The film, directed by Ermanno Olmi, doesn't have a plot as much as it does an overall mood and theme. And, in fact, the film's first hour primarily sets up the farming locale, the rythmns of farm life and the various families who all live in the same small farming community where they work as shareholders.

The plot - such as it is - is about one family living in the collective, at the turn of the last century, who want their young son to be the first in their family to go to school. In order to attend school the boy must wear shoes but one day his shoes - which are made of wood - break. His father cannot afford new shoes so he cuts down a tree in the area to make a new shoe. The problem is the tree belongs to a wealthy land owner who happens to own the land the man and his family live on.

The film has a few other minor story lines including one of a young couple who court and eventually marry. Other characters in the film are simple hard working characters who have little education, are often superstitious and do dumb things but who ultimately are good people who work hard. Yet Olmi doesn't attempt to make them into Steinbeck characters. (Although there is humor; one guy is dumb enough to hide a gold coin he finds under the dirt of a horses' hoof.) Yet ultimately these people are not a friendly bunch who look out for each other. When a fellow farmer is in trouble they turn away for fear they could be the target of trouble themselves.

The film has an emotional distance to it. Olmi, who wrote, directed, shot and edited the film, has an observant eye and seems to keep away from developing any real central plot. Because of this the film at times feels like an ethnographic film or a documentary about Italian farmers. But at times the films tempo is as beautiful as the work of Tarkovsky or Angelopolous. Particularly a couple farming scenes and a scene where a newly married couple sail on a barge going down a river in Milan.

Each of the main characters are devout Catholics and because of this religion plays a big part in the film. In fact, many of the daily actions and work on the farm are in and of themselves religious acts. The most notable one is when the father makes the wooden clog for his son. The scene is presented as an absolute act of faith. It is all the more significant when you realize that a crime of sorts has been committed by the father to get the wood. It's an act of love that unfortunately cannot go unpunished.

Video:
The film looks okay. It is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The film is grainy and reveals its age quite often.

Audio:
Audio is presented in Dolby digital and sounds good. There is some classical music on the soundtrack but most of the film has natural sounds or a subtle soundtrack. The dialogue is dubbed, which is a bit of an annoyance but it sounds fine.

Extras:
There is only a theatrical trailer and a photo gallery. Not much.

Overall:
The Tree of Wooden Clogs is a very good Italian film that wins the audience slowly but surely. At 177 minutes it asks the audience for time. The slow plot asks the audience for patience. But if you get involved in the story it is an effective and rewarding film of simple - but heartfelt - poetry.