108. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

Running Time: 115 minutes
Directed By: William Dieterle
Written By: Norman Reilly, Raine Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg, from book by Matthew Josephson
Main Cast: Paul Muni, Joseph Schildkraut, Gloria Holden, Gale Sondergaard

1937 BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Paul Muni stars as Emile Zola, a french born author and activist and delivers a completely different performance than I've seen him do thus far.

"The Life of Emile Zola" starts out with Emile and his roommate Paul Cezanne, living poorly in a drafty attic and prophecizing their futures, Zola's as a writer and Cezanne's as a painter. Emile gets his first big burst of inspiration in the form of a prostitute named Nana, who he happens upon, running from the police and coincidentally she is saved by Zola, who offers her a quick cover. After interviewing her for the remainder of the night, he sees the pages of a book unraveling in front of him and he eventually gets the book published under the simple title of Nana. The book is a huge hit and Zola is an immediate success, following up his successful Nana with a book entitled The Downfall. The years roll on and book after book is released and Zola continues to grow as a publicly known author. We're then fast forwarded into Zola's golden years, as he is now living happily with his wife and ready toi wind down, finished with his writing career.

However, the inspiration, much like it did with Nana, falls right into his lap, yet again and the movie really starts to pick up a little steam. Captain Alfred Dreyfus of the French Army is wrongfully accused of writing a letter, that threatens to reveal many of the armies most hidden secrets. He is tried and convicted of treason and cast away to Devil's Island where he is held in confinement for the crime he did not commit. Later, some new details arrise that would give Dreyfus his freedom, but the French Army superiors, not wanting to admit that they made a mistake, decide to sweep the new evidence under the rug. Dreyfus' wife goes to Zola and pleads for his help in bringing the new evidence to light and helping to free her husband. The trial begins after Zola gives a famous speech to the papers, entitled "I Accuse", accusing the French Army of their dishonesty.

I've now seen Muni in three films and each role has been entirely different. He kicked it off by playing a fugitive from a chain gang, followed that with his portrayl of Tony Camonte and now slides in with Emile Zola. It's amazing how Muni was able to totally transform himself and become the character that he was playing and I'll remember him as a great actor, who was able to make such transformations. As for the film itself, "The Life of Emile Zola" is quite a slow moving film and really doesn't pick up any speed until we get into the whole Dreyfus affair. However, once the Dreyfus scandal is established, the film has a hard time sustaining that pace and eventually it slows down yet again, providing a countless number of big, overblown speeches that made me want to yawn, instead of cheer. Although, I'll have to admit that I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did, as the idea of watching a biopic about a 19th century french authoir, certainly didn't have me doing cartwheels or anything. I felt the whole first thirty minutes could've been cut down, merely to allow enough time to establish Zola as a prominent figure in the French community and a famous author, which could've been done in less time that they took to do it. The real movie doesn't begin until Dreyfus enters the picture.

RATING: 5/10 We'll cut it straight down the middle, giving some kudos for acting and some for plot, but deducting for some wasted time and some real yawner moments.

NEXT UP: Make Way for Tomorrow...This is being released on DVD this coming Tuesday, but it's also on YouTube, which is where I'll be watching it, later tonight.

February 17, 2010 5:44pm