Epic version of Emile Zola's famous novel about conditions in the French coal mines in the late 19th C with Depardieu, Miou-Miou and others, this was the most expensive film made so far in France.
Gérard Depardieu steps back into French history yet again for another of his period dramas, this one based on Emile Zola's conscience-pricking novel about a 19th-century coal miners' strike.
Heart-rending performances (especially from Miou-Miou as Depardieu's desperately troubled wife) spearhead a beautiful, extravagant production in an overwhelmingly emotional film with a devastating power and a still valid message. Not many laughs though.
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