REVIEW: Life of Emile Zola, The (1937)

Recently, Suman and I decided to sit down and watch every film that has won a Best Picture Academy Award. One of those films was a wonderful work called The Life of Emile Zola, filmed in 1937, about the life of the famous writer. This is a film I highly recommend. It is incredibly passionate and moving. Being based on historical events, it remains remarkably true to the facts. It moves quickly through the author's early years, and spend the majority of its time on the trial that Zola underwent after he published his celebrated "J'Accuse" (I Accuse) which condemned the hypocrisy and corruption of the military establishment. The Military had falsely accused a high-ranking captain, Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, of treason, and then attempted a massive cover-up when it realized it had made a mistake.

The only historical inaccuracy I saw was at the end. The movie depicts Dreyfus regaining his military comission right after returning from Devil's Island (and on the same day as Zola's death). In reality, though, Dreyfus was retried and found guilty again by a tribunal in 1899, but was pardoned by the President. He was not cleared of charges and reinstated until 1906. Also absent in the film was the fact that Zola had produced two children from a 14-year affair with one of his housemaids, and no children through is wife. My guess is that 1930's propriety in films probably discouraged such anecdotes.

POSITIVE: The film is incredibly moving, and moves with a sharp and dramatic pace. Despite the fact that this film was made in the 1930's, the quality of filmmaking is not diminished by time.

NEGATIVE: The early part of the film spends too little time on Zola's early life, almost making it a sidenote. Those wishing to learn more about his rise to fame won't find much here. Also, Zola's longtime friendship with noted painter Paul Cezanne deserves more screentime than it received. Lastly, the 1930's sound quaity, even on the remastered DVD, leaves a bit to be desired. But that is more an issue of available technology of the day, and not a detraction from the story.

SOCIAL CONTENT: The film touches on the importance of freedom of speech, the right to a fair and impartial trial with a jury of one's peers, and freedom of the press. We in today's society often take these ideals for granted. Viewers are likely to have greater appreciation for these ideals. The arguments of institutional corruption (a common theme in Zola's writings) resonate as much today as they did when the film was first released.

SPIRITUAL CONTENT: There is a brief moment where Zola, during his libel trial, points to a painting of Jesus crucified, referring to great men who willingly went to trial despite being innocent.

TRIVIA:

• The film was shot in reverse order.
• Paul Muni, the actor who played Emile Zola, grew his own beard for the role; it was trimmed and darkened as he proceeded to scenes where Zola is younger.
• Paul Muni's makeup took 3-1/2 hours to apply each morning.The film's score is by Max Steiner, wo also scored "Casablanca", "Gone with the Wind", "A Star Is Born", and "The Jazz Singer".

AWARDS:

• Best Picture: Warner Bros. (Henry Blanke, producer)
• Supporting Actor: Joseph Schildkraut
• Best Writing, Screenplay: Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg and Norman Reilly Raine