The way the director concentrates on an entire community as well as an individual in it (Antonio) is a master-class in cinematic technique. Whole panoramas of village life are shown through the subtle thread of individuals' perceptions (the boy wandering through the quayside fish market, for example) and the flavour and mood of this merciless Sicilian village prints itself on every scene.

The sea, which determines the entire community's fate, is subtly ever-present throughout La Terra Trema through sound and rhythm. If the film feels a little ponderous at times it is because, Visconti suggests, this place has a (sometimes hostile) rhythm of its own.

The fact that La Terra Trema is rarely shown and difficult to get hold of is unbelievable; it's widely regarded as the first Neorealist film and has influenced two generations of artists. Significantly, Francesco Rosi and Franco Zeffirelli were the two assistants.

Once you see it, you won't forget it.