The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
Directed by William Dieterle · 116 min · Drama, History
67.8 TOPICAL score · #862 of 6,776 films
Vote for it on the board →A fictionalized account of famous French writer Émile Zola and his involvement in the Dreyfus Affair. After struggling to establish himself, Zola wins success documenting the unsavory side of Paris and settles into a comfortable upper-class life. However, his complacency is shaken when Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus is imprisoned for espionage. Realizing that Dreyfus is an innocent victim of anti-Semitism, Zola boldly pens an exposé, only to be charged with libel and now he must defend himself in a dramatic courtroom testimony.
The Life of Emile Zola (1937, directed by William Dieterle) has a TOPICAL score of 67.8 - ranked 862 of the 6,776 films TOPICAL scores. It scores highest on awards and historical impact, and lowest on legacy & cult status. It won 4 awards from 10 nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. Critics: 92% on Rotten Tomatoes · 7.4/10 critics' average. Audiences: TMDB 6.7/10 (162 ratings). Wikipedia covers it in 48 languages, and the Library of Congress chose it for the National Film Registry.
Why this score
Each bar: better than this % of the 6,776 films we score. How the score works.
- Critics92% on Rotten Tomatoes · 7.4/10 critics' average
- AudienceTMDB 6.7/10 (162 ratings)
- Awards4 wins, 10 nominations - incl. Academy Award for Best Picture; Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
- ImpactWikipedia articles in 48 languages · National Film Registry
- Still read4,315 Wikipedia readers in the last 60 days
Starring: Paul Muni (actor #301), Gale Sondergaard (actor #776), Joseph Schildkraut (actor #781), Gloria Holden
“Contemporary reviews ranked it as the greatest biographical film made up to that time.”
Wikipedia · read the article - AI legacy read: 8/10