The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)

The Tree of Wooden Clogs (L’albero degli zoccoli)
Directed by Ermanno Olmi
Written by Ermanno Olmi
1978/Italy
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel

Don Carlo: Above all, try always to love one another. The love between two people is something money can’t buy. God says not to seek worldly riches but the blessings of paradise. And remember that paradise begins with the love that we show each other here on earth.

This film is three hours long with relatively little dialogue. I wasn’t looking forward to it but it is so beautiful in every way that it captured me from the start.

Film takes place in a feudal farm in Bergamo Italy at the end of the 19th century. All the dialogue is in the Bergamese dialect and the actors are amateurs. The story follows both the life of the community and the life of the members of the Bastini family. We get birth, love, a wedding, death, and unremitting field work. There’s plenty of love and help to neighbors in need to set off the poverty of the people.

Director Olmi did the fabulous cinematography himself. The music is dreamy. Recommended.

This is the last film I will watch from 1978. It took me 1 1/2 years to watch less than 40 films! 1979 looks to be a particularly good year so here’s hoping!