Give Us This Day (1949) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A struggling bricklayer confronts poverty, labor insecurity, family alienation, and unresolved moral confusion.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

A Birthday Outside Home

The troubled bricklayer returns drunk on his birthday and cannot enter the warmth of his household. His conversation with Kathleen leads into memories of poverty and freezing construction labor.

Key Events

• Birthday Return — The troubled bricklayer returns drunk on his birthday while his family waits inside. Characters: Kathleen Location: Home doorway
• Family Birthday Song — The children prepare a birthday song and a radio, but the celebration cannot reach him. Characters: Kathleen Location: Family home
• Reflections with Kathleen — He speaks with Kathleen about how far his life has fallen. Characters: Kathleen Location: Home
• Frozen Construction Memories — He remembers freezing construction work, cracked hands, exhaustion, and poverty. Location: Construction site
• Laborers Face Poverty — Laborers endure physical damage and poverty while seeking uncertain employment. Characters: Luigi, Julio, Murdin Location: Construction site

The Contract And The Contest

Laborers endure exhaustion and compete for a valuable bricklaying contract. Although Murdin gives the job to Julio, the workers reconsider their hostility and agree to share the prize.

Key Events

• Laborers Face Poverty — Laborers endure physical damage and poverty while seeking uncertain employment. Characters: Luigi, Julio, Murdin Location: Construction site
• Contract Competition — The workers compete for a valuable bricklaying contract overseen by Murdin. Characters: Luigi, Julio, Murdin Location: Construction site
• Julio Receives Job — Murdin announces that the job will go to Julio. Characters: Julio, Murdin, Luigi Location: Construction site
• Workers Consider Betrayal — The laborers consider turning against one another after the contract decision. Characters: Luigi, Julio Location: Construction site
• Workers Choose Solidarity — The workers agree to cooperate and divide the prize among themselves. Characters: Luigi, Julio Location: Construction site
• Bricklaying Victory — The bricklayer proves fastest and wins the competition despite the collective agreement. Characters: Luigi, Julio Location: Construction site

Victory Without Relief

The bricklayer wins by working fastest, and the workers celebrate with drinking. The victory nevertheless reveals his increasing separation from his family and former self.

Key Events

• Bricklaying Victory — The bricklayer proves fastest and wins the competition despite the collective agreement. Characters: Luigi, Julio Location: Construction site
• Victory Celebration — The victory leads to drinking and celebration among the workers. Characters: Luigi, Julio Location: Workers' gathering
• Growing Alienation — The celebration exposes the bricklayer's alienation from family and from his former identity. Location: Home
• Luigi Injured — Luigi is seriously injured and left crippled while employment remains uncertain. Characters: Luigi Location: Construction site

Poverty At The Table

Luigi is seriously injured, while hunger and cold continue at home. A rare meal briefly creates community before Jaroslav arrives with a desperate housing crisis.

Key Events

• Luigi Injured — Luigi is seriously injured and left crippled while employment remains uncertain. Characters: Luigi Location: Construction site
• Hunger And Cold — Daily domestic life is dominated by hunger and cold. Characters: Kathleen, Annuziata Location: Family home
• Shared Meal — A rare meal briefly creates community through shared food and drink. Characters: Kathleen, Annuziata, Jaroslav Location: Family dining table
• Jaroslav Arrives — Jaroslav arrives and explains that he must sell his house. Characters: Jaroslav, Kathleen, Annuziata Location: Family home
• House Sale Crisis — Jaroslav has spent his money and cannot receive government assistance before selling the house. Characters: Jaroslav Location: Family home

The Unresolved Question

Work, union disputes, and drink draw the bricklayer away again. His return to the missed birthday celebration leaves him questioning innocent suffering and unable to resolve his moral confusion.

Key Events

• House Sale Crisis — Jaroslav has spent his money and cannot receive government assistance before selling the house. Characters: Jaroslav Location: Family home
• Work And Drink Return — The bricklayer is again pulled away by work, union disputes, and drinking. Characters: Kathleen, Luigi Location: Workplace and home
• Missed Birthday Celebration — Kathleen waits with the children, but the bricklayer returns intoxicated and emotionally shattered. Characters: Kathleen, Annuziata Location: Family home
• Moral Confusion — He questions innocent suffering and cannot resolve the divide between right and wrong. Characters: Kathleen, Annuziata, Luigi Location: Family home

Story Breakdown

• Birthday And Alienation — The domestic frame introduces the protagonist's emotional separation from his family.
  • Drunken Homecoming — He returns on his birthday but cannot enter the warmth of his home.
  • Kathleen Conversation — He reflects with Kathleen on his decline and lost identity.
• Frozen Labor Memories — The narrative recalls the physical and economic conditions shaping the workers' lives.
  • Construction Hardship — Cracked hands, exhaustion, cold, and poverty define the work.
  • Uncertain Employment — The laborers depend on scarce and unstable opportunities.
• Contract Competition — A valuable job intensifies rivalry among laborers under Murdin's authority.
  • Julio Gets Contract — Murdin announces that the job will go to Julio.
  • Workers Face Division — The laborers consider turning against one another over the prize.
• Solidarity And Victory — Cooperation briefly counters economic competition, but individual success brings little relief.
  • Prize Sharing Agreement — The workers agree to cooperate and divide the prize.
  • Fastest Bricklayer — The bricklayer wins the competition through speed and skill.
• Injury And Domestic Poverty — Workplace danger and household deprivation expose the costs of survival.
  • Luigi Crippled — Luigi is seriously injured while employment remains uncertain.
  • Hunger And Cold — The family home is marked by scarcity and physical discomfort.
• The Housing Crisis — A shared meal is interrupted by Jaroslav's desperate need to sell his house.
  • Brief Community Meal — Spaghetti, meat sauce, and wine create a temporary sense of community.
  • Jaroslav Must Sell — Jaroslav cannot receive assistance until the house is sold.
• Moral Confusion — The final birthday failure turns social suffering into an unresolved moral question.
  • Missed Family Celebration — Kathleen and the children wait while he returns intoxicated.
  • Innocent Suffering — He questions why Annuziata, the children, and Luigi must suffer.

Directed by

Edward Dmytryk

Key Cast

• Sam Wanamaker — Geremio
• Lea Padovani — Annuziata
• Kathleen Ryan — Kathleen
• Charles Goldner — Luigi
• Bonar Colleano — Julio