THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA: Blu-ray (Warner Bros., 1937) Warner Archive
During the climactic trial that
caps off William Dieterle’s The Life of Emile Zola, our titular hero
declares, "There are times when the most courageous thing is to be
cowardly." Indeed. The quiet rectitude permeating this Oscar-winning
picture from 1937 owes a great deal to Paul Muni – an irrefutable chameleon of
the American cinema, transformed by make-up and sheer willpower into the noble
and introspective Zola. Some 80+ years after its theatrical release, The
Life of Emile Zola remains one of filmdom’s distinct pleasures. It neither
embellished nor flag waves, but proves to be just as emotionally satisfying and
twice as likely to be championed as a cinema masterpiece well into the next
century. The movie’s well-defined perspective against antisemitism (though
never spoken) is now one for the time capsules, foreshadowing the growing
social angst of nations, manifested in the Nazi terror brewing a hemisphere
away, and soon to engulf Europe and the rest of the world in its colossal
maelstrom. Dieterle's direction is seamless, making his points but never
dwelling upon them. The musical score by Max Steiner, is also one of his
finest.
Muni plays Zola as a discreet man
of conviction, coerced to reexamine his fellow countrymen’s beliefs in a highly
publicized case involving Jewish soldier, Capt. Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut).
Sentenced to life on Devil's Island for giving out military secrets, Dreyfus
is, in fact, innocent of the charge, but trapped. Dreyfus’ wife, Lucie (Gale
Sondergaard) believes in him and implores Zola to take on her husband’s case.
But how long will Dreyfus’s vindication take, particularly when those
responsible for his arrest are members of the justice system? Set in the
mid-through-late 19th century, the movie begins by extolling the virtues of
Zola's early friendship with Post-Impressionist painter, Paul Cézanne (Vladimir
Sokoloff) with whom he shares a drafty flat in Paris, circa 1862. Zola’s fiancé
Alexandrine (Gloria Holden) gets him a desk job at a bookshop. The position is
terminated, however, after the publication of Zola’s first provocative novel, The
Confessions of Claude. Bearing witness to the unsanitary condition of the
slums, illegitimate mining practices, and the corruption to have eroded the
precepts of the French government and army, Zola’s chance encounter with a
prostitute (Erin O'Brien-Moore) inspires his next bestseller, Nana, a
truthful dramatization of Paris’ seedy underworld. Despite the threat of
constant censorship, Zola continues to publish other works to challenge the
status quo, including The Downfall, a biting admonition of the
disastrous defeat of French forces in the Franco-Prussian war. With his
newfound wealth and prosperity, Zola and Alexandrine are wed and settle into an
enviable lifestyle. Cézanne, still poor and unknown, visits Zola before
departing from the city. Alas, Cézanne is disillusioned by his old friend’s
complacency – having grown ‘soft’ from luxury. Insulted by this insinuation,
Zola and Cézanne end their friendship on a bittersweet note.
Meanwhile, a letter addressed to
the military attaché in the German embassy is stolen; confirmation, there a
rogue element within the French General Staff. Almost immediately, the army
commanders accuse Captain Alfred Dreyfus of being a traitor. Summarily
court-martialed, publicly humiliated and imprisoned on Devil's Island in French
Guiana, Dreyfus has been exploited as a scapegoat. Sometime later, the new
Chief of Intelligence, Colonel Picquart (Henry O'Neill), uncovers evidence
implicating Hungarian infantry officer, Major Walsin-Esterhazy (Robert Barrat)
of being the spy. Alas, Picquart is silenced to avert official embarrassment.
Shortly thereafter, he is reassigned to a remote outpost. Time passes – four
devastatingly long years. Now Dreyfus’ dutiful wife, Lucie implores Zola to
look into her husband's case. Despite his reluctance, Zola’s interest causes
him to author an open letter ‘J'accuse’ in the newspaper L'Aurore. In it, Zola
indicts the French High Command for derailing Dreyfus’ right to a fair trial.
The letter incites a riot that Zola barely escapes with his life. Charged with
libel, Zola’s attorney, Maitre Labori (Donald Crisp) is denied the right to
introduce new evidence that would prove Zola’s claims by exposing the biased
testimony given at Dreyfus’ trial. Instead, Zola is found guilty and sentenced
to a year in prison and a 3000 Franc fine. Very reluctantly, he retreats to
London without serving any time, continuing to fight on Dreyfus’ behalf from
abroad. Having exposed the French Army administration for its base and corrupt
practices, Zola’s fight results in Dreyfus being declared innocent. Those who
were responsible for the cover-up are either dismissed from the posts or commit
suicide, with Walsin-Esterhazy the only exception, escaping his comeuppance
entirely. Bitter-sweetly, Zola succumbs to
accidental carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty stove on the eve just prior
to Dreyfus’ full pardon and induction into the Legion of Honor. Zola’s body is
later buried in the Pantheon in Paris, given a warrior's send-off.
Invigorated by Paul Muni’s devastatingly
dignified, candid, and sturdy performance, The Life of Emile Zola endures
as one of Hollywood’s premiere historical dramas. For Muni, the accolade was
well deserved. Having already immortalized Louis Pasteur in 1936, the actor,
whose reputation today has withered on the vine, inexplicably surpassed by
others of his generation, has evolved a supreme yet subtly nuanced portrait of this
great figure from history, to effortlessly infuse Zola – the man – with the
blood and vigor of a life well-lived, and, even more fittingly preserved for
posterity. Muni’s sustained vivacity here is both commendable and infectious.
If overlooked in more recent times, as much as the actor who so thrillingly
gave it life, neither should be. While
certain moments in the screenplay, co-written by Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg and
Norman Reilly Raine are undeniably a spank on then present-era Nazi Germany,
the cleverness in its authorship provides for multifaceted interpretations in
timelessness and integrity. Criticized for sidestepping the antisemitic angle, clearly
at the core of Dreyfus’ trial, there is enough of its underlying notation to
challenge nationalist pride, while refraining to pour out war-time rhetoric.
Evidently, old wounds die hard, as The Life of Emile Zola was banned in
France for some years yet to come.
The Warner Archive (WAC) has
finally come around to tackling The Life of Emile Zola on Blu-ray. For
this outing, WAC has gone back to an original camera negative and the results
are exquisite. Age-related artifacts that plagued their tired, old DVD release
have been completely eradicated. Contrast is bang-on excellent and fine detail
could scarcely be better, belying the picture’s 86th anniversary.
Film grain is properly placed and appearing indigenous to its source. The gray scale is impeccably rendered with
velvety blacks and solid, clean whites. The 2.0 DTS mono audio sounds uniformly
excellent with zero hiss during quiescent scenes. Extras include a rare Lux
Radio ‘audio only’ of Muni doing Zola, two vintage WB shorts, and, a theatrical
trailer. Bottom line: The Life of Emile Zola belongs on every serious
collector’s top shelf of ‘must haves.’ I do hope WAC is diligently working to bring
its last 2 Oscar-winning Best Picture winners under its umbrella – 1936’s The
Great Ziegfeld, and 1956’s Around the World in 80 Days, to Blu very,
VERY soon. We’ll see.
FILM RATING (out
of 5 - 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
5
EXTRAS
2
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