[.ca] The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ital

not a msterpiece, but...:
I watched this movie 3 times, all in cinemas. Now that it'a available in DVD, I'm going to buy it and watch it over and over again. We don't see this kind of asorbing narrative cinema anymore.

One of the best. Definetly the most unnoticed.:
Sure I was bored at some points of the film but it was a small price to pay. Ermanno Olmi's work is untouchable. He could have easily shortened this film for the average viewer by about 45 minutes or so. I'm glad he didn't. Though I'm sure if he did this film would be much more popular. This film should be on every critics top ten list. But it isn't. I don't think I've even seen it on any critics top 100 list. It's funny how the AFI can put a peice of crap like "Citizen Kane" on the top of their list but not even put this film on it. That's right I said "Citizen Kane" is crap. Overrated crap!!

music of dignity:
Exceptionally moving. Demonstrates that 'modesty' can communicate far, far more powerfully than most of those 'big' ambitious narratives do. 'Tree...' shares meanings by sensitively observing small things. Deserves to be far better known. Incidentally, Olmi (the director) has a superb talent for using the right music in the right places. 'The Legend of the Holy Drinker' (Olmi's film-adaptation from a story by Joseph Roth) is another superb example of the way in which music can (in Olmi's hands) tease out the most subtle of moods.

The Tree of Wooden Clogs:
The tree of Wooden Clogs is an interesting film, which shows peasant life from the upper Po River Valley just before the end of the 19th Century. The 3 hour film tends to be a bit slow by today's expectations, but it graphically depicts life for the sharecropper family, and shows how life was at the mercy of the landlord. The filmmaker graphicly shows the slaughtering of several animals, so be prepared for this. Overall, I liked the film for its anthropological virtues.

Fragmented boring movie:
I found the movie very boring-not something I would want to watch again. (Unless I suffered insomnia-it's a great sleep inducer, especially if you seen it once before.) I wondered how on earth did it win any movie prize. Fragmented and terribly lengthy (now I seen other movies three hours long and the time went quickly), I found myself wondering what the story was about from time to time. I know overall it was about the oppressive landlord, but going from family to family was confusing to me. I felt sorry for the pig that got slaughtered in the beginning. And the scenes were gorgeous.