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Fledgling author Emile Zola (Paul Muni) and equally-fledgling painter Paul Cézanne (Vladimir Sokoloff) are both friends in their early 20s living together in Paris, sharing an attic. It's winter, and it's rather drafty. There is a furnace and Emile decides to throw pages from books into it so they can warm up. Emile doesn't mind doing this because the books are, in his opinion, lies that hide the truths about government and current politics to the French society. They receive a visit from Emile's mother (Florence Roberts) and Emile's lover, Alexandrine (Gloria Holden), who tell him that he has received a job offer as a clerk for a publishing company. This excites everyone as it greatly increases Emile's chances of having his works continue to be published as well.
Unfortunately, this job doesn't wind up lasting very long. After just a few days, a public prosecutor visits the publisher, who then calls Emile into his office. The prosecutor tells Emile to stop writing about the topics he's currently having published elsewhere because his works are "scandalous" and could demoralize society. The publisher who Emile works for did not publish these works in question, but since Emile is working for this publisher, it makes this company look bad as a result. The prosecutor leaves and Emile is fired. Undeterred, Emile promises to not change anything about his writing.
While out to dinner with Paul, a prostitute named Nana (Erin O'Brien Moore) runs into the restaurant as she attempts to hide from a police raid. Emile catches on to what's happening and motions for her to sit with them, so she does just as the police run in. Emile and Paul pretend she is a friend of theirs, and the police leave. Emile tries to learn about Nana, but she laments her life on the streets and doesn't really want to say much. Finally, she lets her guard down and gets more comfortable with them. She talks to Emile while Paul sketches her. Later, they offer their attic for her to sleep in tonight, and while she slumbers, Emile decides he wants to tell Nana's story to the world. They also use Paul's sketch as the book cover.
The book is a smash, exposing the steamy underground of Parisian life on the streets. Emile is so excited upon receiving his first royalty check that he goes outside into the rain and almost buys 24 umbrellas from the vendor before he catches himself, calms down and just buys 1. Emile also stops by Nana's apartment (apparently he learned where it was) and leaves her a thank-you gift, a copy of the book with 100 francs inside. As time passes, France is overtaken in the war by the Prussian army. Emile knows why France lost, feeling it was not because of simply being outmanned, but because the government rolled over like obedient dogs. He publishes a slew of successful books, with one entitled The Downfall garnering the most attention as it exposes why France lost the war. The public loves the book, but the French army damn sure doesn't, and they put pressure on Emile's publisher as a result. Emile shakes off the pressure, saying he will continue to write the truth for the people.
More time passes. Emile and Alexandrine are now married and living in a wealthy mansion. Paul visits them for dinner and tells them he's decided to leave Paris before things get worse politically. He also tells Emile that he's his best friend so he knows he can be honest, and he feels Emile has become complacent. Emile admits he feels like he doesn't need to be a zealot anymore. He's fought his battles and now he just wants to relax.
This is now where the main plot kicks in. A French secret agent steals a letter addressed to a military officer in the German embassy and brings it back to the French embassy. The letter confirms there's a spy within the top French army staff. One top officer suspects it's Major Esterhazy (Robert Barrat) but his superiors look at a list of names and point at Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut) for no other reason than he is Jewish. The Commandant (Ralph Morgan) calls for Alfred to see him the next morning, but dress in civilian attire. The Commandant has Alfred dictate something that infers to the letter, and then Alfred is surrounded by arresting officers and charged with treason. Alfred swears innocence but the Commandant says that his handwriting speaks against him.
Alfred's wife, Lucie (Gale Sondergaard), is shocked when officers arrive at the house to search it for criminal activity. She's also told Alfred has been arrested for treason and refuses to believe it's possible as Alfred's spent his entire adult life in the army. Alfred is later found guilty in what was obviously a farce of a trial. The media is all over it, further spreading the propaganda. The public is sure he's guilty too. Alfred is stripped of his military uniform and banished to Devil's Island. Meanwhile, Emile thinks the public is way too into this entire Dreyfus affair and chooses not to think about it or form an opinion one way or another.
Years pass. Colonel Picquart (Henry O'Neill) is now the Chief of Intelligence for the French army. He has discovered indisputable evidence that the spy was not Dreyfus after all. It was Esterhazy. Picquart brings this to the Commandant's attention but the Commandant refuses to publicly admit their mistake, saying it would make the glory of the army look bad. The senior officers would rather just continue to let Dreyfus, the presumed guilty man, remain banished with the matter closed. To keep up appearances, Esterhazy is still brought before a court martial, but in another kangaroo-court situation, he's found innocent.
Emile Zola receives a letter with an invitation to join the French Academy. It is his dream come true, as it would be for any writer. However, he receives a visit the same night from Lucie (who was followed as she went there). Lucie tells Emile about Picquart uncovering evidence to prove Alfred's innocence, and now Picquart himself has been arrested for continuing to want to get this new evidence into the public conscience despite his superiors wanting to keep it covered up. Emile finds this information very interesting, and for the first time he seems to care again about something political. His interest goes entirely over the top when Lucie produces copies of all of Picquart's correspondence to her that prove everything. Emile can't commit to taking up the cause however, and Lucie eventually leaves. The letters are left behind. Emile thinks for a while, goes through some of the evidence, and then tears up the Academy invitation. He's taking up the Dreyfus affair.
Emile goes to the newspaper and recites a long letter with his accusations and exposé of everything related to the Dreyfus situation. Lucie is there as well and is very glad to see that Emile is fighting for her husband's exoneration. Emile knows full well he'll probably he sued for libel as a result of this letter, but he doesn't care. Things get hairy for Emile at one point when he barely escapes from an angry mob. The mob is upset about Emile's letter, but they only got upset when army agents provoked them with propaganda.
Sure enough, Emile is brought up on libel charges. His attorney is Maitre Labori (Donald Crisp), and he has a heck of a time trying to win the case because the judge is very unsympathetic towards him, showing that the judge too is being influenced by the army. The courtroom is even packed with people continuously yelling for Emile to be found guilty. On top of that, the judge continually refuses military officers and the superiors who are covering up Dreyfus's innocence testimonies to be allowed, claiming that they are "unavailable". The judge also disallows Labori's evidence (Picquarts's letters, etc.), saying those are confidential and would damage the glory of the French army. Finally, Labori proclaims that he will bring the entire judicial system up on conspiracy charges, so the judge allows military officers--but still not the commanders--to testify. All of those officers play dumb and lie on the witness stand, except for Picquart, who is constantly shouted down by other officers and the courtroom observers.
Eventually Lucie takes the stand and is prepared to deliver testimony to prove her husband's innocence. However, every single question that Labori asks her is immediately disallowed by the judge. She is then excused, having been able to say nothing. Major Esterhazy is next up on the stand, but beforehand the judge clears all the observers from the courtroom as this testimony needs to remain classified. The military generals whisper to Esterhazy beforehand not to blow their cover. On the stand, Esterhazy ignores and doesn't answer anything that Labori asks of him. Esterhazy won't even look his way, in fact. Another military officer claims that a secret document just surfaced that would prove Dreyfus's guilt without question. Labori insists that the document be produced, but conveniently enough, the document is unavailable right now. Labori refuses to accept this. Picquart is recalled to the stand and he exclaims vehemently that this document is unavailable because it's fraudulent and does not exist. Labori continues to rail against this sham, ignoring the judge's warnings. Eventually the judge simply adjourns the proceedings, and Labori can do nothing more.
The hearings later resume and Emile presents his closing argument to the jury. He tells them they have seen how their defense was shut down by an obviously-influenced judge. He also knows the army has put pressure on the jurors themselves. Emile doesn't mind if his name and reputation get smeared. He just wants justice for Alfred Dreyfus. This closing argument does nothing to change the inevitable result, and Emile is found guilty of libel. Rather than face a year in prison, Emile reluctantly heeds the advice of friends and flees to England where he continues to fight for Dreyfus's exoneration.
More time has now passed. A new regime is running the French government, and they have seen all the evidence proving Dreyfus to be innocent. They don't accept the "glory of the army" stuff, and they begin to put pressure on the guilty officers to come clean. Some do, and they are dismissed from their positions. Others commit suicide. Esterhazy himself is finally cornered and admits to the cover-up as well. He is arrested on the spot for being the spy. Dreyfus, still at Devil's Island, is freed and told he will face a new court martial back in Paris. It takes Dreyfus a few minutes to actually want to step outside his prison, but he eventually does so.
Emile gets word that Dreyfus is released, and also that he himself has been cleared of his libel charge and can now safely return to Paris. When returning home, Emile begins work on a new book entitled Justice, and he's almost finished, wanting to work late into the night and have it finished before Dreyfus is officially exonerated in a ceremony tomorrow. Alexandrine kisses him goodnight and Emile continues writing. However, a heating stove malfunctions and releases carbon monoxide into the room. We see Emile's hand writing, but suddenly stop.
Alfred Dreyfus receives a full exoneration from the French government the next day. He is reinstated into the army and promoted. Just as the ceremony is winding down, a newspaper boy runs nearby with the newest editions, and proclaims the lead story is that Emile Zola was found dead earlier that day. Emile's funeral takes place in the following days, where he is thanked and eulogized for making France better for all.
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Muni's courtroom soliloquy took multiple takes and the final product clocks in at about six minutes. Upon completion, the cast and crew gave him a standing ovation.....This is a Warner Brothers film, and the head of WB was Jewish. However, he didn't want any use of the word "Jew" or any reference to the Nazi party anywhere in the story. This is why France is taken over by the Prussian army instead, and while Dreyfus's religion is seen in print, it is never said aloud.....Muni grew the beard out for this film. Shooting occurred in reverse chronological order, so the end scenes show the full beard, and he would trim the beard a bit as necessary for shooting the earlier scenes until everything was completed, and he then shaved the rest off entirely.....The movie poster (seen above) shows Paul Muni, but not in character. This was unusual even back then but Muni had such star power, especially in biopics, that simply his name and actual face would be enough (and indeed was) to deliver strong box office.....Film critic David Denby states this film is "...a perfect example of the half-boldness, half-cowardice, and outright
confusion that marked Hollywood's response to Nazism and antisemitism in
the 1930s.".....At the time, Emile's enemies were blamed for his death because of previous attempts on
his life, but nothing could ever be proven. Decades later, a Parisian roofer
claimed on his deathbed to have closed the chimney deliberately due to disagreeing with Emile's politics. This has also never been proven, and likely never will be. From all indications, Emile simply died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Life of Emile Zola was a critical and commercial success, and as mentioned earlier, this was the first film to receive 10 Oscar nominations, which is appropriate since this would be the year of the 10th Annual Academy Awards. The ceremony itself wound up being the first to be postponed due to severe flooding. It was held a week later than originally scheduled. The film came up short in seven categories: Best Music--Score, Best Assistant Director (a category that existed from 1933-1937 before being abolished), Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Writing--Original Story, Best Director (William Dieterle) and Best Lead Actor (Muni). Wins came for Best Writing--Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Schildkraut) and Best Picture. That top award was won over The Awful Truth, Captains Courageous, Dead End, The Good Earth, In Old Chicago, Lost Horizon, One Hundred Men and a Girl, Stage Door and A Star is Born. There aren't really many films on that list that are still talked about today, but there are a few, and they seem to have withstood the test of time better than The Life of Emile Zola has. But with that said, Zola is pretty good. It's definitely more deserving of being remembered. The story is easy to follow and it's quite historically accurate. My only complaints, and they're minor, is that there's so much time that needs to pass here and there to move the story along, it just happens at the snap of one's fingers. In one scene, Emile Zola exiles himself to England. In the next scene, *POOF!*, France has a new government who want Dreyfus to be exonerated. It's a minor quibble, really, which is a testament to the quality of the overall film otherwise. Give this one a shot. It's a nice Best Picture needle in history's haystack.
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