And the Best Picture goes to....

The Life of Emile Zola, directed by William Dieterle, brings to life a significant chapter in French history and highlights the man’s bravery and determination.  The film stars Paul Muni in the role of Emile Zola and features a strong supporting cast including Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden and Joseph Schildkraut, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.  For this role, Muni reportedly went through three and a half hours in the make-up chair prior to each day’s filming—surprising that there was no nomination in that regard.

The story which sheds light on the political and social tensions of the time, was written by Heinz Herald, Geza Herzeg, and Norman Reilly Raine.  Even though I thought it initially took a while, I found that their script captured the complexities of the Dreyfus Affair and Zola’s unwavering commitment to truth and integrity despite coming at a personal cost.

The film’s art direction, sound recording, and music score by Max Steiner also received well-deserved nominations, highlighting the production’s overall quality and attention to detail.  One shot that stands out to me was of the crowds standing outside the courthouse beneath umbrellas in the pouring rain which was very dramatic.

Overall, though there were many positive aspects to this film, I felt that it ran longer than 1 hour 56 minutes.  The story was there but at times it was just hard to follow which just stretched things out.  Yet despite the slow pace at the beginning, the film eventually becomes engrossing, which makes it a worthwhile watch for history buffs and fans of dramas.