Rent Gervaise (1956)
3.8 of 5 from 63 ratings
1h 52min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- "Gervaise" is a 1956 French film directed by Rene Clement and based on the novel L'Assommoir by Emile Zola.
Gervaise Macquart, (Maria Schell) a young crippled laundress, is left alone with two young children when her lover, Auguste Lantier decides to leave. Despite many struggles she works hard to turn her life around and marries Henri Coupeau, a roofer and fulfils her dream of buying her own laundry, however things takes a turn for the worse as her old lover returns and her husband starts drinking heavily. - Actors:
- Maria Schell, François Périer, Jany Holt, Mathilde Casadesus, Florelle, Micheline Luccioni, Lucien Hubert, Jacques Harden, Jacques Hilling, Amédée, Hubert de Lapparent, Hélène Tossy, Rachel Devirys, Jacqueline Morane, Yvonne Claudie
- Directors:
- René Clément
- Producers:
- Agnès Delahaie
- Writers:
- Émile Zola, Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost
- Aka:
- Жервеза
- Studio:
- StudioCanal
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- A Brief History of French Poetic Realism, A Brief History of the Tradition of Quality, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2025, Lions on the Lido, A Brief History of Film...
- Countries:
- France
- Awards:
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Reviews (1) of Gervaise
Laundry, Love, and Loss - Gervaise review by griggs
It’s rare to see hardship shown with this much heart. Gervaise takes Zola’s grim realism and turns it into something deeply human — the story of a woman trying to hold her life together while the world keeps knocking her down. René Clément keeps things simple but precise, finding meaning in the small stuff: the clatter of laundry tubs, the glare of cheap wine, the sounds of ordinary struggle.
Maria Schell is magnetic. Her Gervaise is all warmth and willpower, even as both start to slip away. Every look and gesture tells its own story of hope stretched thin. Around her, François Périer and Suzy Delair hover like fate in street clothes, nudging her toward disaster.
Gervaise may come from Zola, but it feels utterly alive. Clément turns working-class despair into something tender and real — a film that breaks your heart without ever asking for pity.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.