Veteran expe rimental f ilmmakers Daniel le Huillet a nd Jean-Marie Straub he lmed this unusual adaptation of a novel by Eli o Vittorini. Focused on the triumphs a nd failures of a group of labore rs and farm hands who pooled thei r resources to o perate an alternat ive c ollective farm after the end of World War II, Operai, Contadini features a cast o f 12 actors who read aloud from Vitt orini's b ook for the dur ation of the film, either re citi ng fro m memory or using a clea rly visible sc ript. Ha rdly desi gned to be a cr owd please r, Operai, Contadini proved to be co ntro versial among t he aud ienc es for i ts s howings at the 2001 C annes Film Fes tival, where it was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Gu ide Th e group ma kes up a primitive community which seeks to erase not only the distress crea ted by the war but a lso the hardships of life and hunger, and to protect them from vi olence, m isery and fear. A mid the ru ins o f this post-war period, the characters b uild and invent a ra pport both in the ir pr ofessi onal and daily lives bet ween themselves, the sexes, generations, diverse social and g eographical origins, and an tagonistic politi cal cam ps. Th e group maintains a 'regist er', a k ind of diar y, as if it were en tering the minutes of an inquiry or a trial. - Steve Grayson my fav orite Straub-Huillet film s ar e Too Ea rly, Too La te and Operai, contadini (2001), bo th color landscape films with especially acu te senses o f plac e as well as of nature in all its h arsh beau ty. - Jonathan Rosenbaum
精彩剧情/对白：“我是这么想的，这 香料呢，的确 是不能一直都有那么多的，而且我们家里也的确是要有一点稳定的进项，我想着呢，要么就这 样吧，等气稍稍冷一点了呢，我们家去码头 卖这个骨头汤吧 ，这个骨头汤，好喝便 宜，成本不高，卖出去的价钱也合适，大家都乐意喝 上那么一碗， 薄利多销，每也算是有个稳定的，收入还不错的来源不是。”
“我……是亲眼看着我妈妈跳楼的，但是我却回想不起那段时间的任何事情了 。我妈妈是怎么跳楼 的，我怎么出现在那里的，跳完了之后又发生了 什么，我统 统不记得了。我的记忆有 一整段的空白，只记得她第一次服药自杀，我把她送到 医院，我要去秦家找秦盛天讨要说法，接着便是她的葬礼了。这中间发 生了什么，我一点也想 不起来了。”
“当然没事，妈，我给你介绍一下，这三位同 志，这个又 丑又老的是闹 事大婶那个跳海自尽的男人，这两个 一大一小的小伙子，是 大婶那个饿死的儿子，如果要问我为 什么他们都活着，嗯，大概是上天为大 婶的努力感动了吧……
“我们不要，顾家老宅不管是对于曾经 的我还是孩子们来，都是并不好的回忆，买回 来，也是让孩子们痛苦。村长啊，不 瞒你，就是青青，到现在都是绕着老宅走 的，之前逼不得已她去过一次，站在那里，青青就开始浑身发抖， 因为在那里，她会 想起她从到大过的非饶日 子。”
“丑八怪，你最好清醒点，别以为你有点医术 ，医治了县令公子，就真的能飞上枝头变凤凰，你别 做梦了！也不要再想纠缠常山哥哥，你以为你这样 纠缠，常山哥哥就会要你？他和我定亲了，将来必然是要娶我 的！就算是你再痴心妄想，你也只能做个妾，伺候我！”
