Visconti's second film is a monumental work combining elements of neorealism with a lyricism that Andr?Bazin termed "operatic." Shot in the Sicilian village of Acitrezza, it is the story of fishermen trying to free themselves from the poverty forced on them by exploitative wholesalers. The Valastro family, led by the impassioned young N'toni, attempt to overcome this oppression. In a climactic scene, N'toni leads the workers in seizing the wholesalers' scales and hurling them into the sea. The importance ofLa Terra Trema as a work of art goes beyond the political aspects of the story itself: not only is the film shot on real locations, but all the roles are enacted by inhabitants of the village, who eloquently portray their lives for the camera. They speak more or less spontaneously in their own Sicilian dialect; Visconti's careful planning of the shots creates a powerful, poetic contrast.