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Summary
Paris, 1852. When her lover, Lantier, walks out on her, a lame young woman, Gervaise
Macquart, is left to make a living for herself and her two young children. Her lot
seems to improve when she falls in love with and marries Henri Coupeau. With the
money she has saved, she plans to open her own laundry shop, but then disaster strikes.
Henri falls from a roof he is repairing and is severely injured, unable to work.
Gervaise finally manages to open her shop when a friend, Goujet, lends her the money she
needs, and for a time all goes well. Then she discovers that instead of returning
the money she has earned to Goujet, Henri has been spending it on drink. As her
husband sinks deeper into alcoholism, Gervaise is shocked when her former lover Lantier
makes an unexpected return. Far from showing enmity towards his rival, Henri strikes
up a friendship with Lantier and insists that he stays in their home. To make matters
worse, the man that Gervaise really loves, Goujet, has just been sent to prison...
Review
This heart-rending adaptation of Emile Zola’s novel L'Assomoir is widely regarded
as one of director René Clément’s best films, and it is unquestionably one
of his most poignant and intense works. Clément’s almost unique neo-realist
style (similar to that employed in his previous tear-jerker Jeux
interdits) is perfectly suited to this dark poem of human suffering endured by
the working classes, setting the film quite apart from contemporary adaptations of literary
works.
With consummate skill and self-discipline, Clément manages to prevent the film from ending up as a weepy melodrama. Instead he gives us a film which directly communicates with our basic human feelings and evoke a genuine emotional response, without the need for contrived sentimentality. One device which Clément uses to achieve this effect is overplaying cheerful music (heard in a previous, happier scene) during a moment of crisis. The audience is directed to share Gervaise's brief glimmer of optimism, so that when the blow happens, we share the young woman's pain all the more acutely. Gervaise is perhaps best remembered for the quality of its sets, which provide a totally convincing reconstruction of working class areas of Second Empire Paris, and its simply remarkable acting performances. Maria Schell's portrayal of Gervaise is harrowingly believable, somehow conveying all the cruelty and injustices of an age of grinding hardship and ever-present insecurity. To some extent, Gervaise symbolises the working class woman of the mid-19th Century, a staunch heroine trying to hold her family together and creating a better life for herself, whilst still dependent on men, who show her nothing but contempt and hinder her at every turn. Yet Maria Schell's performance makes Gervaise more than just a symbol, but a credible human being with whom the audience cannot help forming a strong emotional attachment. It is no great surprise to learn that Maria Schell was awarded the Coupe Volpi at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in this film (the film itself won the grand prix de la critique at the same festival). The film also features a first rate performance from François Périer (playing Gervaise's husband), whose shockingly convincing portrayal of a man descending into alcoholism emphasises Gervaise's despair and helps to make this an unforgettable piece of cinema. © James Travers 2002 Write a review for this film... |
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