A towering
portrayal of Zola (Paul Muni), the activist French author, a
champion of the oppressed whose relentless campaign to free the
wrongly convicted Captain Dreyfus will forever shine as “a moment
in the conscience of man.” Nominated for ten Academy Awards, this
film won three.
CRITIQUE
The first third or
so of this film tells the “life” of Emile Zola. When he publishes his
first book, the public prosecutor comes to tell him that he has
written a bad book. “Badly written,” asks Zola. No, offensive,
the prosecutor corrects him. This sets up the constant refrain of
Zola’s life. Every book he writes seems to stoke the flames of
controversy. When he meets a woman whom he comes to call Nana, he
writes a book named after her. The book, which is “about the gutter,”
is an overwhelming success, selling an astounding 36, 000 copies in
three days. Zola can hardly believe it, and the success of the book
only further displays the hypocrisy of the day. A man clandestinely
buys a copy, but when his wife shows interest, he tells her, “one does
not read such trash.”
The better part of
Zola’s life, told quickly in this film, is traced through the books he
published. There was turmoil in Paris, the have-nots toiling under
the iron thumb of the haves, the lives of most people dominated by a
cold, out of touch bureaucracy. Zola has his finger on the national
pulse, and he speaks for the people when he writes. As France tumbles
into a war for which they were woefully unprepared and uncertainty
grips the country, Zola does what he does best – he writes another
book, The Downfall, about the failings of the French army. The
Army, convinced that it does not make mistakes and intolerant of
civilian criticism, warns Zola not to go on writing what he writes.
Zola rejects this. It would be nice to see more of Zola’s struggle,
but after the publication of The Downfall, there is a montage
of book titles as years pass. Zola writes several more books and
grows old gracefully, gaining world fame and growing old gracefully.
Zola’s longtime friend, the painter Paul Cezanne (Vladimir Sokoloff)
goes his own way, and Zola is left with his family. It would have
been nice to see more of this friendship. Author and painter had been
friends since childhood, and they only broke later in life over Zola’s
fictionalized depiction of Cezanne in one of his novels.
The real story of
the film starts when Captain Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut, in an
Academy Award winning performance), a 20-year army veteran, is accused
of being a traitor. When it is discovered by the Army that some
sensitive information on a new gun has been leaked to the enemy, they
pick Dreyfus’s name out of a book, apparently at random (although, the
fact that Dreyfus was a Jew may not have helped). Dreyfus is called
in, conned into writing out a “confession,” and placed under arrest.
After a trial, he is convicted, publicly degraded, privately
humiliated, stripped of his rank, kicked out of the Army, and sent to
France’s infamous Devil’s Island prison, off the coast of French
Guiana in South America, where he rots for several years until Zola
takes an interest in his case.
It is fitting that
the Dreyfus Affair takes up the bulk of the film, as it is a defining
moment not only for Zola, but for France itself. The case had deeply
divided the country, and Zola risked his career and his life when he
published his “J’accuse,” an open letter to the French
president printed in a Paris daily. At first, Zola is no better off
than Dreyfus, as riots break out and he is attacked on the street by
an angry mob. Zola’s interest in the case was not only a threat to
the French Army, but to the country itself.
The courtroom drama
that takes up the latter part of the film is quite gripping. Zola
sits near silent as the Army outs itself, and the hypocrisy of the
establishment is put on full display. Zola is convicted, but the
conviction gives him more power than he ever had. He continues to
write, his voice more resonant than ever. Dreyfus is released, and
Zola, who died not long after, was made a hero of France.
The Life of Emile
Zola has
its flaws, but overall this is a stunning bio of a man that seems
largely forgotten outside his home country. The film is well
directed, and startlingly directed by William Dieterle. Dieterle was
a solid Hollywood director, and the eye behind several memorable films. He
made Dr. Socrates and The Story of Louis Pasteur, both
with Muni, as well as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939),
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), not to mention many, many
others. Dieterle, who started his career as a director of silent
films in
Germany in the 1920’s, put his skills on full display here.
Paul Muni loses
himself in the role of Emile Zola. His performance is dynamic.
Sadly, while Bogart, Cagney and others are remembered from that time,
Paul Muni is largely forgotten. He was one of the biggest stars of
the day, nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award six times;
he won for The Story of Louis Pasteur is 1935. Muni was a
strong actor of incredible range, starring in such films as
Scarface (1932) (the original Tony Montana), I Am A
Fugitive From A Chain Gang (1932), and many others. Muni
turned down the role of Roy Earle in High Sierra, the film
that would make Humphrey Bogart a star. In The Life of Emile Zola
we have another of Muni’s great performances, another for which he was
nominated for the Oscar. Aside from its many other merits, this is
the perfect film to rediscover this great actor from a bygone era.
THE
VIDEO
The Life of Emile
Zola is
presented in the original 1.33:1 full frame ratio. The transfer is
sharp, and the original black and white photography comes through
well. There are some grains and scratches present, but that is more
the result of a poorly preserved negative than a bad transfer.
THE
AUDIO
This DVD is
presented in the original mono, and the presentation is as good as
mono can be. The ambient crowd scenes come through well, and the
overall presentation is crisp.
THE EXTRAS
The Littlest
Diplomat:
A short film about a girl in the Army.
Romance Road: Another
one-reeler celebrating the glory of the Canadian Mounted Police.
Ain’t We Got Fun: A Merry
Melodies cartoon from the time this film was made. The cartoon is in
great condition and is a lot of fun to watch.
5/8/1939 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast: A vintage radio broadcast with Muni repeating his role.
We also hear from the film’s director, William Dieterle. Quite
interesting to hear.
Theatrical Trailer:
The original theatrical trailer. A passionate, sweeping trailer that
is indicative of the time in which it was made.
The short films
here are typical of what would have been shown in conjunction with any
film in the 1930’s, when movie going was an event. This is all very
interesting to see.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Life of Emile
Zola is
a dynamic film, well directed and acted by the entire cast. Paul Muni
is especially memorable. The bonus material is interesting, offering
a look at vintage entertainment that we seldom get these days.
