The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)

Country: Italy
Director: Ermanno Olmi
Production Co:
Genre: Drama
Rating: 7.9/10
Length: 175 mins

Storyline

The life inside a farm in Italy at the end of the 19th century. Many poor country families live there, and the owner pays them by their productivity. One of the families has a very clever child. They decide to send him to school instead of make him help them, although this represents a great sacrifice. The boy has to wake up very early and walk several miles to get to the school. One day the boy's shoes break when returning home, but they do not have money to buy another pair. What can they do?—Michel Rudoy

Plot Keywords

farmer, wife, son, priest, landlord, engaging, calm, touching, italy, farm, countryside, family, poverty, school, religion, sacrifice, growing up, 1890s

Short Review

I found the film most successful when it left its tenant farm setting for a lovely, lyrical boat trip to the big city, the one moment of expansiveness in Olmi's otherwise hermetic narration.