The story traces a working woman's attempt to build security while abandonment, injury, alcoholism, illness, and social hardship destroy her family's stability.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Abandonment and Survival
A washerwoman is abandoned by her lover and left to care for two young sons. She faces the initial hardship of surviving alone in Paris.
Key Events
Lover Abandons Washerwoman — A washerwoman is left alone with her two young sons after her lover abandons her.
Location: Paris
Struggle With Two Sons — The forsaken mother struggles to care for her young sons while working as a washerwoman.
Location: Paris
A New Marriage — The washerwoman marries a skilled roofer and begins rebuilding her domestic life.
Location: Paris
Roofer at Work — The new husband works as a skilled roofer, supporting the household through manual labor.
Location: Rooftop
A Fragile New Household
The washerwoman marries a skilled roofer and briefly builds a more hopeful family life. Their daughter is born as the household begins to expand.
Key Events
Roofer at Work — The new husband works as a skilled roofer, supporting the household through manual labor.
Location: Rooftop
Rooftop Accident — A workplace accident changes the roofer's life and prevents him from continuing normally.
Location: Rooftop
Forced Idleness — After the accident, the roofer becomes idle and increasingly detached from productive work.
Location: Paris
Birth of a Daughter — The couple have a daughter, expanding the household while their circumstances remain unstable.
Location: Paris
Laundry Business Begins — The washerwoman establishes a laundry business as a source of independence and livelihood.
Location: Laundry
Work Against Decline
A rooftop accident leaves the husband idle and contributes to his alcoholism. The washerwoman creates a laundry business while receiving support from a blacksmith.
Key Events
Laundry Business Begins — The washerwoman establishes a laundry business as a source of independence and livelihood.
Location: Laundry
Blacksmith Offers Support — A supportive blacksmith stands by the washerwoman as her household difficulties grow.
Location: Blacksmith's workshop
Husband Turns to Alcohol — The injured roofer's idleness develops into alcoholism, worsening the family's instability.
Location: Paris
Old Grudges Resurface — A rival driven by old grudges adds pressure to the washerwoman's already difficult life.
Location: Paris
Social Pressure Mounts — Social hardship intensifies the conflicts surrounding the household and its struggling business.
Location: Paris
The Livelihood Destroyed
Old grudges and social hardship intensify the family crisis. The husband's decline damages and ultimately destroys the laundry business.
Key Events
Alcohol Enters the Household — Alcoholism spreads its destructive effects through the household and undermines domestic stability.
Location: Laundry
Business Comes Under Threat — The washerwoman's livelihood becomes vulnerable as her husband's decline interferes with the business.
Location: Laundry
Laundry Business Destroyed — The husband destroys the laundry business that had provided the family's livelihood.
Location: Laundry
Courage Meets Defeat — Despite her courage, the washerwoman cannot stop her husband's continuing decline.
Location: Paris
Streets and Ruin
Illness and alcoholism deepen the household's collapse, while the washerwoman is pushed toward alcoholism herself. Their daughter is left to face the streets of Paris alone.
Key Events
Illness Deepens the Crisis — Illness compounds alcoholism, idleness, and financial collapse within the family.
Location: Paris
Mother Turns Toward Alcohol — Under relentless pressure, the washerwoman is pushed further into alcoholism.
Location: Paris
Daughter Faces the Streets — The young daughter is left to fend for herself on the unforgiving streets of Paris.
Location: Streets of Paris
Family Falls Into Ruin — The family's hopes collapse under abandonment, alcoholism, illness, social pressure, and lost livelihood.
Location: Paris
Story Breakdown
Abandoned Family — The opening establishes emotional abandonment and the burden of solitary parenthood.
Lover's Departure — A lover leaves the washerwoman alone in Paris.
Caring for Sons — She struggles to support her two young sons.
Second Chance Marriage — A new marriage briefly offers the possibility of domestic security.
Roofer Husband — A skilled roofer becomes her new companion.
Growing Household — The couple have a daughter while building family life.
Work and Independence — The washerwoman seeks stability through labor and business ownership.
Laundry Enterprise — She establishes a laundry as her livelihood.
Blacksmith's Support — A supportive blacksmith encourages her during hardship.
Accident and Idleness — The husband's injury begins a destructive pattern of inactivity and dependency.
Rooftop Accident — A workplace accident prevents the roofer from continuing normally.
Alcoholic Decline — Idleness develops into alcoholism and domestic damage.
Social Hostility — Personal grudges and broader social hardship increase pressure on the household.
Old Grudges — A rival's resentment adds conflict to the family's troubles.
Mounting Pressure — Social challenges push the washerwoman toward despair.
Collapse of Livelihood — The family's economic foundation is destroyed by the husband's decline.
Business Destruction — The laundry business that supports the family is destroyed.
Loss of Independence — The washerwoman can no longer rely on her livelihood.
Final Family Ruin — Illness and alcoholism complete the household's downward spiral.
Mother's Alcoholism — The washerwoman is pushed further into alcoholism.
Daughter on Streets — The young daughter is left to fend for herself in Paris.
Gervaise Macquart is a beautiful Parisian laundress and mother whose lover, Lantier, walks out on her. She eventually marries Henri Coupeau, a roofer who has an unfortunate accident. As her now crippled husband descends into alcoholism, Gervaise tries to make ends meet on her own. Life becomes even more complicated when Lantier returns and befriends Henri. Meanwhile, the man she really loves is sent to prison.
Directed by
René Clément
Key Cast
Maria Schell — Gervaise Macquart Coupeau, une blanchisseuse douce et courageuse
François Périer — Henri Coupeau - le second compagnon de Gervaise, un ouvrier zingueur
Jany Holt — Mme Lorilleux - la soeur revêche de Coupeau
