FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Luchino Visconti - The Earth Trembles

 When can you actually call a film "neo-realistic"?  Do the artistically lit fishing boats in The Earth Trembles deserve this description? Or is the fishing village of Aci Trezza simply such a wonderful place, with changing light and the elemental forces of the sea, that every picture simply has to seem like a poem? In Aci Trezza, Sicily, Visconti staged a neo-realist classic in 1947 with local fishermen. The fishermen play themselves. Irony of fate, Visconti's film adapts a novel set in the 19th century. The fact that he shifted the events to the present should hardly be noticed by anyone, because time seems to pass much more slowly in Sicily. The Valasco family is at the centre of the story. A family of fishermen. The father lost his life and so the sons now fight against the forces of nature, going out to sea every day to sell their catch to the wholesalers. The prices for the catch are too low. A rebellion of the fishermen is put down. New exploitative contracts are proposed to the fishermen, which everyone accepts. Only Ntoni, the oldest son of Valasco, does not agree. Ntoni takes out a mortgage on his parents' house, becomes self-employed. The idea seems to work out... ...until a storm destroys his fishing boat. The Valasco family is now homeless, marginalized in the village. The reputation of his sisters is damaged and finally Ntoni gives up and submits to the dictates of the wholesalers. I had always believed that Visconto, coming from a noble family, must be Sicilian. Wrong! He was born in Milan and decided to make a film about social injustice in the South. A neo-realist film. This movement had no dogmas, it was held together only by the desire to represent reality. Visconti decided against professional actors, following the idea that everyone could play a role excellently: ...themselves. Visconti loves these people! Their life appears full of dignity, simplicity is presented in cinematic beauty. Poverty is opulently portrayed by Visconti. Financially, however, the film missed its audience. If Visconti had hoped for a social revolt beyond that, he had to be disappointed a second time. Today there are much less fishermen in Aci Trezza and the few are still exploited by wholesalers.

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