"Prisoner of Honor" documents the French Dreyfus Affair that saw a French Captain sent to Devils' Island for espionage near the end of the nineteenth century. Richard Dreyfuss plays Colonel... See full summary »
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"Prisoner of Honor" documents the French Dreyfus Affair that saw a French Captain sent to Devils' Island for espionage near the end of the nineteenth century. Richard Dreyfuss plays Colonel Picquart who is given the job of justifying Dreyfus' sentence. Instead, he discovers that Dreyfus, a Jew, was merely a convenient scapegoat for the actions of the true culprit, a member of the French General staff. His attempt to right the wrong sees his military career ended and the famous French author, Emile Zola, found guilty of libel. Written by
Anonymous
There is more than enough intensity of emotion in this overlooked movie to suit me. The acting is quite good. What else do you expcct from British stage pros? I wonder if Richard Dreyfuss had the good sense to be scared sh..... to go in with these guys? Afterall this is not a rock and roll sitcom that Dreyfuss excells at. I think he did quite well. I am not a rah rah, temple attending Jew, looking for anti=semitism everywhere, but I think it worthwhile every generation, to remind everyone that in France about a century ago, the army knowingly sent an innocent man to disgrace in Devil's Island, and attempted to let the German spy in their ranks go free, just so they could, "Get the Jew". This was "honor", according to the French army. I love the country, the culture, and have been a tourist there and will go again, but I think we have to remember that when the Nazis marched in in 1940, there were a lot of people that were not that unhappy, to see them, and Nazi officers did not want for bedmates, from shopgirls to movie stars. There was an active and brave resistance(would you risk your neck against the Gestapo) but we have to be realistic about France's paradoxical attitude toward's the Nazis. I highly recommend this movie which may be the last appearance of the great Bill Sikes from "Oliver", Oliver Reed, may he rest in peace.
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There is more than enough intensity of emotion in this overlooked movie to suit me. The acting is quite good. What else do you expcct from British stage pros? I wonder if Richard Dreyfuss had the good sense to be scared sh..... to go in with these guys? Afterall this is not a rock and roll sitcom that Dreyfuss excells at. I think he did quite well. I am not a rah rah, temple attending Jew, looking for anti=semitism everywhere, but I think it worthwhile every generation, to remind everyone that in France about a century ago, the army knowingly sent an innocent man to disgrace in Devil's Island, and attempted to let the German spy in their ranks go free, just so they could, "Get the Jew". This was "honor", according to the French army. I love the country, the culture, and have been a tourist there and will go again, but I think we have to remember that when the Nazis marched in in 1940, there were a lot of people that were not that unhappy, to see them, and Nazi officers did not want for bedmates, from shopgirls to movie stars. There was an active and brave resistance(would you risk your neck against the Gestapo) but we have to be realistic about France's paradoxical attitude toward's the Nazis. I highly recommend this movie which may be the last appearance of the great Bill Sikes from "Oliver", Oliver Reed, may he rest in peace.