Blaze
Film

Blaze

1991 · 122 min · ★ 5.5 · Dir. Eric Barbier

All of Europe was affected by the Great Depression of the 1930s, but some parts were hurt less badly than others. France, for instance, was relatively prosperous. In this grim drama, a sturdy Polish boxer and his family have settled into a mining town in northern France because that's where the work is. Like European "guest workers" in the 1990s, the Polish immigrants then were frequently treated badly by the locals. In this drama, the romantic aspirations of the boxer's son are thwarted by the concerted efforts of the local men and his own family's preference that he marry another Polish girl. After his romance fails, the son becomes a union activist and sacrifices a great deal to try to gain higher wages for the miners, but the contract he works out is reneged on by the duplicitous owners.

Starring

Maruschka Detmers
Maruschka Detmers
Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr
Tolsty
Tolsty
Thierry Fortineau
Jean-Paul Roussillon
Jean-Paul Roussillon
François Hadji-Lazaro
François Hadji-Lazaro
Sylvia Wels
Arkadiusz Smolarczyk
Elżbieta Karkoszka
Elżbieta Karkoszka
Jean-Paul Farré
Serge Merlin
Serge Merlin
Boguslawa Schubert
Boguslawa Schubert
Maximilien Regiani
Marc Brunet
Marc Brunet
Wojciech Janeczek
Stephania Bak
Dominique Didry
Pierre Tabard