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IMDbPro

Emile Zolan elämä

Original title: The Life of Emile Zola
  • 19371937
  • K-16K-16
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
Paul Muni in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfus Affair.
Play trailer4:19
1 Video
14 Photos
BiographyDrama

The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfus Affair.The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfus Affair.The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfus Affair.

IMDb RATING
7.2/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • William Dieterle
  • Writers
    • Norman Reilly Raine(screen play)
    • Heinz Herald(screen play)
    • Geza Herczeg(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Paul Muni
    • Gale Sondergaard
    • Joseph Schildkraut
  • Director
    • William Dieterle
  • Writers
    • Norman Reilly Raine(screen play)
    • Heinz Herald(screen play)
    • Geza Herczeg(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Paul Muni
    • Gale Sondergaard
    • Joseph Schildkraut
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 65User reviews
    • 42Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Oscars
      • 8 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 4:19
    Trailer

    Photos14

    Montagu Love, Harry Davenport, Louis Calhern, and Ralph Morgan in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
    Paul Muni and Vladimir Sokoloff in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
    Paul Irving, Paul Muni, Erin O'Brien-Moore, and Vladimir Sokoloff in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
    Gloria Holden and Paul Muni in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
    Gloria Holden and Paul Muni in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
    "Life of Emile Zola, The" Joseph Schildkraut 1937 Warner Bros. **I.V.
    "Life of Emile Zola, The" Joseph Schildraut 1937 Warner Bros. **I.V.
    "Life of Emile Zola, The" Joseph Schildkraut 1937 Warner Bros. **I.V.
    Paul Muni in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
    Paul Muni and Dolores Weisenfreund in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
    Paul Muni in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)
    Paul Muni in Emile Zolan elämä (1937)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paul Muni
    Paul Muni
    • Emile Zola
    Gale Sondergaard
    Gale Sondergaard
    • Lucie Dreyfus
    Joseph Schildkraut
    Joseph Schildkraut
    • Capt. Alfred Dreyfus
    Gloria Holden
    Gloria Holden
    • Alexandrine Zola
    Donald Crisp
    Donald Crisp
    • Maitre Labori
    Erin O'Brien-Moore
    Erin O'Brien-Moore
    • Nana
    • (as Erin O'Brien Moore)
    John Litel
    John Litel
    • Charpentier
    Henry O'Neill
    Henry O'Neill
    • Col. Picquart
    Morris Carnovsky
    Morris Carnovsky
    • Anatole France
    Louis Calhern
    Louis Calhern
    • Maj. Dort
    Ralph Morgan
    Ralph Morgan
    • Commander of Paris
    Robert Barrat
    Robert Barrat
    • Maj. Walsin-Esterhazy
    Vladimir Sokoloff
    Vladimir Sokoloff
    • Paul Cezanne
    Grant Mitchell
    Grant Mitchell
    • Georges Clemenceau
    Harry Davenport
    Harry Davenport
    • Chief of Staff
    Robert Warwick
    Robert Warwick
    • Maj. Henry
    Charles Richman
    Charles Richman
    • M. Delagorgue
    Gilbert Emery
    Gilbert Emery
    • Minister of War
    • Director
      • William Dieterle
    • Writers
      • Norman Reilly Raine(screen play)
      • Heinz Herald(screen play) (story)
      • Geza Herczeg(screen play) (story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Studio boss Jack L. Warner, who was himself Jewish, personally ordered that the word "Jew" be removed from all dialogue in this movie about the Alfred Dreyfus Affair, apparently in order to make the drama more universal and not to offend the Nazi regime and hurt business for the film in Germany. (Source: Ben Urwand in his controversial 2013 study, "The Collaboration: Hollywood's Pact With Adolf Hitler".) However, the word does appear on screen in a single shot of Dreyfus' army file, where the audience can read: "Religion: Jew".
    • Goofs
      The young Zola is shown sharing a garret with Paul Cezanne. While they were friends, they did not live together in Paris. Also, they are shown as being friends long after Zola published the novel L'Oeuvre, whose main character is based on Cezanne. In fact, the book ended their friendship.
    • Quotes

      Émile Zola: Paul.

      Paul Cezanne: Hmm.

      Émile Zola: Will you write?

      Paul Cezanne: No. But I'll remember.

    • Connections
      Featured in Breakdowns of 1938 (1938)
    • Soundtracks
      La Marseillaise
      (1792) (uncredited)
      Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
      Variations often in the score

    User reviews65

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Immersive and historically interesting
    I only watched this because it won an Academy Award for best picture (1937). I didn't expect it to be very good, so my intention was to watch it over two nights, but I watched it in one sitting, because it was quite immersive.

    The movie could be described as being comprised of two parts - the first, a snapshot of who Emile Zola was, and the second, his involvement in the Dreyfus Affair (which I knew nothing about until I watched this movie).

    I thought this movie was immersive and historically interesting. I enjoyed it.
    helpful•7
    0
    • jenevere-heading
    • Feb 15, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 21, 1937 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Life of Emile Zola
    • Filming locations
      • Goff Island, Laguna Beach, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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