The Earth (La Terre) is a silent film based on the 1887 novel of the same name by Émile Zola. It was directed by French theatre manager, André Antoine. Antoine was notable for bringing a certain form of naturalism to the theater and films such as The Earth. Louis Feuillade observed that these dramas "eschew any fantasy and represent men and things as they are, not as they should be." Although the principal players were accomplished actors from the Comédie-Française, Antoine further heightened the film's naturalism by casting many nonprofessionals from the region in the film. Source: Wikipedia (en)