The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
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- Passed
- 1h 56min
- Biography, Drama
- 02 Oct 1937 (USA)
- Movie
The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfus Affair.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Won 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Paul Muni | ... |
Emile Zola
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| Gale Sondergaard | ... |
Lucie Dreyfus
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| Joseph Schildkraut | ... |
Capt. Alfred Dreyfus
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| Gloria Holden | ... |
Alexandrine Zola
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| Donald Crisp | ... |
Maitre Labori
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| Erin O'Brien-Moore | ... |
Nana
(as Erin O'Brien Moore)
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| John Litel | ... |
Charpentier
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| Henry O'Neill | ... |
Col. Picquart
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| Morris Carnovsky | ... |
Anatole France
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| Louis Calhern | ... |
Maj. Dort
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| Ralph Morgan | ... |
Commander of Paris
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| Robert Barrat | ... |
Maj. Walsin-Esterhazy
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| Vladimir Sokoloff | ... |
Paul Cezanne
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| Grant Mitchell | ... |
Georges Clemenceau
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| Harry Davenport | ... |
Chief of Staff
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| Robert Warwick | ... |
Maj. Henry
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| Charles Richman | ... |
M. Delagorgue
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| Gilbert Emery | ... |
Minister of War
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| Walter Kingsford | ... |
Col. Sandherr
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| Paul Everton | ... |
Assistant Chief of Staff
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| Montagu Love | ... |
M. Cavaignac
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| Frank Sheridan | ... |
M. Van Cassell
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| Lumsden Hare | ... |
Mr. Richards
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| Marcia Mae Jones | ... |
Helen Richards
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| Florence Roberts | ... |
Madame Zola
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| Dickie Moore | ... |
Pierre Dreyfus
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Rolla Gourvitch | ... |
Jeanne Dreyfus
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Arthur Aylesworth | ... |
Chief Censor (uncredited)
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| Maurice Black | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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| Eumenio Blanco | ... |
Member of Court (uncredited)
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| Stanley Blystone | ... |
(uncredited)
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| William A. Boardway | ... |
Member of Court (uncredited)
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Egon Brecher | ... |
Brucker (uncredited)
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Iphigenie Castiglioni | ... |
Madame Charpentier (uncredited)
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| Gino Corrado | ... |
Bit Part (uncredited)
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Robert Cummings Sr. | ... |
Gen. Gillian (uncredited)
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| Frank Darien | ... |
Albert (uncredited)
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| Franklyn Farnum | ... |
(uncredited)
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Curt Furberg | ... |
Member of Court (uncredited)
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| Holmes Herbert | ... |
Commander of Paris (uncredited)
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Paul Irving | ... |
La Rue (uncredited)
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Alexander Leftwich | ... |
Maj. D'Aboville (uncredited)
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| Eric Mayne | ... |
Member of the Court (uncredited)
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| Frank Mayo | ... |
Mathieu Dreyfus (uncredited)
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Alex Novinsky | ... |
Member of the Court (uncredited)
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| Moroni Olsen | ... |
Capt. Guignet (uncredited)
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| Frank Reicher | ... |
M. Perrenx (uncredited)
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| Stephen Soldi | ... |
Member of Court (uncredited)
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Walter O. Stahl | ... |
Sen. Scheurer-Kestner (uncredited)
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| Wilhelm von Brincken | ... |
Swartzoppen (uncredited)
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| Pierre Watkin | ... |
Prefect of Police (uncredited)
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Dolores Weisenfreund | ... |
Small Role (uncredited)
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| Harry Worth | ... |
Lieutenant (uncredited)
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Directed by
| William Dieterle | ||
Written by
| Norman Reilly Raine | ... | (screen play) & |
| Heinz Herald | ... | (screen play) & |
| Geza Herczeg | ... | (screen play) |
| Heinz Herald | ... | (story) and |
| Geza Herczeg | ... | (story) |
| Matthew Josephson | ... | (source material "Zola and His Time") |
Produced by
| Henry Blanke | ... | associate producer (uncredited) |
| Hal B. Wallis | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
| Jack L. Warner | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
Music by
| Max Steiner | ||
Cinematography by
| Tony Gaudio | ... | (photography) |
Editing by
| Warren Low | ... | film editor |
Art Direction by
| Anton Grot | ||
Set Decoration by
| Albert C. Wilson | ... | (uncredited) |
Costume Design by
| Milo Anderson | ... | (costumes by) |
| Ali Hubert | ... | (costumes by) |
Makeup Department
| Perc Westmore | ... | makeup artist |
| Gordon Bau | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
| Norbert A. Myles | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Irving Rapper | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
| Russell Saunders | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Harper Goff | ... | set designer (uncredited) |
| Eric Rohman | ... | poster artist : Sweden (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Nathan Levinson | ... | sound director (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Eugene Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Leo F. Forbstein | ... | musical director |
| Hugo Friedhofer | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Irving Rapper | ... | dialogue director |
| S. Charles Einfeld | ... | press representative (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Warner Bros. (present)
Distributors
- Warner Bros. (1937) (United States) (theatrical) (A Warner Bros. Picture)
- Vitagraph Limited (1937) (Canada) (theatrical)
- First National Film Distributors (1937) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Warner Brothers First National Films (1937) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Warner Brothers First National Films (1937) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. First National Films (1938) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Dominant Pictures Corporation (1956) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Associated Artists Productions (AAP) (1956) (United States) (tv)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1989) (United States) (VHS)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (United States) (video) (LaserDisc)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1994) (World-wide) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2005) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Turner Entertainment (VHS package design)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Fictionalized account of the life of famed French author Emile Zola. As portrayed in the film, he was a penniless writer sharing an apartment in Paris with painter Paul Cezanne when he finally wrote a best-seller, Nana. He has always had difficulty holding onto a job as he is quite outspoken, being warned on several occasions by the public prosecutor that he risks charges if he does not temper his writings. The bulk of the film deals with his involvement in the case of Captain Alfred Dreyfus who was falsely convicted of giving secret military information to the Germans and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devils Island. Antisemitism played an important role in the real-life case but is hardly mentioned in the film. Even after the military found definitive evidence that Dreyfus was innocent, the army decided to cover it up rather than face the scandal of having arbitrarily convicted the wrong man. Zola's famous letter, J'Accuse (I Accuse), led to his own trial for libel where he was found guilty and forced to flee to England. Dreyfus was eventually exonerated and restored to his military rank. Written by garykmcd |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Here Is True Greatness ! See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | This was the first film to break double digits in Academy Award nominations, receiving an astonishing ten nods. See more » |
| Goofs | The young Zola is shown sharing a garret with Paul Cezanne. While they were friends, they did not live together in Paris. Also, they are shown as being friends long after Zola published the novel L'Oeuvre, whose main character is based on Cezanne. In fact, the book ended their friendship. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Breakdowns of 1938 (1938). See more » |
| Soundtracks | La Marseillaise See more » |
| Quotes |
Émile Zola:
Paul. Paul Cezanne: Hmm. Émile Zola: Will you write? Paul Cezanne: No. But I'll remember. See more » |