I Accuse (1919)
"J'accuse!" (original title)

The story of two men, one married, the other the lover of the other's wife, who meet in the trenches of the First World War, and how their tale becomes a microcosm for the horrors of war.

Director:

Abel Gance

Writer:

Abel Gance

Stars:

Romuald Joubé, Séverin-Mars, Maryse Dauvray

Cast

Credited cast:
Romuald Joubé	...	Jean Diaz
Séverin-Mars	...	François Laurin
Maryse Dauvray	...	Edith Laurin
Maxime Desjardins	...	Maria Lazare
Angèle Guys	...	Angele
Mancini	...	Jean's Mother
Elizabeth Nizan
Pierre Danis
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Blaise Cendrars
Paul Duc	...	Orphan

Storyline

The story of two men, one married, the other the lover of the other's wife, who meet in the trenches of the First World War, and how their tale becomes a microcosm for the horrors of war.

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Plot Keywords:

world war one | wartime rape | child born of rape | anti war | soldier | 

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Genres:

Horror | War

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

25 April 1919 (France)

Also Known As:

I Accuse

Filming Locations:

Saint-Michel, Haute-Garonne, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Frères

Technical Specs

Runtime:

166 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in part on the battlefield of St. Mihiel, during battle.

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Quotes

Child #1: It's war!
Child #2: What's war?
Child #1: I don't know.

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Connections

Featured in 1914-1918 (1996)

User Reviews

Who Are the Naysayers?

I wish that we could read a comment from at least one of the 91 persons who gave a "1" rating to this silent film masterpiece. What were these 91 thinking? Do they hate all silents? Did they object to the length? If "J'Accuse!" is a "1," why did they suffer through its almost three-hour duration? If they gave up watching after 10 minutes, why bother to vote and muck up the weighted average, now standing at an absurd 6.4? Thank you, Turner Classic Movies, for making "J'Accuse" available to a wide audience. That network is most capably helping fill the void left by the shutting down of most of America's repertory film theaters.