Germinal

Based on Emile Zola's novel of the same name, this film succeeds only in sifting out anything of value from the book, leaving it all on the cutting room floor. At the urging of their fellow worker, Sorel, a group of coal miners go on strike. Their effort fails, but they manage to plant the seeds of revolution in the minds of the townspeople. Allegret, like many directors of the "Quality of Tradition," provides nothing more than the numbing illusion of intellect, feebly attempting to transfer the literary aspects of the novel to the screen. The attempt fails; read the book instead.