MovieChat Forums > L'albero degli zoccoli (1979) Discussion > Good, but way too long

Good, but way too long

posted 15 years ago by A_Fistful_of_Pennies
8 replies | jump to latest

I don't usually criticize movies for being "too long". Many of my favorite movies are 3 hours or more, and I've seen some great 5 hour movies (Napoleon, Novecento). However, length becomes a problem when the movie's subject matter does not warrant 3 hours of film. Some movies take 3 hours just to tell the story, and the length is necessary. This movie feels stretched out. We could have easily gotten the point with 2 hours, especially considering there is no real plot. Many of the scenes could have been cut, and the full message would have still been present. I enjoyed this movie, but it definitely could have used some editing. It tries to be epic, but it's simply not.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Evil_Bob 15 years ago

I'm watching it now and am getting that feeling

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[–] richard-III 14 years ago

Absolutely not!
It has nothing in common with epics like Napoleon (which I found too long), but L'Albero Degli Zoccoli is epic in its small details. I love how time stands almost still, but with little glimpses of the near future (a socialist speech where one of our farmers finds a gold coin in the mud, funny scene). And the sadness at the end for Basiti and his family - the other farmers empathize but can't do anything really, after almost three hours getting to know Basiti (loving and caring father), his wife and their young children, it broke my heart.
If it were cinematic prose, like a regular documentary, sure, it could be 90 minutes long. But just like Tarkovski's work, or like the Spanish Espiritu De La Colmena, this is more like film poetry, where time can stand still.

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[–] mdek2112 14 years ago

Don't look at this film as an epic just because it has a long runtime. It is much closer to being a "slice of life" film, or, as the poster above said, a poem dedicated to the lives of peasant farmers in Northern Italy. No, the feeling is not one of grandeur but rather a serene closeness. The lack of technical polish and a straightforward plot should make one feel as though they are experiencing the world alongside the characters onscreen, not above or below them.

[–] Xcalat3 13 years ago

Don't look at this film as an epic just because it has a long runtime. It is much closer to being a "slice of life" film, or, as the poster above said, a poem dedicated to the lives of peasant farmers in Northern Italy.

I agree with this, I think its long running time its away of "making the viewer part of the family". its a very interesting experience.
9/10

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[–] Remnant_Of_The_Abyss 14 years ago

I believe comparing this movie to Tarkovski's work is warranted and spot on. However, being the philistine that I am, I find this film just *slightly* more interesting than any of the three Tarkovski films I've watched, which I all hated.

All in all, I agree with anyone who calls this movie "way too long". If I want a "slice of life" or a "mood", I'll sit on my porch and watch the grass grow.

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[–] mdek2112 14 years ago

Yeah. I remember when I walked out my front door and found myself in turn-of-the-century Lombardy too. How could I put myself through that again by watching this film?

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[–] PsychoDingo 13 years ago

OK, what, specifically, would you have cut to trim an hour off of the runtime?

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