Sole! (1929) - Way more mud and grit than I expected

Is this worth your time?

If you like movies that feel like they were filmed by someone who actually got their boots dirty, then yes. It is definitely worth a look.

History buffs will probably find it fascinating because of the whole reclaiming the marshes thing. But if you hate slow, silent movies where not much happens besides digging, you’ll probably want to skip it.

I wasn't expecting much from a 1929 film about farming. Most silent films from this era, like Metropolis, feel very stylized and like they were shot on a stage.

But Sole! feels different. It feels like the director, Alessandro Blasetti, just took a camera out into the middle of nowhere and started filming people who were already there.

The first thing you notice is the mud. There is so much of it. It’s not movie mud; it looks like that thick, stinky swamp sludge that ruins your clothes forever.

The actors don't really look like actors. They have these rough faces that haven't been touched by a makeup brush. You can see the actual sweat on their foreheads, and it's not sprayed on from a bottle.

There is this one guy, maybe it was Sante Bonaldo, who just stares at the camera for a second too long. It’s a bit awkward, but it makes it feel more like a home movie or a documentary than a big production.

The sun—the title means 'Sun' after all—is like a character itself. It beats down on everything in this way that makes the black-and-white film look almost washed out and hot.

You can almost feel the humidity coming off the screen. It’s a very physical movie experience, if that makes sense.

I kept thinking about how much it must have sucked to actually be there. The movie mentions malaria, and looking at those stagnant pools of water, you totally believe it. 🦟

There’s a scene where they’re using these old-timey tractors and machines to move the earth. The way the metal shakes and the smoke puffs out... it’s weirdly hypnotic.

It’s a lot different than something like Whispering Wires which is all about plot and mystery. This is just about the grind.

Now, I have to mention the elephant in the room. This was a project to show off how great the Italian government was at the time.

It is propaganda. There’s no getting around that. But honestly? The movie is so focused on the dirt and the work that the politics kind of fade into the background after a while.

It’s more about the struggle of people against nature than it is about a political party. At least, that’s how it felt to me while I was watching it.

The pacing is a bit weird. It starts off slow, then there's a bunch of montage shots of digging, and then it just kind of... hangs out there.

Some of the shots of the landscape go on for a long time. Like, way too long. I found myself looking at the weeds in the corner of the frame instead of the main action.

But then there’s a close-up of a hand gripping a shovel that is just perfect. It tells you everything you need to know about the movie in three seconds.

It’s a bit of a shame that so much of this film was lost or damaged over the years. You can see some scratches and jumps in the footage, but in a weird way, it adds to the vibe.

It makes it feel like an artifact you dug up out of the same mud the characters are standing in. It’s very tactile.

I wonder what the people living there thought about the film crew. They probably thought they were crazy for wanting to film a swamp.

There's a scene with a woman—I think it was Anna Vinci—looking out over the land. Her expression is hard to read. Is she hopeful? Tired? Just bored? I liked that it wasn't obvious.

It’s not a 'fun' movie. You don't put this on for a popcorn night. It’s more of a 'sit and think about the earth' kind of movie.

If you’ve seen The Cavalier or other stuff from that year, you’ll notice how much more modern this looks. It’s like it’s from the future, but a dusty, dirty version of it.

I’m glad I watched it, even if I felt like I needed a shower afterward. It’s rare to see a silent film that feels this alive and unpolished. ☀️

The ending doesn't really give you a big emotional payoff. It just sort of stops, like the work day ended and everyone went home to sleep.

And maybe that’s the best way it could have ended. No big speeches, just the sun going down over a lot of moved dirt.