The Life of Emile Zola
| The Life of Emile Zola | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | William Dieterle |
| Produced by | Henry Blanke |
| Screenplay by |
Heinz Herald Geza Herczeg Norman Reilly Raine |
| Story by | Heinz Herald Geza Herczeg |
| Based on |
Zola and His Time by Matthew Josephson |
| Starring |
Paul Muni Gloria Holden Gale Sondergaard Joseph Schildkraut |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio |
| Edited by | Warren Low |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Life of Emile Zola is a 1937 American biographical film about French author Émile Zola, played by Paul Muni and directed by William Dieterle. It has the distinction of being the second biographical film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. It premiered at the Los Angeles Carthay Circle Theatre to great success both critically and financially. Contemporary reviews cited it the best biographical film made up to that time. In 2000, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Set in the mid through late 19th century, it depicts Zola's friendship with Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne, and his rise to fame through his prolific writing, with particular focus on his involvement late in life in the Dreyfus affair.
Struggling writer Émile Zola (Paul Muni) shares a drafty Paris attic with his friend, painter Paul Cézanne (Vladimir Sokoloff). A chance encounter with a street prostitute (Erin O'Brien-Moore) hiding from a police raid inspires his first bestseller, Nana, an exposé of the steamy underside of Parisian life.
Other successful books follow. Zola becomes rich and famous; he marries Alexandrine (Gloria Holden) and settles down to a comfortable life in his mansion. One day, his old friend Cézanne, still poor and unknown, visits him before leaving the city, and tells Zola that with his success he has become complacent, a far cry from the zealous reformer of his youth.
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