The Life of Emile Zola (Special Edition)
by William Dieterle
List Price:
Our Price: $17.99
You Save: $1.99 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $10.66 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Donald Crisp, Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden, Joseph Schildkraut, Paul MuniDirector: William Dieterle
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Life of Emile Zola (Special Edition)
Movie Review: "Truth is marching on and will not be stopped"
Summary: 5 Stars
I was amazed at the power of this "old" movie. Made in 1937, in black and white, obviously, and acted in the over-the-top style that was in vogue in those days (pre-Actors Studio). Yet, dated though some of the aspects of the film are, the message is timeless and certainly is apt for this moment. I won't retell the story, as others here have done a good job and many readers will already know the events on which the film is based. It's certainly worth seeing and pondering how the message applies to today. Zola said, in the end, "Truth is marching on and will not be stopped." Let's all drink to that!
Summary of The Life of Emile Zola (Special Edition)
Still as potently relevant today as it was in 1937, The Life of Emile Zola is a marvelously entertaining slab of Hollywood social issue-mongering. The life of the French writer is broadly sketched in the early going, but the film settles into its groove with the Dreyfus affair: the scandalous railroading of a military captain for treason, which shook France to its foundation in the 1890s. The elderly Zola's gradual involvement in the case, climaxing with his electrifying "J'accuse!" essay and subsequent trial for libel, is the heart and soul of the picture.Warner Bros.' version of this story, directed by William Dieterle, carries over the passion (and hokum) of the previous year's Story of Louis Pasteur. It also retains that film's leading man, Paul Muni, who turns in an elaborately theatrical performance. The result was a box-office smash and three Oscars, for best picture, script, and supporting actor (Joseph Schildkraut, who plays Dreyfus). While the film occasionally creaks with Hollywood artifice, the clarion call of truth and outrage come through surprisingly strongly--indeed the film looks prescient as a warning about governments closing ranks to cover up mistakes. Mostly sidestepped is the anti-Semitic vitriol of the campaign against Dreyfus (his Jewishness is referenced only in a written report glimpsed for a moment). This is an old-fashioned barnburner that encourages the viewer to fan the flames. --Robert Horton
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! Year: 1937Running Time: 116 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569692527
Drama DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Best Picture Winners: 1929 - 1949
All the King's MenRelease date: 2001-06-05; DVD
Best price: $8.53
Price in other shops:
Hamlet - Criterion CollectionRelease date: 2000-09-19; DVD
Best price: $16.15
Price in other shops:
Gentleman's AgreementRelease date: 2003-01-14; DVD
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
The Best Years of Our LivesRelease date: 2000-07-18; DVD
Best price: $4.48
Price in other shops:
The Lost WeekendMILLAND,RAY; Release date: 2001-02-06; DVD
Best price: $6.85
Price in other shops:
Going My Way (Universal Cinema Classics)UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2007-02-06; DVD
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Casablanca (Two-Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2003-08-05; DVD
Best price: $10.39
Price in other shops:
Mrs. MiniverWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $13.43
Price in other shops:
How Green Was My ValleyRelease date: 2003-01-14; DVD
Best price: $3.95
Price in other shops:
RebeccaRelease date: 1999-09-07; DVD
Best price: $51.99
Similar DVD Movies
It Happened One NightRelease date: 1999-12-28; DVD
Best price: $15.40
Price in other shops:
The Lost WeekendMILLAND,RAY; Release date: 2001-02-06; DVD
Best price: $6.85
Price in other shops:
The Best Years of Our LivesRelease date: 2000-07-18; DVD
Best price: $4.48
Price in other shops:
You Can't Take It With YouRelease date: 2003-02-18; DVD
Best price: $13.20
Price in other shops:
Mutiny on the BountyRelease date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $5.34
Price in other shops:
Mrs. MiniverWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $13.43
Price in other shops:
Grand Hotel (Snap case)Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $3.98
Price in other shops:
The Broadway Melody (Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2005-02-01; DVD
Best price: $7.77
Price in other shops:
The Great ZiegfeldWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $11.89
Price in other shops:
CimarronWarner Brothers; Release date: 2006-01-31; DVD
Best price: $4.14
Price in other shops: