108. The Life Of Emile Zola (1937)

Directed By William Dieterle

Synopsis

The story of the life of Emile Zola with a very strong focus on the events around the famous "J'Accuse". The trial of Zola for attempting to prove the innocence of an innocent military officer sent to Devil's Island.

Review

We had seen Paul Muni before in Scarface and I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang. No matter how good the acting was in those films, Muni shows even greater talent here. Like Barbara Stanwyck in Stella Dallas there is a termendous physical transformation as Zola gets older which makes his speech and delivery change as well as his physical appearence.

That is not the only great thing about the film, although it is pretty much a one man show. The subject is equally interesting, a man's fight against institutional injustice, and although not mentioned explicitly in the film, anti-semitism. Dreyfus the wrongfully convicted officer in the film is Jewish and even if Zola mentioned that fact in his article J'Accuse...! there is no mention of his Jewishness in the film. Is this due to political correctness in the complicated days of 1937? Or was it a way to make this film pass under the radar as a furtive way of criticising racism? There is a tell-tale scene when one of the higher up military officer says he doesn't know how a man like him rose in the military ranks, while in the ledger under Dreyfus name you can fleetingly see his religion.

In the end a truly powerful film about injustice and the power of a man to make it right. A film about conscience and not selling out in the end, but a great film and one as relevant today as it was in the 30's and as the story was in the late 19th century. Get it at Amazon UK or US.

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The film was a great success both critically and financially, and contemporary reviews cited it as the best biographical film made up to that time. It is still held in high regard by many critics. It is the first biographical film to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

Trailer: