CATANIA MOVIE
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_girati_nella_provincia_di_Catania
The story takes place in Aci Trezza, a small fishing village on the east coast of Sicily , next to Catania.
It is inspired by Giovanni Verga’s novel “I Malavoglia”, it tells about the exploitation of working-class
fishermen, specifically that of the eldest son of a very traditional village family, the Valastros.
'Padron Ntoni convinces his family to mortgage their house in order to catch and sell fish themselves and
make more money than they were already receiving from the wholesalers who had controlled the market
with their low prices for a long time.
Everything goes well until a storm ruins the family's boat, leaving them with nothing to keep the new
business going. Following this disaster, the family experiences several awful events such as having to
leave the house, the death of the grandfather, and 'Ntoni and his brothers being obliged to return to fish for
the wholesalers.
T
Non professional actors are employed ! The use of fades and dissolves creates an almost solemn effect
of time passing while people are engaged in their various tasks. The everyday theme, even the love, is
shown by long takes. The sunrise and the boats coming back from fishing, the first scene at the market
where the city is still quiet and peaceful, everything is working like it should be. The length of the takes help
to convey the feeling of tranquility. It is present until the family's economic downfall. Visconti keeps the
spectator at a slight distance from the characters and events, and it is both an aesthetic and ethical choice,
a gesture of respect for the life of the people of Aci Trezza.After the film was completed, a voice-over
commentary written by Antonio Pietrangeli had to be added, since no Italian was spoken by the
participants. At the beginning of the film he states that "...Italian is not a language of the poor." Also, the
commentary takes an important narrative and thematic function. The poetic quality of the voice and the
words are a part of the classical unity of the film, being a crucial part of its structure.
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