The Life Of Emile Zola 1937

The Film:

A bio-pic won for the second year running. But Florenz Ziegfeld and Emile Zola don't really have a great deal else in common (except both their surnames begin with Z and have led to the only two winners to have a Z in their title!). I knew very little about the film before watching it - except that it would be my film of choice if there was ever a Best Picture Oscars round on Pointless!

The film itself has come under quite a lot of scrutiny in recent years as one of several from the era that are alleged to have been watered down in order to avoid offending Hitler, and there for be able to be sold to Nazi Germany. The facts of the case that the film dramatizes make it very clear that anti-semitism played a significant part. But this barely gets even hinted at - and the word "Jew" doesn't appear at all. Modern theories suggest that Hays and Breen (of Hays Code infamy) were clearly behind it all - with Jewish film-makers such as Jack Warner caught in the middle of the whole thing. As with last week, there's a whole other film to be made there....

It was proving a bit tricky to find a Region 2 DVD out there for less than about £20 - but then I found several copies of the film on Youtube. This seemed to be the best - you need to go to part two for the last half hour:

The Ceremony:

The 10th Academy Awards ceremony was postponed from March 3rd to March 10th 1938, because of the Los Angeles flood. Yet again, it was held at the Biltmore.

This was the last year for the categories "Dance Direction" and "Assistant Director" - and the first year that a colour film (A Star Is Born) was nominated for Best Picture.

It was hosted by Bob Burns who was a big radio comedy star at the time - most famous for playing an instrument he invented himself which he called the Bazooka. The wonders of Youtube bring us this little explanation:

Other Notable Winners That Night:

For the third year running Best Picture didn't win Best Director - that went to Leo McCarey for the Cary Grant comedy The Awful Truth. (Leo McCarey will be back again in a few years' time....)

Luise Rainer became the first person to win consecutive acting Oscars, alongside Spencer Tracey

Janet Gaynor (especially for Andy) -
blazing a trail for Judy, Barbra and Gaga!

 (who would repeat the feat the following year). It's generally accepted that Rainer was a bit more deserving this year than last - she plays a very dramatic role in a dramatic film (alongside Paul Muni again - there were definitely fewer actors out there back then, and they made a great many more films in a shorter space of time!)

A Star is Born won "Best Story" (the equivalent of Original Screenplay) - this was clearly well deserved as the film is currently being remade yet again - after Janet Gaynor we got Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and now Lady Gaga!



Best Song:

We get a bit of Bing singing Best Song this year - Sweet Leilani from Waikiki Wedding. Hindsight suggests strongly that Gershwin was robbed - he was nominated posthumously for "They Can't Take That Away From Me". Maybe people wanted a bit of a break from Fred and Ginger?

What We Could/Should Have Been Watching:

Another excuse for a Kate pic - this time with Ginger!

There are some big films on the list, several of which I've seen before - personal favourites are Stage Door (with Kate and Ginger being fab in New York), One Hundred Men and a Girl (my other favourite Deanna Durbin film) and the aforementioned A Star Is Born. But that's because they are the sort of films I like! Also up there are Lost Horizon and Captains Courageous among others.

I think I'd rather have been watching A Star Is Born. But I've seen that already - and there's no way I would have watched Emile Zola if it hadn't won the award.



Our Verdict:

 I went into this with no preconceptions or expectations - other than that I presumed the whole thing would be well acted (or at least Zola and Dreyfus).

After a bit more hair dye and a few trims for the opening scene.

I was drawn into the story pretty much straight away. The film was essentially in three parts. The first told the main part of Zola's life story - from being a struggling writer, to meeting Nana and writing Nana and becoming notorious and famous and rich. It went at a fair pace for about half an hour - with ever growing and whitening beard - and left him feeling content and ready to settle down to a nice life and to stop rocking the political/social boat.

(Apparently Paul Muni shot the scenes in reverse order after having grown his own beard - as Zola got younger, the beard got dyed and trimmed!)

Gid moaning. I am a Fronch Poloceman.
I was jist pissing the cofe....

The story then very abruptly moves to Dreyfus and there is no further mention of Zola for another half an hour or so, until Dreyfus is languishing in his cell. If you weren't aware of the story before watching the film it would seem like a very abrupt shift of focus - one that would have been done more subtly these days, probably cutting more between the two. However, I think it works really well. We get to know both of our main protagonists separately - and they only link together when their lives do.

Here is where all the anti-semitism is shockingly missing. You see the word "Jew" on a page and someone remarks on how someone "like that" could ever have become an officer. But everything is either implied or just missing.

Almost unrecognisable Mr Muni -
and nothing like on the poster!

Anyway - Dreyfus is set up (for no discernible reason...!) and off he goes to Devil's Island. Back to Zola who is very reluctant to get involved in anything, but eventually publishes "J'Accuse" and forces the case out in the open by being arrested for libel.

The court scene is very well done - some very clear (and still relevant) statements on the difference between being loyal to your country and loyal to whatever regime is running your country and lots about Truth and Justice. And it's ridiculous that Paul Muni didn't join Luise Rainer in winning an Oscar two years running - he is brilliant throughout!

I won't give away the complexities of the ending, but it all turns out well for Dreyfus - not so for Zola, who stands as a lesson to all of us to check our carbon monoxide detectors!

Justice! And Freedom!

There is a lovely scene where Dreyfus is released and just given his papers and left by the open door of his cell. He walks through it and then back several times almost in disbelief with a growing smile on his face. It's small, subtle and really quite brilliant. And one of the reasons Joseph Schildkraut won the Oscar.

Overall, it was a very good film and definitely worth watching. Deep and moving, well written and well acted. Sadly it's become very dated, mainly for the avoidance of the anti-semitism. But it's still a very good piece of drama.