Gervaise (1956)

Directed by

René Clément

Genre

drama film

Country

France, Italy

Runtime

1h 52m

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 58 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A working-class woman in 19th century Paris tries to hold her family together as her husband spirals into alcoholism. The story follows her struggles with poverty and her husband's growing addiction.

bleaksadgrittymethodicalheavygroundedharrowing

What happens

Gervaise (French pronunciation: [ʒɛʁ.vɛz]) is a 1956 French historical drama film directed by René Clément based on the 1877 novel L'Assommoir by Émile Zola. It depicts a working-class woman in the mid-nineteenth century (played by Maria Schell) trying to cope with the descent of her husband (played by François Périer) into alcoholism. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 29th Academy Awards. Schell won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 1956 Venice Film Festival for her performance; Périer won the 1957 BAFTA Best Actor for his performance; and the film itself won the 1957 BAFTA Best Film award. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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