SYNOPSIS: One of France’s most respected directors of the postwar era, René Clément created such intense psychological dramas as Forbidden Games and Purple Noon. The equally gripping Gervaise, his vivid adaptation of Émile Zola’s 1877 masterpiece L’assommoir, is an uncompromising depiction of a laundress’s struggles with an alcoholic husband while running her own business. Gervaise was nominated for an Oscar and earned Maria Schell best actress honors at the Venice Film Festival.
| Gervaise Macquart | Maria Schell |
| Henri Coupeau | François Périer |
| Virginie | Suzy Delair |
| Mme. Lorilleaux | Jany Holt |
| Mme. Boche | Mathilde Casadesus |
| Maman Coupeau | Florelle |
| Gouget | Jacques Harden |
| Lantier | Armand Mestral |
| Director | René Clément |
| Producer | Annie Dorfmann |
| Based on The Dram Shop by | Émile Zola |
| Adaptation and dialogue by | Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost |
| Cinematography | Robert Juillard |
| Sets | Paul Bertrand |
| Editing | Henri Rust |
| Sound | Antoine Archimbaud |
| Wardrobe | Mayo |
By September 18, 2009
Director René Clément had conveyed the darker aspects of human nature in 1952’s heartbreaking Forbidden Games, which became an international, award-winning hit despite the rawness and melancholy of Read more »
Forbidden GamesRené Clément
La stradaFederico Fellini
