"La Terra Trema" is a sobering reminder about the inescapable nature of capitalism. Though you can hope to break free from the oppressive restraints of the system, you'll likely find something new to be worried about due to the lack of alternative options. Antonio and his family tried to find freedom but were punished for it. Visconti matches these themes very well with a highly oppressive atmosphere which hangs over the film. Virtually the entire film takes place inside the fishing village and there's hardly a scene where we get to venture outside of it. Of course, the outskirts of the village are referred to with the prison and bank scenes, but the camera stays locked in place. Even the fishing scenes themselves are often shown from the perspectives of the shorelines overlooking the ocean rather than the boats themselves (admittedly, I would've liked to see the storm sequence up close, but thematically speaking, I understand why it was shot the way it was). As a result, this rigid formalism frequently feels like it's suffocating the characters and infusing the village with a subtle undercurrent of claustrophobia. There's a certain kind of sadness which looms throughout the film, both thematically and stylistically, and we hardly get a break from it. In spite of these themes though, Visconti also observes the fishermen with a level of sensuality. This is far from his only film which does this as a handful of male actors Visconti worked with throughout his career, like Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Farley Granger, and Jean Marais, were iconic for their looks. Antonio Arcidiacono is, of course, far less well-known than all of them, but the same could be said for him in this film. Piloting boats in the sun, hauling in loads of fish, returning to the shore covered in sweat - Visconti doesn't forget to find elegance in such an oppressive environment. The depiction of men doesn't boil down to them being sexualized though. Rather, you get the sense that he has an innate understanding of their physicality - as well as the emotional/situational characteristics thereof - which is able to move you in a certain way which most other director's aren't quite able to capture. In 1962, Sight & Sound ranked this as the 9th best film ever made, but from a modern standpoint, it's slowly becoming a forgotten classic. Here's hoping it someday sees a resurgance though as, while it isn't quite my faorite Visconti, I would definitely consider it as a close second pick.
Review of La Terra Trema
