Gervaise is a 1956 French film directed by René Clément based on the 1877 novel "L'Assommoir" by Émile Zola. It depicts a working-class woman in the mid-nineteenth century (played by Maria Schell) trying to cope with the descent of her husband (played by François Périer) into alcoholism. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 29th Academy Awards. Schell won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 1956 Venice Film Festival for her performance. It won the 1957 BAFTA for Best Film and Best Actor.