The Life of Emile Zola( 1937)

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67%

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He'll hold you in silence as deep as your emotions!

Overview

A fictionalized account of famous French writer Emile Zola and his involvement in the Dreyfus Affair. After struggling to establish himself, Zola wins success writing about the unsavory side of Paris and settles into a comfortable upper-class life. However, Zola's complacency is shaken when Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus is imprisoned for being a spy. Realizing that Dreyfus is an innocent victim of anti-Semitism, Zola boldly pens a newspaper article exposing the truth, is charged with libel and must defend himself in a dramatic courtroom testimony.

Top Billed Cast

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
John Litel
Charpentier
Henry O'Neill
Colonel 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
Robert Warwick
Colonel Henry
Charles Richman
M. Delagorgue
Gilbert Emery
Minister of War
Walter Kingsford
Colonel Sandherr
Paul Everton
Assistant Chief of Staff
Montagu Love
M. Cavaignac
Frank Sheridan
M. Van Cassell
Lumsden Hare
Mr. Richards
Marcia Mae Jones
Helen Richards
Florence Roberts
Madame Zola
Dickie Moore
Pierre Dreyfus
Rolla Gourvitch
Jeanne Dreyfus
Franklyn Farnum
(uncredited)

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Review 1Discussion

A review by CinemaSerf

Written by CinemaSerf on Mon May 13 2024

Emile Zola liked nothing better than an opportunity to cause a bit of scandal and over the years that made him a wealthy man, but earned him the enmity of pretty much all of the Establishment. France was still finding it's political feet with the second empire giving way to the third republic, the Germans were across the border heavily armed and the French military under considerable pressure to keep their country safe. It was this last point that led to the infamous "Dreyfus" affair. The High Command essentially framing a young officer (Joseph Schildkraut) for treason and banishing him to the ...