If there were any reason for dropping out of normal life and dedicating oneself entirely to watching Italian films, this might be it! The majestic simplicity and dignity of this film make even the best contemporary films seem trivial and stillborn by comparison. Loved by sensitive audiences and critics alike, Ermanno Olmi's movie describes incidents in the lives of four families sharecropping in Lombardy at the coming of the twentieth century. Olmi's extraordinary command of imagery, movement, rhythm, and lighting conveys a potent nostalgia for Earth and the family of man. There is a scene in which images of a father carving clogs for his shoeless boy are intercut with the lives of the farm families. The music accompanying that scene is a Bach organ chorale. The effect is almost sacramental and entirely overwhelming and may be one of my favorite scenes in all cinema. That scene alone is worth more than all the digitalized special effects, car crashes, ocean liner sinkings, and the deafening Dolby vapidity of so much of the inane junk embraced undiscriminatingly by so many. If they only had the eyes to see, ears to hear, and the soul to love this wondrous work of art.

The most authentic version on this film has the original Bergamasco dialect track. The newer DVDs from Italy have the option of choosing this soundtrack.

My Rating : 9/10

One of Al Pacino's favorite movies of all time. That is enough reason to seek out this wee gem of Italian cinema.

If you've seen 'Bicycle Thieves' (which I think is one of the greatest movies ever made) you will certainly enjoy this movie - this is leisurely-paced with a 3 hr 6 min runtime, beautiful colours of the farm and everyday life of a poor Italian farmer community of 19th Century is exquisitely depicted with grace and nobility.

The film captures the essence of poverty - with such poignancy and beauty that it enriches the viewer's intellect - this is what it means to be meaningful art/cinema. All the actors are not professionals and most of the production duties are handled by the director himself which adds to the beauty of this little gem.

I loved this movie and hope you will too. Happy viewing!

I knew it was an Italian film, and that it featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, so that was the best reason for me to try it. There is no plot as such, it is basically a documentary style film seeing life on a peasant farm in Lombardy, Italy, at the beginning of the 19th century. So in the film we see all farm work and activities going through all the seasons, including hay loading, gutting and cutting up a pig while partially alive, a little mucking out, and caring for horses and cattle, oh, and going to church. The only tiny hints at a story are a clever child sent to school instead of getting help, and having to walk miles to get there, and when his shoes are ruined, they can't afford a new pair. Also, one of the farmer's finds a very valuable coin while doing his task with the horses, and to make sure no-one finds it, he hides it under one of the horse's hooves, but this doesn't work. Starring Luigi Ornaghi as Batistì, Francesca Moriggi as Batistina, Omar Brignoli as Minec and Antonio Ferrari as Tuni. I think, if it wasn't for the lack of plot (which isn't all bad, but still),and the length at just over three hours, this would have probably been given five stars, but it is still an essential period drama. It won the BAFTA Flaherty Documentary Award, and it won the Cannes Film Feastival Golden Palm (Palme D'or) and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Very good!