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(France) Directed by Claude Berri (Jean de Florette, Manon of the Spring) and based on an Emile Zola novel
Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Renaud, Miou-Miou, Jean Carmet
Plot: In mid-18th century France the inhabitants of a small town in the north of France make their living mining coal. The sympathetic novel by Zola, here brought to a gritty reality by Berri, accurately depicts their extreme poverty despite unimaginably hard labor. Both a tale of the coal-miners exploitation in general, and the story of a particular family, whose patriarch is Maheu (Depardieu), this film compares and contrasts the plight of the workers and the wealth and decadence of the mine owners.
Maheu and his wife (played by Miou-Miou) have seven children and live in a miserable rented house. Everything about their lives -- their clothes, the house itself, and even their skin -- seems coated with grime. This is a bleak portrait of lower-class life, with the children sent to the mines as soon as they're old enough to work and the members of the family taking turns washing off the black dust in the evenings in a large tub in the living room. Into this world comes a traveler, played by Renaud (a French singer), who stirs up the workers to a strike. But nothing in this world can ever really go to the worker's advantage. The strike only adds misery and, once back at work, an accident in the mines causes further tragedy. Strong performances by Depardieu, Miou-Miou and Renaud.
Awards: Won Césars (French Academy Awards) for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design. Was nominated for another 10 Césars including Best Film and Best Director.
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