Gervaise

Just the unforgettable laundress fight scene early on is enough to recommend this masterpiece, but it's magnificent from start to finish. Conveying a rich, complex plot with crystal clarity, Gervaise is the story of a working-class woman struggling for her independence in a man's world, but its social insights only garnish the powerful, bittersweet human drama at its center. The characters are beautifully drawn and perfectly performed by the cast. Schell is utterly spellbinding in the lead!

An extremely downbeat story, with one miserable episode after another, but always with a glimmer of hope for Gervaise. She's a Cabiria-like character, independent yet achingly vulnerable, and played expertly by Maria Schell (the rest of the cast is quite fine as well). It's also the best-looking Clement film I've seen yet, with the dingy Paris streets coming to life with naturalistic lighting and a roving camera. A powerful and engaging film.