There is an unmistakable charm to Ermanno olmi’s The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978) that was not lost on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the coveted Palme D’or. I have seen few films that so thoroughly qualify to be described as a “slice of life.” In this case it is the life of a small group of peasant farming families at the turn of the 20th century who inhabit a shared living community in the Italian countryside that is three miles from the nearest village. Those miles are important because they are the distance that the young son of one of the families must walk every day to school. At the outset of the film his parents question sending him on such a walk each day, but urged by a priest to nurture his young intelligence, they finally agree. Though neither of the parents has been educated, they seem to sense that the changing world will not be kind to hired farmhands forever. And it would be a sin to not follow the instructions of the priest.
Religion plays an important role in this movie, but I disagree with the 1001 text calling it a religious film. Faith and practice are such a part of these families lives that it would be wrong to exclude them from this film, but I don’t believe that Olmi is driving at a point of religious significance. Religion enhances the lives of his characters – in some cases directly as with a cow that is saved by a miracle – but it is not their beliefs that make them who they are. They are daughters and sons and husbands and wives and grandfathers, and it’s clear that their relationships are what drive and sustain them.
This is not a film of stories but a film of moments, as olmi attempts to show us the daily and seasonal tasks of the farming community. Geese are beheaded, pigs are gutted, cows are pushed through the mud, and all of this happens in clear view of children who see it as the way that life simply is. Within the course of the three hour film, a baby is born, young love blooms, crops are planted, and the harvest is taken in. The movie is slowly paced but never slow. These people are a joy to spend this time with despite their many hardships. A mother of six takes in the wash of the other families to put food on her table, and a grandfather teaches his granddaughter the importance of using chicken coop droppings as a fertilizer which produces early tomatoes. Each happening, sad or enchanting, is a part of life, and each day will end as the families gather around a fire to listen to ghost stories. Mothers rock babies in their arms while darning socks as they listen to save as much of the day as possible. This is not an easy life that we see, but it is beautiful. The cinematography is understated, using as much natural light as possible, but Olmi certainly knows where he’s taking us, using Bach when he needs to message the point into the audience. Tragedies occur on both large and small scales in this film as in life. When the young gifted boy breaks a shoe on the long walk home there is no money for another and no vendor to sell them. His father is forced to cut down one of the trees of the landlord under cover of darkness to whittle a new clog. Though they problem appears fixed there are consequences to be feared.
On a surface level this film might draw comparison to Bertolucci’s 1900 (1976). But that film was about class conflict and seemed to be making a political statement. Here, audiences can take whatever they want from Olmi’s picture. It is not about anything larger than itself. It simply is as life is. Perhap the reality comes from the fact that only nonactors were used. Here friendship, work, religion, laughter, and love are all featured, but none is given precedence. They all equally make up the adventure that is the human story.
Grade: 3 Hats Off
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