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Emile Zola: Albert Dreyfus
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On this day in 1898 Emile Zola published his "J'Accuse" letter on the Dreyfus Affair in the French newspaper L'Aurore. In his letter Zola listed eight politicians and military personnel (including the President of the Republic) whom he held responsible for the scapegoat, anti-Semitic conviction of Captain Dreyfus for treason three years earlier. Before the morning was out over 300,000 copies of the newspaper had been sold -- ten times the usual -- not a few to those so outraged at Zola's charges that they made bonfires. FULL STORY »
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Paul Muni played a number of historical characters -- Louis Pasteur, Benito Juarez, and here the great French realist Emile Zola. The film, one of Warner's socially conscious prestige pictures of the 1930's won Academy Awards for Best Picture and for Joseph Schildkraut's performance as Capt. Dreyfus. With: Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden, Donald Crisp, Erin O'Brien-Moore, Henry O'Neill, Morris Carnovksy, and Louis Calhern. Notes: Screenplay by Norman Reilly Raine, Heinz Herald, and Geza Herczeg. Photography by Tony Gaudio. Oscars for best picture, screenplay, and best supporting actor (Schildkraut).
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Paul Muni gave an unforgettable, Oscar-nominated performance as French novelist Emile Zola in this classic biographical picture. The film covers the 19th-century author's life, from his days as a socially-conscious young writer, to the publication of his famous early novel "Nana," to his many battles against injustice -- which culminated in his famous fight on behalf of Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut). Zola came to Dreyfus's defense after the captain was court-martialled by the French army for supposedly supplying military secrets to the Germans. The author was convinced of Dreyfus's innocence and challenged the French government -- and even his own friends -- to get Dreyfus released from Devil's Island. and, in essence, on behalf of freedom for everyone. Academy Award Nominations: 10, including Best Director, Best Actor--Paul Muni, Best Original Story.
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Lucie Dreyfus calls on Zola and says she has proof and that Picquart is in prison. Zola writes an open letter to the President that the general staff knows Dreyfus is innocent. Zola accuses them in the newspaper and expects a trial for libel. People burn books by Zola, who has to flee a mob. In Zola's trial the judge refuses to re-open the Dreyfus and Esterhazy cases. Zola's attorney Maitre Labori (Donald Crisp) questions Picquart, who explains his proof of Esterhazy's guilt.
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Muni is Zola in this box-office hit which concentrates on the writer's involvement in proving that Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Schildkraut) was innocent of betraying his country. As in most biographies, the first few years of the subject's life are deeply uninteresting, but the film finds its focus and its heart when Schildkraut is banished to Devil's Island, and then it can hardly be faulted. Except, perhaps, for the vehemence with which it goes for the shelf-full of Oscars, that is.
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In January 1898, Zola became involved in the Dreyfus Affair, writing an open letter, published in the Paris newspaper L’Aurore. This was the famous “J’accuse” (“I accuse”) letter, in which Zola attacked French officials for their persecution of the Jewish artillery officer Alfred Dreyfus, who had ostensibly been found guilty of treason—a letter for which he was found guilty of libel and was forced to spend a year in exile in England. Zola died in Paris on September 29, 1902 of carbon monoxide poisoning from a blocked chimney.
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