BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Lawbolisted Powerful

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Emil Bakkum Germinal is a film about the workers of a mining company in the North of France, during the seventies of the nineteenth century. it was the time of the First Socialist International, and the rise of the workers movement. The story is based on the book by Emile Zola, with the same title. Although Zola was not a socialist, he sketches a debunking image of the misery and poverty of the common people. I bought the DVD on a visit in Brussels, the bilingual capital of Belgium. Surprisingly the Frenchspeaking minority hardly masters the Dutch language, and this is reflected in the DVD, that lacks any subtitles (not even English ones). Being a Dutchman, my French is rather poor, so it would be unjustified for me to comment on the dialogs. However, the pictures and now and then an understandable passage are clear enough to convey the developments. The mining company operates still in the old tradition, with a true capitalist entrepreneur and owner. The mine is dangerous, and the economic crisis forces the wages to ever lower levels. The miners of both sexes are primitive folks, and we know from contemporary reports that the harsh conditions greatly contributed to their dissoluteness (which of course is less their fault than that of the then employers and system). Naturally they become rebellious, and start a strike fund. A roaming socialist agitator arrives, and becomes engaged in the mining company. When the wages are once again lowered, the miners go on strike. Their financial resistance is low (unions were scarce, and strikes were usually started impulsively), and soon hunger and distress break the workers solidarity. Some of them resume their work, which escalates the situation. The rage of the miners and the revolutionary agitation mix into an explosive atmosphere. The strikers assault the mine, make havoc, and lynch the local storekeeper (who is even castrated by the mob). Now the army is called in to occupy the mine, and protects the non-strikers. When the strikers start to throw stones at the soldiers, they fire into the crowd killing tens of people. For the moment the order is restored, and work is resumed. The ordeal continues, when a bore penetrates the galleries and causes explosions in the installations. Again lots of people are killed. The film follows one particular mining family, who is approximately decimated during the unfolding course of things. Finally the grandfather strangles a daughter of the mine-owner, who visits their house in order to bring relief. Indeed the contrast between the miners' misery and the capitalists' abundance could hardly be more profound. In spite of the at times shocking violence used by the miners, one has to sympathize with them. It was the period of forced capital accumulation, in which the wealthy people were obsessed by economic growth due to capital investments and in the process destroyed the level of consumption and well-being of the people. This film is a good reminder, even without understandable dialogs.

Zee Folk Genius - Hollywood can never touch this. We should be thankful that there is a country that produces real films - and of this scope. I cringe to think how badly this would have been mutilated by Americans - we'd have a happy ending, they'd "go easy" on the commie stuff, there would be no premarital relations, the shopkeeper would be spared, some bland and muscly "action hero" type would catch the saboteur character and they'd fight with wrenches - sparks flying in the mineshaft. They would take out all social commentary, rename it etc etc... And then - the sequel "Germinal 2 - the Heroes of the Pit!" in a modern day setting with oil wells and helicopters. Anyway, in all sincerity, I hope the accountants of Hollywood never try to butcher this story.

jonr-3 A straightforward, generally fast-moving, recounting of a gripping social struggle, portrayed without any special effects for special effects' sake (though I think there was plenty of unobtrusive special effects), with the emphasis always on the dramatic line; good acting by all concerned; generally plain, clear photography that served the story-telling and not some "artsy" vision--all these added up, for me, to an enthuasiastic vote of "ten." Cannot praise this film enough. No, it's not some summit of art, but it's a textbook example of how to tell a story, keep the audience's attention, and honor the dramatic basis of the project instead of indulging in "artistic" whims and triviliaties that will appear dated in five or six years.I'll be watching this one again. (By the way, I found the distant shot of the striking workers marching across the plain especially moving. And I had the feeling throughout the film that this was how things really looked at that terrible period of French, and European, history.)

Nicholas Rhodes This film is based on a book by French Novelist Emile Zola and is one of a series called the Rougon-Macquart which also includes "Gervaise", "Nana" and "Au Bonheur des Dames". Now Zola was a well known leftist (commy) so you know that the film as the book is very simplistic painting a picture on one side of the "poor old workers" and on the other of the "wicked capitalist bosses" living in luxury. We all know that in reality it was not exactly that but this is the sort of thing leftist people like to hear as it gives them a reason to exist. Also the various groups of miners fight amongs themselves, some want to work others want to strike, those who want to strike try to selfishly prevent the others from going to work. In addition to that, an Anarchist subversive actually sabotages the mine, killing many of the miners in the process and then slinks away in the night. He believes in total bloodshed so the world may start again anew and couldn't care two hoots about the fate of the miners.We also see a baker attacked by the crowd hungry for bread and his private parts cut off ( totally unneccessary scene put in on purpose to shock audiences no doubt) So much for the rubbishy politics of the film !That said, cinematographically the film is not bad - it is too long and many of the scenes are dismal - situated in a cold damp mining area in Northern France. But the quality of the acting is very Good. Depardieu and notably Miou-Miou pull off remarkable performances, and the later scenes in the flooded mine come across well when you listen to them on Home Cinema. I don't think this is the sort of film one would want to see over and over again as it is "miserable" like another one I saw called "Angela's Ashes" but it is good to have seen it once. The film ends with the mine starting up again and the miners going back to work but Depardieu is dead and Renaud leaves the area to look for work elsewhere. But the ending is not optismistic and you don't feel, after 150 minutes of film that you have got anywhere since the beginning.In short, a dreary and politically orientated plot, but worth seeing for the actors' performances.