Gervaise

France/Italy (1956): Drama

Emile Zola's obscure novel entitled L'Assommoir has been made into several films. This is one of the best. In this two hour movie an entire mini-series worth of problems have been compressed about Gervaise Macquart (Maria Schell), a young woman to whom life has dealt hard blows. Set in 19th-century France, this woman deals with an alcoholic husband while doing everything within her power to keep the family together. An incredibly depressing movie in which the protagonist keeps on trying no matter what besets her, the performances are creditable, and the direction by René Clément is superb. Self-involved characters give viewers no one to cheer for, but this movie received multiple awards, ranging from Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival to an Oscar^® nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. (CICC/Continental Distributing) (Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide)

· Foreign Language Film Award 1956: Annie Dorfmann, producer.

1 nomination