La Terra Trema (1948)

Set in a small fishing village on the east coast of Sicily, the film follows the fortunes of the Valastro family. They are a family of poor fishermen, who attempt to break away from the yoke of the wholesalers who exploit them and don't pay them what their catch is worth. They mortgage their house and buy their own boat with plans to sell their own catch and bypass the wholesalers. Based on the novel I MALAVOGLIA by Giovanni Verga and directed by Luchino Visconti (THE LEOPARD). A crucial entry in the cinema of neorealism, the Communist party commissioned Visconti to make a documentary about fishermen but instead, Visconti made a narrative film using non professional actors to add to the realism of the movie. Their acting may be crude but they look like real working class people and not actors. It's a bleak film without much hope for its protagonists. Struggle as they might, fate seems to have a desolate future in store for them. The only beauty in the film is the stunning B&W imagery of Aldo Rossano Graziati. I found it overly long (2 hours, 40 minutes) but well worthwhile. With Antonio Arcidiacono, Giuseppe Arcidiacono, Nelluccia Giammona and Rosario Galvagno.