The long and bitter French miners’ strike in November and December 1948. After an evocation of the rigours of the work, this agitational film describes the launch of the strike and its progress, and ends with a call to solidarity. A vehement discourse, an extremely developed soundtrack, images of confrontations, and a remarkable montage stigmatizing the intrigues of the riot troops of the C.R.S. [Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité] (thus the chant, “C.R.S. – S.S. !”), the pres- ence of the army in the mining villages, and the responsibilities of the government, under the power of American interests.

La grande lutte des mineurs, marked by the Cold War, was designed to promote active solidarity in support of the struggling miners (gifts in kind and in money, hospitality for the children of the strikers). It was banned by the censors following the order of 6 December 1948, which submitted non-commercial films to preliminary censorship, thereby permitting the prohibition of the majority of militant films produced by the French Communist Party and the C.G.T. [Compagnie Générale du Travail, the largest French trade union].

Association Ciné Archives