Emile Zola’s powerful novel of family greed, brutality and deceit is brilliantly brought to the screen by director André Antoine. Patriarch Pére Fouan divides his land between his two useless and scheming sons. But his generosity is rewarded with treachery. When neighbor Françoise (played by famed actress Germaine Rouer) discovers the sons’ plot against their father, she falls victim to their vicious revenge. The final scene of the family’s tragic fate is one of cinema’s most haunting achievements.

When theatrical genius Antoine started his film career as "a sixty-year-old beginner," he dared to break all the rules of cinema. Shooting on location, he created a neorealist approach to his literary subjects. Antoine’s masterful visual compositions are expressive of the relationship between the farmer and the land and the battle of good against evil. The gripping power of La Terre’s cinematography comes to full force in the crystal-clear images of this stunning restoration by Photoplay Productions, under the auspices of Kevin Brownlow, Patrick Stanbury and the late David Gill. DVD Bonus Features: Stills Gallery, Germaine Rouer interview with film historian Kevin Brownlow (downloadable).