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| THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA (1937) | |
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Freedom is often taken for granted in our technologically advancing society, as a political and social complacency seems to have been generated through an overwhelming level of obligation to professional careers and other domestic responsibilities.
People are also literally crushed by an ever-growing media tsunami through cable TV, abundance of Internet news sites, and newspapers.
In this depth of information the individual simply drowns, as vital information is often smudged with star-studded gossip in the non-stop news tickers.
Mass information could therefore function as a form of misinformation when essential information tries to reach the light of public attention.
Some of this information could be in regards to decisions politicians and other authority figures make, which could affect the rights of the people.
Thus, it has become essential for people to learn how to filter information.
However, in the days of Emile Zola information was usually from one, or a few sources, which often proclaimed that the information was the “truth”, as it was
seldom challenged, until Zola. In the Life of Emile Zola the audience gets to experience a somewhat fictionalized story of Zola (Paul Muni). Emile Zola, a novelist and critic, frequently struggled to make a living before he wrote the successful novel Nana, which dealt with prostitution. Throughout his career he wrote several masterpieces such as Germinal and the Downfall. Each of Zola’s literary contributions was heavily influenced by the social struggle of the French people, which was highly criticized by authorities. Some of his novels where even banned due to their controversial issues as they were released at the end of the 19th century. Nevertheless, Zola persevered and continued to write novels depicting the social and political truth of French society, which he loved and adored. Throughout the years Zola gained weight and wealth, as he ironically became one of the people who he frequently described with contempt in his novels. This was the result of the acquired wealth, which gave Zola an opportunity to live a life of leisure and delight. In his blissfulness he forgot the world around him, as he drifted into a complacent mind frame. His old friend the painter Paul Cezanne (Vladimir Sokoloff) criticized his neglectful attitude towards the French society, as he promised not to write when has moved south. During this period when Zola was more occupied with finding a fresh lobster at the local market there was a legendary military trial in regards to an officer named Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut) who appeared to the society to have committed the shameful act of treason. The truth was unknown to the world, as generals and other high-ranking officers had decided that Dreyfus was guilty due to his ethnicity. It was an anti-Semitic approach that led this innocent man into suffering years of imprisonment on the Devil’s Island of the South American coast. Dreyfus’ wife insisted on her husband’s innocence, as she finally approached Zola for his help when she had documents proving Dreyfus’ innocence. Initially Zola leaned on his complacency, but a quick reminder from a glimpse of his friend Cezanne led him to take on the French Army and the biased court system of France. Unfortunately, it lead Zola to escape imprisonment by traveling across the English Channel and make London his temporary home while continuing to write about the unjust French legal system and the French military’s error. William Dieterle directs a masterful story in Life of Emile Zola, which grabs the audience with an inspiring affect that stirs an internal motivation to help the fight against injustice in a cerebral and peaceful manner. In addition, the film has a strong historical perspective as the film was released a couple of years before World War II and during a period when several million Jews were persecuted in Nazi-Germany. Ultimately, Life of Emile Zola ended up winning three Oscars of its 10 nominations. Yet, the Oscars do not disclose the monumental value of the film, which offers a truly unique cinematic experience that the studio company Warner Brother’s will have a hard time to match. |
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| William Dieterle | |
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USA |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 2/8/2005 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
