Germinal Details

Emile Zola's grimly realistic novel did much to alleviate the miseries of French miners in the 1860s, and in his pursuit of authenticity in making this screen version of the tale, director Claude Berri broke the budget record for a French film. There's no doubt that the mining village is a masterpiece of period design and Yves Angelo's photography is often breathtaking, but the scale and sheen of the production in many ways count against this dour study of exploitative capitalism and stoic (rather than heroic) labour. Gérard Depardieu turns in another towering performance, but it's Miou-Miou and Judith Henry as his wife and daughter who impress most.

Detailed and sweeping epic evocation of Zola's novel, an impassioned portrait of exploitation and a plea for a more just society that retains much of the force of the original.