Houses of Poverty

Loading Trailer Videos...
  • HomePage

  • Overview

    Borinage left Henri Storck profoundly disturbed by injustice and social poverty. When he was offered a chance to make the film he undertook an in-depth survey into the working class and slums and shouldered his camera as a militant filmmaker. In a plot of Walloon slums he staged characters and situations as examples. All shots work on intensity, the filling of the frame, which gives the impression of being unable to breathe, of being trapped, closed in. And in the face of this overflowing misery is the emptiness of the expressions, the absence of emotion. Survival is all. But the message of hope is there, with the destruction of slums (the hovels are demolished as if getting rid of a tyrant) and the construction of garden cities surrounded by trees in bloom and a future of song, leaves one with the impression that man’s dignity has been safeguarded.

  • Release Date

    1936-05-07

  • Average

    5

  • Rating:

    2.5 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    Français
  • Keywords

Similar Movies

Augusta
0%

Augusta(en)

1976-01-01

This short documentary is the portrait of an 88-year-old woman who lives alone in a log cabin without running water or electricity in the Williams Lake area of British Columbia. The daughter of a Shuswap chief, Augusta lost her Indian status as the result of a marriage to a white man. She recalls past times, but lives very much in the present. Self-sufficient, dedicated to her people, she spreads warmth wherever she moves, with her songs and her harmonica.

The Breadwinner
78%

The Breadwinner(en)

2017-11-17

A headstrong young girl in Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban, disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family.

Jimmy's Hall
67%

Jimmy's Hall(en)

2014-05-30

Jimmy Gralton returns from New York and reopens his beloved community hall, only to meet opposition from the local parish.

In the Heat of the Night
76%

In the Heat of the Night(en)

1967-08-02

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Angela's Ashes
73%

Angela's Ashes(en)

1999-12-25

An Irish Catholic family returns to 1930s Limerick after a child's death in America. The unemployed I.R.A. veteran father struggles with poverty, prejudice, and alcoholism as the family endures harsh slum conditions.

The Bricklayers
64%

The Bricklayers(es)

1976-12-23

When a worker is found murdered on the construction side, the investigation swiftly turns from things criminal to the political circumstances surrounding the building itself. Widespread corruption and neglect by the builder himself are seen to have brought the situation about. Much of the movie is filmed using hand-held cameras, and the majority of the dialogue is in the difficult-to-understand and very slangy Spanish dialect of Mexico City's bricklayers.

The Migrants
57%

The Migrants(en)

1974-02-04

A look at the lives of migratory farm workers, focusing on one family.

Black '47
66%

Black '47(en)

2018-09-05

In 1847, when Ireland is in the grip of the Great Famine that has ravaged the country for two long years, Feeney, a hardened Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, returns home to reunite with his estranged family, only to discover the cruelest reality, a black land where death reigns.

The Postman
79%

The Postman(it)

1994-04-07

Simple Italian postman learns to love poetry while delivering mail to a famous poet; he uses this to woo local beauty Beatrice.

Wendy and Lucy
69%

Wendy and Lucy(en)

2008-12-10

A near-penniless drifter's journey to Alaska in search of work is interrupted when she loses her dog while attempting to shoplift food for it.

The Coachman
62%

The Coachman(ko)

1961-02-15

A man tries to raise his two sons and two daughters under some of the most adverse conditions known to man. The father operates a horse-drawn cart, but in a city that is modernizing after the destruction of the Korean War, automobiles are making carts obsolete. The children are experiencing difficulties as well. The eldest son has flunked the bar exam twice and is not hopeful of passing it a third time to become a lawyer. The eldest daughter is mute and married to an abusive husband. The younger daughter tries to pose as a rich university student to move up in life. The youngest son has a penchant for petty theft.

Satantango
81%

Satantango(hu)

1994-02-08

Inhabitants of a small village in Hungary deal with the effects of the fall of Communism. The town's source of revenue, a factory, has closed, and the locals, who include a doctor and three couples, await a cash payment offered in the wake of the shuttering. Irimias, a villager thought to be dead, returns and, unbeknownst to the locals, is a police informant. In a scheme, he persuades the villagers to form a commune with him.

The Red Car
67%

The Red Car(pt)

2000-01-01

A humble family receives a real Greek gift: a luxury car, which cannot be sold for two years. To make matters worse, no one knows how to drive. Time passes, and the automobile ends up having quite unusual uses.

The Father
72%

The Father(tr)

1971-01-02

"Baba" is a bitter melodrama set in Istambul. A father is not able to earn enough money to feed his family. He is waiting to emigrate to Germany. When his landlord's son kills a man while drunk, the father is prepared to answer for the deed himself, provided that the landlord supports his wife and children. As there is little difference for the father between ten years in prison or ten years in a foreign country, he regards this to be the best solution.

The Evergreen
70%

The Evergreen(ko)

1961-09-20

Yeong-shin and Dong-hyuk graduate from college with a cause. They plan to bring education and modernization to farmers living in the rural area of their hometown. When they arrive, the pair immediately get to work, Dong-hyuk builds a village hall and starts aiding the farmers while Yeong-shin tries to gather the children to form a school. However, the villagers at first resent and resist the pair. It is not until one child, Ok-bun, takes the initiative and and learns to read under Yeong-shin’s care that the villages trust the pair and allow their children to be taken from the fields and taught reading, writing and math.

Biscut
0%

Biscut(hi)

2022-02-07

Biscut is a powerful film on the state of politics in Uttar Pradesh and offers a gritty and hard-hitting take on the treatment of the backward classes and their never-ending exploitation in the caste-dominated political landscape of Uttar Pradesh.

Kids from the Coal Land: A Letter to Henri Storck
0%

Kids from the Coal Land: A Letter to Henri Storck(fr)

2000-10-28

In the form of a posthumous letter to Storck, using clippings from the original 'Borinage' film, the director paints a personal picture about a corner of Western Europe, where shocking living conditions of those trapped within

Greed
74%

Greed(en)

1924-12-04

A lottery win of $5,000 forever changes the lives of a miner turned dentist and his wife.

The Police Tapes
70%

The Police Tapes(en)

1977-01-02

Filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond spent three months in 1976 riding along with patrol officers in the 44th Precinct of the South Bronx, which had the highest crime rate in New York City at that time.

Coach Zoran and His African Tigers
42%

Coach Zoran and His African Tigers(en)

2014-02-14

Documentary following Serbian football coach Zoran Đorđević as he helps form South Sudan's first national football team.

Recommendations Movies

Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia
69%

Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia(en)

2006-03-14

In this animated follow-up to Fairytopia, Elina enlists the help of a mermaid, Nori, to save her friend Nalu, a merman prince who has been captured by the wicked Laverna.

Re-Elected
70%

Re-Elected(en)

2020-07-04

Friends battle former U.S. presidents when they come back from the dead as zombies on the Fourth of July.

I babysitter
58%

I babysitter(it)

2016-10-19

On Andrea's birthday, his boss asks him to babysit his son while he's away for work: while Andrea is babysitting, his friends arrive and throw a big party.

Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie
84%

Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie(en)

2015-05-05

Scooby-Doo and the gang investigates a new ghost at a water park resort.

Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire
77%

Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire(en)

2012-03-07

Scooby and the gang have their first musical mystery in “Scooby Doo: Music of the Vampire.” It begins when they take a sing-a-long road trip into bayou country to attend the “Vampire-Palooza Festival” – an outdoor fair dedicated to all things Draculian. At first it looks as if they’re in for some fun and lots of Southern snacks, but events soon turn scary when a real live vampire comes to life, bursts from his coffin and threatens all the townsfolk. On top of that, this baritone blood sucker seems intent on taking Daphne as his vampire bride! Could the vampire be a descendant of a famous vampire hunter who is trying to sell his book? Or perhaps he’s the local politician, who has been trying to make his name in the press by attacking the vampires as downright unwholesome. The answers are to be found in a final song-filled showdown in the swamp in which our heroes unmask one of their most macabre monsters yet.

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up
50%

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up(en)

1995-04-07

Rocky, Colt and TumTum must battle an evil wealthy toxic waste dumper in order to save a local Indian tribe and their friend Joe. The 3 Ninjas must help find Joe's father and find a secret disk that contains evidence that could stop the toxic landfill that is destroying the Indian community. However the town is owned by the rich man and he controls the police and even the mayor. They must fight a motorcycle gang and renegade cowboys in this non-stop ninja adventure.

Tomie: Rebirth
72%

Tomie: Rebirth(ja)

2001-03-24

Young art student Hideo paints an unnerving portrait of Tomie, who whispers that she loves him. Inexplicably, he reacts by stabbing her to death with a painting trowel. Two friends, Takumi and Shunichi, arrive on the scene and help him dispose of the body. To cheer him up, the boys take the unwitting murderer to the nearest bar for a party... but a mysterious girl named Tomie shows up, bearing a few odd physical resemblances to the dead girl in the ground.

Major League
69%

Major League(en)

1989-02-16

When Rachel Phelps inherits the Cleveland Indians from her deceased husband, she's determined to move the team to a warmer climate—but only a losing season will make that possible, which should be easy given the misfits she's hired. Rachel is sure her dream will come true, but she underestimates their will to succeed.

Return
63%

Return(hy)

1972-07-02

The main character of the film is an outstanding physicist who was invited to Armenia from Russia to head a lab. He comes across many troubles in his homeland, but nevertheless finds his true love there.

I've Loved You So Long
73%

I've Loved You So Long(fr)

2008-03-19

A woman struggles to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.

Return
65%

Return(es)

2018-05-11

The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe
65%

The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe(fr)

1974-11-12

With "little captain" Cambrai raising serious doubts about the reality of the so-called "super spy," Colonel Toulouse kidnaps Christine and forces Francois to play again the character of "The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe" in some fake adventures. All this to stop the investigation into the death of Colonel Milan.

Sex Tape
54%

Sex Tape(en)

2014-07-17

When Jay and Annie first got together, their romantic connection was intense – but ten years and two kids later, the flame of their love needs a spark. To kick things up a notch, they decide – why not? – to make a video of themselves trying out every position in The Joy of Sex in one marathon three-hour session. It seems like a great idea – until they discover that their most private video is no longer private. With their reputations on the line, they know they’re just one click away from being laid bare to the world... but as their race to reclaim their video leads to a night they'll never forget, they'll find that their video will expose even more than they bargained for.

Death Race 2
58%

Death Race 2(en)

2010-11-12

In the world's most dangerous prison, a new game is born: Death Race. The rules of this adrenaline-fueled blood sport are simple, drive or die. When repentant convict Carl Lucas discovers there's a price on his head, his only hope is to survive a twisted race against an army of hardened criminals and tricked-out cars.

Barefoot
68%

Barefoot(de)

2005-03-30

A hedonistic bachelor - he is his rich family's black sheep - falls for a suicidal mental patient.

Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword
77%

Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword(en)

2009-04-07

The Mystery Inc. gang takes a trip to Japan and finds themselves circling Asia and the Pacific in a treasure hunt, racing against the vengeful Black Samurai and his Ninja warriors to find the legendary Sword of Fate, an ancientblade fabled to possess extraordinary supernaturalpowers.

Oedipus Rex
68%

Oedipus Rex(it)

1967-09-07

In pre-war Italy, a young couple have a baby boy. The father, however, is jealous of his son - and the scene moves to antiquity, where the baby is taken into the desert to be killed. He is rescued, given the name Edipo (Oedipus), and brought up by the King and Queen of Corinth as their son. One day an oracle informs Edipo that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified, he flees Corinth and his supposed parents - only to get into a fight and kill an older man on the road…

Welcome to L.A.
49%

Welcome to L.A.(en)

1976-11-12

The lives of a group of Hollywood neurotics intersect over the Christmas holidays. Foremost among them, a songwriter visits Los Angeles to work on a singer's album. The gig, unbeknownst to him, is being bankrolled by his estranged father, a dairy magnate, who hopes to reunite with his son. When the songwriter meets an eccentric housewife who fancies herself a modern-day Garbo, his world of illusions comes crashing down.

Behaving Badly
53%

Behaving Badly(en)

2014-04-14

Teenager Rick Stevens is willing to do whatever it takes to win the heart of Nina Pennington. He'll have to deal with his best friend's horny mom, a drug abusing boss and even the mob if he ever hopes to land the girl of his dreams. Love is never easy!

Return
64%

Return(en)

2011-02-10

Back from a tour of duty, Kelli struggles to find her place in her family and the rust-belt town she no longer recognizes.