It's mid 19th century, north of France. The story of a coal miner's town. They are exploited by the mine's owner. One day the decide to go on strike, and then the authorities repress them.
Production
Built an entire mining village. The dirt is REAL.
Acting
Depardieu's volcanic fury vs. Miou-Miou's devastating stillness.
Director
Claude Berri
Miou-Miou
'La Maheude'
Renaud
Étienne Lantier
Jean Carmet
Vincent Maheu, aka Bonnemort
Judith Henry
Catherine Maheu
Jean-Roger Milo
Antoine Chaval
Gérard Depardieu
Toussaint Maheu
Laurent Terzieff
Souvarine
Bernard Fresson
Victor Deneulin
Jean-Pierre Bisson
Rasseneur
Jacques Dacqmine
Philippe Hennebeau
Anny Duperey
Mrs. Hennebeau
Gérard Croce
Maigrat
Frédéric van den Driessche
Paul Négrel
Annick Alane
Mrs. Grégoire
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Claude Berri built a functional coal mine and 50-family village from scratch in northern France. The miners' houses were so authentic that real descendants of strike families visited and wept.
Zola's novel was banned for obscenity; this adaptation dropped the explicit sexuality but kept the scathing class politics, becoming required viewing in French schools during labor disputes.
FR
