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The Life of Emile Zola [Blu-ray]

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The Life of Emile Zola [Blu-ray]

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Overview

This biographical film opens with French novelist Emile Zola starving in a Parisian garret. Each time Zola attempts to write "the truth," he is stymied by governmental censors. Still, he is able to achieve both fame and fortune with the publication of Nana, an unadorned tale of a prostitute.

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Release Date:	08/29/2023
UPC:	0810134942646
Original Release:	1937
Rating:	NR
Language:	English
Time:	1:56:00
Sales rank:	13,887

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Paul Muni	Emile Zola
Joseph Schildkraut	Capt. Alfred Dreyfus
Gale Sondergaard	Lucie Dreyfus
Gloria Holden	Alexandrine Zola
Donald Crisp	Maitre Labori
Erin O'Brien-Moore	Nana
John Litel	Charpentier
Henry O'Neill	Col. Picquart
Morris Carnovsky	Anatole France
Louis Calhern	Maj. Dort
Ralph Morgan	Commander of Paris
Robert Barrat	Maj. Walsin-Esterhazy,Maj. Walsin-Esterhazy
Vladimir Sokoloff	Paul Cezanne
Harry Davenport	Chief of Staff
Robert Warwick	Maj. Henry
Charles Richman	Monsieur Delagorgue
Dickie Moore	Pierre Dreyfus
Rolla Gourvitch	Jeanne Dreyfus
Gilbert Emery	Minister of War
Walter Kingsford	Col. Sandherr
Paul Everton	Assistant Chief of Staff
Montagu Love	Cavaignac
Frank Sheridan	Van Cassell
Lumsden Hare	Mr. Richards
Marcia Mae Jones	Helen Richards
Florence Roberts	Madame Zola
Grant Mitchell	Georges Clemenceau
Moroni Olsen	Capt. Guignet
Egon Brecher	Brucker
Frank Reicher	M. Perrenx
Walter O. Stahl	Senator Scheurer-Kestner
Frank Darien	Albert
Iphigenie Castiglioni	Madame Charpentier
Arthur Aylesworth	Chief Censor
Frank Mayo	Mathieu Dreyfus
Alexander Leftwich	Maj. D'Aboville
Paul Irving	La Rue
Pierre Watkin	Prefect of Police
Holmes Herbert	Commander of Paris
Robert Cummings Sr.	Gen. Gillian
Harry Worth	Lieutenant
William von Brincken	Schwartzkoppen
Robert Cummings	Gen. Gillian
Max Steiner	Composer,Musician

Technical Credits

Irving Rapper	Director
William Dieterle	Director
Norman Reilly Raine	Screenwriter
Heinz Herald	Screenwriter
Geza Herczeg	Screenwriter
Hal B. Wallis	Producer
Henry Blanke	Producer
Russ Saunders	Assistant Director

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

The first quarter of The Life of Emile Zola is a paint-by-numbers movie biography of the famed writer, condensing his early years into a few scenes while simultaneously providing little insight into Emile Zola the individual or explaining why we should care about him in the first place. It is only later that it becomes clear why these awkward early scenes were included; they may not have been presented in the most original fashion, but they provided necessary information to understand Zola's evolution. Once the film arrives at its true purpose, Zola's role in the historic Alfred Dreyfus affair, the film comes alive dramatically if not cinematically. The story of the Dreyfus affair is inherently compelling, and this is a solid (if not entirely factual) dramatization. From the beginning, the story leaves no doubt as to Dreyfus' innocence, and does not shy away from depicting the ruling officers as more concerned with preserving their power than with serving in the interest of France. The filmmakers do, however, shy away from pointing the finger at anti-Semitism, and that is the film's biggest failing. Only once does the film make any connection to anti-Semitism as the reason behind Dreyfus' persecution. Still, if the film is not an indictment of anti-Semitism, it is an indictment of mob mentality, as the easily manipulated nature of public opinion is ridiculed time and again. Paul Muni, acting under heavy makeup, is good as Zola, even if one never loses sight of the fact that one is watching a performance, and Joseph Schildkraut won an Oscar for playing Dreyfus. But the film is stolen by the group of actors playing the ruling officers, namely Robert H. Barrat, Louis Calhern, Robert Warwick, and especially Harry Davenport, who is cast completely against type as a scheming Chief of Staff.

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