''Mother Earth'' (Italian: ''Terra madre'') is a 1931 Italian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring

Leda Gloria Leda may refer to: Mythology * Leda (mythology), queen of Sparta and mother of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology Places * Leda, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia * Leda makeshift settlement, Bangladesh, a refugee camp ...

, Sandro Salvini and

Isa Pola Isa Pola (19 December 1909 – 17 December 1984) was an Italian stage and film actress. Born Maria Luisa Betti di Montesano, she appeared in more than 30 films during her career. An early screen role was the female lead in ''Steel'' (1933), a ...

. It was made at the Cines Studios in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Along with Blasetti's other early films, it shows a strong influence of

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

-style

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

.Reich & Garofalo p.224 A country landowner decides to sell up and move to the city, but later has a change of heart. It was part of Fascist Italy's promotion of

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

over

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

values.

Cast

as Emilia * Sandro Salvini as Il duca Marco *

as Daisy *

Olga Capri Olga Capri (18 May 1883 – 18 December 1961) was a stage and film actress from Italy. She appeared in more than 40 films during her career, generally in supporting roles. She appeared in several of Alessandro Blasetti's early sound films, such a ...

as La governante della tenuta *

Vasco Creti Vasco Creti (7 December 1874 – 16 October 1945) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1915 and 1944. He was married to actress Valeria Creti. Selected filmography * '' Maschiaccio'' (1917) * '' Il siluram ...

Nunzio, Il massaro, padre di Emilia *

Carlo Ninchi Carlo Ninchi (31 May 1896 – 27 April 1974) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1963. He was born in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, and died on 27 April 1974 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Selected filmogra ...

as Il commandatore Bordani *

Franco Coop Franco Coop (27 September 1891 – 27 March 1962), was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1931 and 1960. He was born in Naples, Italy and died in Rome, Italy. Selected filmography * '' Before the Jury'' (1931) * '' Moth ...

as Silvano, un contadino * Raimondo Van Riel as Un contadino nella taverna * Giorgio Bianchi as Il cortegiatore di Daisy * Ugo Gracci as L'aiutante del massaro *

Umberto Sacripante Umberto Sacripante (2 October 1904 – 14 January 1975) was an Italian film and stage actor. Life and career Born Umberto Sacripanti in Rome, Sacripante debuted on stage in 1921, and in 1926 he became first actor in the theatrical company Teat ...

as Il contadino idiota

References

Bibliography

* Reich, Jacqueline & Garofalo, Piero. ''Re-viewing Fascism: Italian Cinema, 1922-1943''. Indiana University Press, 2002.

External links

* 1931 films Italian drama films 1931 drama films 1930s Italian-language films Films directed by Alessandro Blasetti Cines Studios films Italian black-and-white films 1930s Italian films {{1930s-Italy-film-stub