La terra trema - cinema review

(Italy, 1948)
directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Maria Micale, Antonio Arcidiacono, Giuseppe Arcidiacono
b/w, 160', 35mm restored original version
Loosely based on the Italian novel I Malavoglia by Giovanni Verga, the film is a powerful rendering of the harshest realities of the South of Italy, told in a hybrid language merging neo-realism with an uncompromising classical style, the film aims to fulfill both the author's political and dramatic intentions. La terra trema was intended to be the first installment in a trilogy, but it was a commercial and critical failure and director Luchino Visconti gave up the project, although nowadays La terra trema is considered one of his masterpieces.