GERMINAL Movie Review

Emile Zola's 1884 novel about the appalling working conditions of French coal miners was the basis for what was widely touted as the most expensive film in the history of the French film industry. Claude Berri (who's made such genuinely engaging movies as Jean de Florette) produced and directed this sprawling, nearly three-hour-long production that tells the story of the members of the Maheu family, who, each in his or her own way, are both in thrall to and repelled by the mines that control every aspect of their lives. Into this inferno comes an outsider, who stirs up the dormant resentment of the indigenous families and introduces the idea of an organized work force. It's hard to know exactly where Germinal goes wrong, but go wrong it does, and quickly; despite the widescreen, graphic scenes of horror, passion, and outrage, Berri achieves the nearly impossible—he makes this shameful, true chapter in the history of modern human cruelty not merely unaffecting, but irritatingly unaffecting. This is by-the-numbers epic filmmaking, in which the structure alone is supposed to be enough to engage us and the enraged townspeople shouting and shaking their fists in well-choreographed, eye-popping groupings are supposed to make us grasp their plight—yet it all comes off as dry, schematic, and bloated. Despite the energetic and valiant presence of Gérard Depardieu, Jean Carmet, Judith Henry, pop star Renaud, and the always captivating, ever-reliable Miou-Miou, Germinal just sits there. It's France's answer to John Wayne's The Alamo; lots of money, lots of detail, lots of talent—everything but inspiration.

NEXT STOP … Kameradschaft, Jean de Florette, Manon of the Spring

1993 (R) 158m/C FR Gerard Depardieu, Miou-Miou, Bernard Fresson, Jean Carmet, Laurent Terzieff, Anny Duperey, Renaud, Jacques Dacqmine, Judith Henry; D: Claude Berri; W: Claude Berri, Arlette Langmann; C: Yves Angelo; M: Jean-Louis Roques. Cesar Awards ‘94: Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design. VHS, LV COL