Product Description

Studio: Koch International Release Date: 07/13/2004 Run time: 177 minutes Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23581 in DVD
• Brand: Koch International
• Released on: 2004-07-13
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: Italian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 186 minutes

Customer Reviews

... and it is still my most favorite
I saw this movie 1979 when I was fourteen back in the small mountain village where I grew up near the Swiss-Italian border. I have seen many movies since, came to live and love a new country and people, yet L'Albero degli Zoccoli remains my favorite. In a world of x-boxes, consumer spending indices and ADD, it is sobering to sit down once in a while and learn about other cultures; you may as well transplant this story in any corner of the world as it holds true across cultures and continents.
Thomas Schaer, Veterinarian & Organic Farmer

Reminded me of the stories my father told
I bought this video after the death of my father who was born into a very poor family in northeastern Italy. Watching it was a poignant experience. The hardships of peasant life at the turn of the century are realistically portrayed. Also portrayed are the strong bonds of faith and love that unite a family whatever hardships life may bring. One of the story strands follows a pair of young sweethearts who have become parents in an unusual way by the end of the film. It is enchanting. All in all a moving true to life film that brought tears and smiles as it evoked the memory of the stories Papa told us. American audiences may be impatient with length and slow pace of this film, but it is well worth the time spent.

History in the making
Yes it is slow, but so was our heritage, not as Italians, but as human beings. It needs to be slow to develop the story of why sharecroppers left families for America, the faith that they were raised with, how interwoven it was in their lives, and how a child is and has been everything to a parent. Not for the testorone driven Arnold mindless, but was one of the best movie going experiences I have ever seen. I love looking at a movie, walking out hours later, and feel as if I really learned something about the people, a place, and the time that they lived in. This movie was breath taking. Yes it is slow, you have to earn it, but breath taking nevertheless.