, there is so much stuff going on in this movie, it's impossible to take it all in during one view.
Another protagonist is a handsome young man who desires the beautiful daughter of another farmer. One night when they are alone, he asks her for a kiss, but she refuses, telling him "it must wait for the right time". Thus we will observe, as their thread plays out over the course of the film, the traditions of courtship among the peasants, who observe a strict code of behavior where dating is concerned. They aren't without fun, however. They love to tell jokes at their nightly gatherings and even have a small carnival in the village with rides and games similar to what you'd see at a country fair.
The details and things of importance seem small by modern standards, but everything these people do holds meaning for them, and thus for us as we watch them day by day. Olmi has gotten so close to the peasants that we feel we are living among them, in their time. "The Tree of Wooden Clogs" is so brilliant in every way that as Mike Leigh rightly points out, the three hour running time is not a burden but a blessing. The photography is understated, with no fancy angles or camera techniques, but is beautifully shot in muted, earthen tones. The editing may be the piece de resistance. It makes all the numerous elements of the film blend and flow just like real life, and again, it cannot be overstated that there is a ton of stuff happening, everywhere you look. And there will be that one very important plot point - I just can't tell you what it is.
Simply put, "The Tree of Wooden Clogs" is one of the greatest movies you'll ever see, period. Mike Leigh certainly thinks so, and I agree. None other than Al Pacino has called it his favorite film.
You've probably guessed by now that I'm gonna give it my highest rating, which is Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. See it, see it, see it, it really is tremendous. /////
That's all for the moment. It's now Sunday afternoon and I'm writing from home. We had good singin' in church this morn, and Pearl was back for the whole service this time. She is doing great. For the next three weeks I'll be working days but will be home at night to watch movies with you. Right now we're gonna go on a hike (meaning you and me) so I'll meetcha at Santa Susana in 30 minutes......:):)
And then I'll see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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