Germinal (1993)

Director:

Claude Berri

Writers:

Claude Berri (writer)
Arlette Langmann (writer)
(more)

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:

Coal Miner | Strike | Mine Owner | Mine | 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
Thierry Levaret	...	Zacharie Maheu
Fred Personne	...	Pluchart
Cécile Bois	...	Cécile Grégoire
Yolande Moreau	...	La Levaque
Maximilien Regiani	...	Pierron
Bruno Tuchszer	...	Captain of the Guards
Anne-Marie Pisani	...	La Mouquette
Fred Ulysse	...	Dansaert
André Julien	...	Mouque
Albano Guaetta	...	Jeanlin Maheu
Georges Staquet	...	Levaque
Yvette Petit	...	Veuve Désir
Delphine Quentin	...	Lucie Deneulin
Alexandrine Loeb	...	Jeanne Deneulin
Solenn Jarniou	...	Madame Rasseneur
Frédérique Ruchaud	...	Honorine
Jenny Clève	...	Rose
Fernand Kindt	...	Company Secretary
André Chaumeau	...	Company Cashier
Philippe Desboeuf	...	Doctor
Séverine Huon	...	Alzire Maheu
Jessica Sueur	...	Lénore Maheu
Mathieu Mattez	...	Henri Maheu
Alexandre Lekieffre	...	Maxime
Sabrina Deladerière	...	Philomène
Joël Petit	...	Bébert
Nathalie Hequet	...	Amélie

Directed by
Claude Berri

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Claude Berri		writer
Arlette Langmann		writer
Émile Zola		novel

Produced by
Claude Berri	....	producer
Pierre Grunstein	....	executive producer
Bodo Scriba	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jean-Louis Roques

Cinematography by
Yves Angelo

Film Editing by
Hervé de Luze

Production Design by
Christian Marti
Hoang Thanh At

Art Direction by
Olivier Radot

Costume Design by
Moidele Bickel		(as Bernadette Villard)
Caroline de Vivaise
Sylvie Gautrelet

Makeup Department
Joël Lavau	....	makeup artist
Nathalie Louichon	....	makeup artist
Isabelle Luzet	....	hair stylist
Pierre Vadé	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Francis Barrois	....	assistant unit manager
Patrick Bordier	....	production manager
Marc Vadé	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frédéric Auburtin	....	first assistant director
Eric Bartonio	....	assistant director

Art Department
Yann Biquand	....	second assistant decorator
Frédéric Bénard	....	assistant art director
Jean-René Coulon	....	property master
Denis Gautelier	....	carpenter
Frédéric Jourdan	....	carpenter
Mathieu Junot	....	props buyer
Patrick Schmitt	....	prop buyer

Sound Department
Nicolas Becker	....	foley artist
Bernard Chaumeil	....	boom operator
Mathilde Cousin	....	assistant sound editor
Pierre Gamet	....	sound
Dominique Hennequin	....	sound
Michel Klochendler	....	sound
Jean-Noël Yven	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Jean-Pierre Maricourt	....	special effects (as Jean-Pierre Moricourt)
Christophe Messaoudi	....	special effects
Philippe Sylvain	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Angus Bickerton	....	model unit focus puller
David Carrigan	....	first assistant director: vfx unit
Alan Church	....	clapper loader: Magic Camera Co
Alan Church	....	focus puller: Magic Camera Co
José Granell	....	director of miniature effects
Antony Hunt	....	executive producer: The Magic Camera Company
Frederic Moreau	....	optical effects supervisor
Antoine Simkine	....	visual effects executive producer: Duboi
Andy Stevens	....	model unit camera assistant: Magic Camera Co

Stunts
Frédéric Vallet	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Stéphane Cry	....	electrician
Patrick de Ranter	....	Steadicam operator
Laurent Fleutot	....	assistant camera
Gil Fontbonne	....	grip
Jean-Yves Freess	....	best boy grip
Marc Koninckx	....	Steadicam operator
Marc Koninckx	....	second camera operator
Patrick Renault	....	electrician
Nicolas Sommermeyer	....	grip
Alain Tanguy	....	electrician
Richard Vidal	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nathalie Chesnais	....	wardrobe
Christophe Giraud	....	costume painter/dyer

Editorial Department
Laure Mercier	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Élizabeth Boorn	....	production secretary
Sylvie Coen	....	legal counsel
Jean-René Coulon	....	location manager
Nicolas Davy	....	production assistant
Nicole Dehayes	....	choreographer
Claude Fenioux	....	financial controller

Production Companies

• Renn Productions
• France 2 Cinéma
• DD Productions
• Alternative Films (co-production)
• Nuova Artisti Associati (co-production)
• Canal+ (in collaboration with)
• Sofiarp (support)
• Investimage 2 (support)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (support)
• Groupe Pinault (support)
• Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale (support)
• Ministère de la Culture et de la Francophonie (support)
• Eurimages (support)
• Nord Pas de Calais Region (support)

Distributors

• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD)
• AMLF (1993) (France) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (USA) (subtitled)
• Transmundo Films (Argentina)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (Argentina) (video)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

160 min | South Korea:144 min

Country:

France | Belgium | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Germany:16 (w) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Iceland:16 | Spain:13 | UK:15 (cut) | South Korea:15 (cut) | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Nord, France

Company:

Renn Productions

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:Who needs God and Heaven? We can change this lousy world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in It All Starts Today (1999)

A French epic masterpiece and "must see" for movie buffs.

"Germinal", based on a novel by Emile Zola, is an epic film which studies the anatomy of a strike in a 19th century French coal mine. During it's 2.5+ hour run time, the film shows the wretchedness of coal miners, their deplorable living conditions, their attempts to organize, negotiations, strike, rioting, police suppression, sabotage, etc. The story is woven around a handful of characters who represent the forces at work; management, union, profiteers, scabs, etc.

About Zola's novel, Havelock Ellis wrote: "It was neither amusing enough nor outrageous enough to attract the multitude". So it is with the film which emphasizes realism over romanticism and exists more as a study of a timeless social/political issue than pure commercial entertainment. A must see for cinema buffs but not likely have broad commercial appeal.