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The Life of Emile Zola

1937 • 1h56m Drama, History

Rating

6.7/10

Popularity

2

A fictionalized account of famous French writer Emile Zola and his involvement in the Dreyfus Affair. After struggling to establish himself, Zola wins success writing about the unsavory side of Paris and settles into a comfortable upper-class life. However, Zola's complacency is shaken when Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus is imprisoned for being a spy. Realizing that Dreyfus is an innocent victim of anti-Semitism, Zola boldly pens a newspaper article exposing the truth, is charged with libel and must defend himself in a dramatic courtroom testimony.

Details

Director

William Dieterle

Screenplay

Norman Reilly Raine

Heinz Herald

Geza Herczeg

Cast

Paul Muni

Gale Sondergaard

Joseph Schildkraut

Release date

9/9/1937

Status

Released

Origin country

US

Vote count

145