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Gervaise

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One of France’s most respected directors of the postwar era, René Clément directed such searing psychological dramas as Forbidden Games and Purple Noon. And Gervaise, his vivid 1956 adaptation of Émile Zola’s 1877 masterpiece L’assommoir, is no exception. An uncompromising depiction of a lowly laundress’s struggles to deal with an alcoholic husband while running her own business, Gervaise was nominated for an Oscar, and the indomitable Maria Schell earned best actress honors at the Venice Film Festival.

Going Out of Print by the End of March. And yes, it sucks this is the first post on the thread.

When was this released??? Just kiddin'.

Is this film any good?

Beaver. Looks excellent.

Should I be embarrassed that I only know of Maria Schell from her handful of scenes in "Superman: The Movie"? The way Donner and Mankiewicz gushed about her (and the other British thespians) in the "Superman" DVD commentary track I knew she must have an impressive body of work. Anything more accessible or mainstream (i.e. not an EAH obscurity) Schell did that I might be more familiar with?

Have you seen Visconti's La Notti Bianche, Anthony Mann's Cimarron or The Heart of the Matter with Trevor Howard?

^^^ Three strikes (and I'm OUT)! #-o Man, I guess "Gervaise" is it if I want a proper introduction to Schell as an actress.

I saw Cimarron recently and can heartily recommend-- it's a great Mann-helmed epic and much better than the lukewarm reaction then and now would suggest

Plus she was also in the Yul Brynner film of The Brothers Karamazov.

This cuts against your wish for accessible and mainstream but she was also in Jess Franco's 99 Women with Herbert Lom and Mercedes McCambridge, and she is also in an utterly bizarre film fusing Midnight Cowboy and Cabaret-influences and directed by David Hemmings, Just A Gigolo, notably featuring David Bowie's first film role post Man Who Fell To Earth, Kim Novak and Marlene Dietrich's last performance.

DVD Beaver on Gervaise

colinr0380 wrote:DVD Beaver on Gervaise

already posted

[reconsidered]

I wrote this up because no PURPLE NOON screener meant I had nothing else to do, Clement-wise.