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The Life of Emile Zola [1937] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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Our Price: £8.88 (subject to change)
Muni at his best in classic barnstorming period biopic
Review date: 2006-12-12 Rating: 10 out of 10
'The Life of Emile Zola' is more about the Dreyfuss affair than the author's life - only 'Nana' is given more than a passing nod ('Germinal' gets 30 seconds of screentime while the rest of his novels are dismissed in a montage of covers) while his demise is signposted from the very first scene - and it does fall prey to the usual biopic problems ("Nana, pull up a chair next to Cezanne"), but it's such terrific entertainment, who cares? Muni is great value as Zola, much like the offscreen young Chaplin in the early scenes before becoming the great man of letters, where he walks the tightrope between over and underplaying, and he's given two great setpiece speeches - J'accuse and his address to the court - that are foolproof crowdpleasers that he handles with relish and aplomb. It's like one of Warners' crusading social issue pictures that just happens to have been set in the late 19th century and shot on an epic scale, and it has an immediacy and sense of moral outrage that is surprisingly powerful and deeply felt and even, ultimately, quite moving. Dated, yes, but undeniably impressive stuff despite Donald Crisp's very unfortunate haircut.
The DVD is a great package - a good transfer plus traler and radio adaptation and a couple of incongrous short films - that is well worth adding to any classic collection.
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Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Paul Muni
Gale Sondergaard
Joseph Schildkraut
Donald Crisp
Gloria Holden
Creators:
Paul Muni (Primary Contributor)
Gale Sondergaard (Primary Contributor)
Tony Gaudio (Cinematographer)
Warren Low (Editor)
Geza Herczeg (Writer)
Heinz Herald (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 9780790793078
Binding: DVD
ISBN: 0790793075
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC,
Release date: 2005-02-01
Universal product code (UPC): 012569692527
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 116 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1937-10-02
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)