SYNOPSIS
Renoir’s second adaptation of a Zola novel updated the story to the 30s and came partly from Jean Gabin’s desire to play a locomotive engineer, in this case Jacques Lantier, a man tainted with the bad blood of his ancestors. The story deals with a romantic triangle, but the human passions are stunningly complemented by Renoir’s location filming, bringing steam and sex together in a potent cocktail.
