| Product Summary | | Publisher: Warner | | Format: DVD | | UPC: 00883929002504 | | Buy.com Sku: 206584617 | | Item#: V2LXQX | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 23728 | | Category Keywords: Injustice Writers | | Rating: NR |
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| | | "Winner of 3 Academy Awards, Including Best Picture."
Features: DVD
The Life of Emile Zola episodically explores the career of the novelist who championed the cause of France's oppressed. Zola (Paul Muni) is a hugely successful French author who risks all his success and comfort to come to the defense of the unjustly jailed Capt. Dreyfus (Oscar winner Joseph Schildkraut). Winner of three Oscars overall - and of immense critical and popular success - his distinguished film is a must-see portrait of a life that's a moment of the conscience of man. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture!
"The strong story line is enhanced by intelligent dialogue and first rate performances by a stellar cast..." Arthur Lazere, CultureVulture.net
"A great and valuable and stirring film document." Frank S. Nugent, The New York Times
Editor's Note
Paul Muni stars as Emile Zola, giving possibly his best performance in this excellent biography of the great writer, which won three Oscars, including Best Picture. The film's most unusual aspect is its evasiveness regarding the anti-Semitism that led to the terrible injustice of the Dreyfus affair. As Neil Gabler and others have pointed out, this can probably be attributed to the reluctance of the Jewish studio moguls to incur the ire of a society in which they still didn't feel entirely accepted. The film tracks Zola's early years, including his friendship with Paul Cezanne (Vladimir Sokoloff), and his uphill battle to expose in print the social ills that plagued France's lower classes. When success arrives with the publication of NANA, he garners an audience that can appreciate his exposés of the corruption of the nation's government, military, and business community. But it's in the Herculean effort to clear Captain Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut), a victim of anti-Semitism who had been framed on charges of military espionage and sent to Devil's Island, that Zola reveals in full force the tremendous courage that undergirded his achievment. High production values, an excellent cast, and an intelligent script all add to the film's extraordinary quality.
Plot Summary
Second in the series of William Dieterle's Warners biopics, THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA stars Paul Muni as the title character. It opens as the writer and impassioned social activist, who shares a garret with Paul Cezanne, struggles against a censorious society to get his controversial work published. He makes his name exposing the wretched conditions of the lower classes but plunges into the battle of his life, defending the innocence of scapegoat Captain Dreyfus, who had been railroaded into exile on Devil's Island by the anti-Semitism of the French military.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono | | Exclusive O-Sleeve Packaging! | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 1/8/2008 |
| Running Time: 128 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1937 | | Catalog ID: 1000035662 | | UPC: 00883929002504 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1938) | | | Oscar, The Life of Emile Zola, Best Picture | | | Oscar, Joseph Schildkraut, Best Actor in a Supporting Role | | | Oscar, Heinz Herald, et. al., Best Writing, Screenplay | |
Nominee (1938) | | | Oscar, Paul Muni, Best Actor in a Leading Role | | | Oscar, William Dieterle, Best Director | | | Oscar, Anton Grot, Best Art Direction | | | Oscar, Russell Saunders, Best Assistant Director | | | Oscar, Leo F. Forbstein, Best Music, Score | | | Oscar, Nathan Levinson, Best Sound, Recording | | | Oscar, Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg, Best Writing, Original Story |
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| | Professional Reviews | DVD Verdict 9 of 10
Paul Muni had already been recognized for his work in this sort of role; he won the Best Actor Academy Award for portraying the title character in The Story of Louis Pasteur. Muni was a fine actor, though somewhat inclined to overly theatrical portrayals through much of his career. He clearly relished being made up in period costume and facial make-up. Certainly he buried himself in his roles, particularly the historical figures that frequently gave him a platform for the sort of powerful, moving speeches at which he was among the best of his time. The Emile Zola role was a perfect fit in every respect, with the opportunity to dramatize Zola's famous "J'accuse" exhortation, in which he condemns the military hierarchy, clearly a high point...But Muni's work is not the only impressive aspect of the film. Directed by William Dieterle (who would team with Muni in all three of his Warner Bros. biography films), the film is a polished studio production...An important contributor was the entire supporting cast, which collectively was exceptional. Joseph Schildkraut excels in a nicely understated playing of Dreyfus, an effort that would see him rewarded with the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. - Barrie Maxwell
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