Gervaise
From the very early, scene in the public washhouse where Gervaise and Virginie get in the water-splashing, paddle wielding, butt spanking, hair pulling fight I was reminded of Les Misérables. "What is this fighting all about? Will someone tear these two apart. This is a factory, not a circus. Now, come on ladies, settle down". The story is set near the same time--1820 and 1860--in the same area, Paris. And the story of Gervaise is much like that of Fontane --a tragic downfall due to societal conditions of the French working class of the 1800s, bad luck, bad choices, the general level of respect and poor treatment of women, and a nemesis in sheep's clothing playing the long game for revenge.
Based on the book L'Assommoir, by Émile Zola, this film is excellent story telling, finely crafted by French director, René Clément. The shots and sets in the film are all very good, but the story relies on great acting. Maria Schell, as the title character, give a stoic but nuanced performance (from which she won a as a woman whose life is a roller coaster, with mostly downs, but is fighting to keep her life together. The rest of the cast was also marvelous.