La Califfa's husband was killed during the strikes so she takes the side of the strikers. Her conflict with the plant owner Doverdo gradually turns into a love relationship.
Acting
Romy Schneider's smolder could ignite actual coal mines.
Cinematography
1970s Italian industrial decay never looked this seductively bleak.
Direction
Bevilacqua makes class war feel like foreplay.
Director
Alberto Bevilacqua
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bevilacqua adapted his own novel and insisted on Schneider despite studio preference for Italian stars; she learned Italian phonetically for the role.
Shot during Italy's 'Years of Lead,' the film's labor conflicts mirrored real factory occupations, making its romantic plot feel almost dangerously escapist.
IT
