Germinal (1993)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Claude Berri

Writers:

Claude Berri (writer)
Arlette Langmann (writer)

Release Date:

March 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

It's mid 19th century in northern France. The story is about a coal miner's town. The workers are exploited by the mine's owner. One day, they decide to go on strike, and the authorities repress them.

Plot Keywords:

Strike | Mine Owner | France | Coal Miner | Coal

Awards:

2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Miou-Miou	...	Maheude
Renaud	...	Étienne Lantier
Jean Carmet	...	Vincent Maheu dit Bonnemort
Judith Henry	...	Catherine Maheu
Jean-Roger Milo	...	Chaval
Gérard Depardieu	...	Toussaint Maheu
Laurent Terzieff	...	Souvarine
Bernard Fresson	...	Victor Deneulin
Jean-Pierre Bisson	...	Rasseneur
Jacques Dacqmine	...	Philippe Hennebeau
Anny Duperey	...	Madame Hennebeau
Gérard Croce	...	Maigrat
Frédéric van den Driessche	...	Paul Négrel
Annick Alane	...	Madame Grégoire
Pierre Lafont	...	Léon Grégoire

Runtime:

160 min | South Korea:144 min

Country:

Belgium | France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Spain:13 | UK:15 (cut) | South Korea:15 (cut) | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Germany:16 (w) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Nord, France

Company:

AMLF

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the end of the film, when Etienne and Catherine are looking for the way out of the mine, we see the shadows of the lamps on the right wall of the tunnel. It's to be supposed that the only light inside the mine came from the lamps.

Quotes:

Etienne Lantier: Capitalist tyranny is destroying us.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants (2004)

genius

Genius - Hollywood can never touch this.

We should be thankful that there is a country that produces real films - and of this scope.

I cringe to think how badly this would have been mutilated by Americans - we'd have a happy ending, they'd "go easy" on the commie stuff, there would be no premarital relations, the shopkeeper would be spared, some bland and muscly "action hero" type would catch the saboteur character and they'd fight with wrenches - sparks flying in the mineshaft. They would take out all social commentary, rename it etc etc... And then - the sequel "Germinal 2 - the Heroes of the Pit!" in a modern day setting with oil wells and helicopters.

Anyway, in all sincerity, I hope the accountants of Hollywood never try to butcher this story.