The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfuss Affair.
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Title: The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Paul Muni | ... | Emile Zola | |
| Gale Sondergaard | ... | Lucie Dreyfus | |
| Joseph Schildkraut | ... | Capt. Alfred Dreyfus | |
| Gloria Holden | ... | Alexandrine Zola | |
| Donald Crisp | ... | Maitre Labori | |
| Erin O'Brien-Moore | ... | Nana (as Erin O'Brien Moore) | |
| John Litel | ... | Charpentier | |
| Henry O'Neill | ... | Colonel Georges Picquart | |
| Morris Carnovsky | ... | Anatole France | |
| Louis Calhern | ... | Major Dort | |
| Ralph Morgan | ... | Commander of Paris | |
| Robert Barrat | ... | Major Walsin-Esterhazy | |
| Vladimir Sokoloff | ... | Paul Cezanne | |
| Grant Mitchell | ... | Georges Clemenceau | |
| Harry Davenport | ... | Chief of Staff | |
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Fictionalized account of the life of famed French author Emile Zola. As portrayed in the film, he was a penniless writer sharing an apartment in Paris with painter Paul Cezanne when he finally wrote a best-seller, Nana. He has always had difficulty holding onto a job as he is quite outspoken, being warned on several occasions by the public prosecutor that he risks charges if he does not temper his writings. The bulk of the film deals with his involvement in the case of Captain Alfred Dreyfus who was falsely convicted of giving secret military information to the Germans and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devils Island. Antisemitism played an important role in the real-life case but is hardly mentioned in the film. Even after the military found definitive evidence that Dreyfus was innocent, the army decided to cover it up rather than face the scandal of having arbitrarily convicted the wrong man. Zola's famous letter, J'Accuse (I Accuse), led to his own trial for libel where he was ... Written by garykmcd
Taglines:
He'll Hold You In Silence As Deep As Your Emotions ! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Lucie Dreyfus: Colonel Picquart is a good officer. He kept silent at the request of his superiors.
Émile Zola: You mean they KNEW and they ordered him to suppress the truth? Why,that's monstrous!
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(1792) (uncredited)
Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Variations often in the score
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Considered highly contentious in France, the film wasn't granted a proper release in that country until 1952. See more »Goofs
The lettering on the door to Clemenceau's office at the newspaper misspells his first name "George" instead of the correct French spelling, "Georges". See more »Quotes
Émile Zola: Why didn't Picquart say anything?Lucie Dreyfus: Colonel Picquart is a good officer. He kept silent at the request of his superiors.
Émile Zola: You mean they KNEW and they ordered him to suppress the truth? Why,that's monstrous!
See more »
Soundtracks
La Marseillaise(1792) (uncredited)
Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Variations often in the score
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
2 October 1937 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Story of Emile Zola See more »Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1Contribute to This Page
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Paul Muni (Oscar-nominated) stars as the titled character in this very good Best Picture winner from 1937. The film is based on the famous French muckraker/author who fought against anti-semitism in the late-1800s and also fought to free the wrongly convicted Dreyfuss (Oscar-winner Joseph Schildkraut), who was sentenced to life on Devil's Island for giving out military secrets. Naturally he was framed by a high-powered French count and it was up to Zola to free him. The film is a genuine biopic that works due to an Oscar-winning screenplay, top-notch direction by the Oscar-nominated William Dieterle and the show-stopping performances of Muni and Schildkraut. High production values and nice cinematography make "The Life of Emile Zola" one of the best films of the 1930s. It is one of the least-known Best Picture winners and that is a shame. 4.5 out of 5 stars.