The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

Director: William Dieterle
Cast: Paul Muni, Joseph Schildkraut, Vladimir Sokoloff, Henry O’Neill
Genre: Drama
Other Nominees: The Awful Truth, Captains Courageous, Dead End, The Good Earth, In Old Chicago, Lost Horizon, One Hundred Men and a Girl, Stage Door, A Star is Born

As the film opens a legal statement appears on screen telling us that this is a fictional story and that the persons and events portrayed here are not based on actual people and events. This confuses me because from the brief research I have done the majority of events portrayed do appear to have happened in the life of Emile Zola. Of course I am accepting that some artistic license was employed when making the film but, at the risk of revealing some elements of the story to you, the following can certainly be said to be true:

- Emile Zola was a childhood friend of the artist Paul Cezanne and the two did live together in Paris.
- Zola was threatened by the police regarding the sordid nature of his books.
- He did go on to become one of the highest paid artists in Paris and had a falling out with Cezanne who believed that “artists should remain poor”.
- He did get directly involved in the Dreyfus Affair, coming to publically support a man wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island, and to brazenly accuse the highest level of the French Army of obstruction of justice and anti-Semitism.
- He was brought to trial on the grounds of criminal libel, convicted and sentenced to one year in prison and removed from the Legion of Honor.

So I am not sure where it is that the movie strays so wildly from reality but perhaps the legal warning is just there as a precaution.

Paul Muni is the actor who portrays Emile Zola from his penniless days in a frozen attic shared with Cezanne, through his lethargic wealthy days when his political beliefs were assuaged by comfort and food, to his rebirth as an activist with his defense against a great injustice.

The injustice in question is the Dreyfus Affair, a political scandal that divided the French people in the 1890’s. Alfred Dreyfus was a young French officer who was wrongly convicted of smuggling military secrets to the German embassy and sentenced to life imprisonment. Two years into his sentence evidence is found that identifies a second officer, one Ferdinand Esterhazy, as the culprit and points to Dreyfus’ innocence. But unable to accept that the administration made an error the high ranking officials in the army hide the evidence and acquitted Esterhazy, leaving Dreyfus to rot in prison.

When the evidence found its way to Emile Zola he abandons his wealthy lifestyle and his activism is re-ignited. He famously prints a scathing attack on the army on a local newspaper entitled “I accuse”. Thus begins his personal quest to free Dreyfus and right this wrong. He states that:

Not only is an innocent man crying out for justice, but more, much more… a great nation is in desperate danger of forfeiting her honor!

The courtroom scenes are by far the most riveting of the movie with the administration clearly pulling out all stops to cover up its crime. There is perhaps the first great example of a courtroom speech being made by Emile at the end of the farcical proceedings when he states that he has accomplished his mission simply by appearing in court for even if he is found guilty “what does it matter if an individual is shattered - if only justice is resurrected?”

This is a heroic story of a man who forsakes his wealth and success in the name of truth. To Zola truth is a powerful force and once it is “on the march… nothing shall stop it.” I think it is a very worthwhile watch, especially if you are interested in French history or in Parisian culture.

Paul Cézanne. Paul Alexis Reading to Emile Zola. c. 1869-70. Oil on canvas. Museu de Arte de Sao Paolo Assis Chateaubriand, Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Next Up: You Can't Take It with You

The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Cast: William Powell, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan
Genre: Drama
Other Nominees: Anthony Adverse, Dodsworth, Libeled Lady, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Romeo and Juliet, San Fransisco, The Story of Louis Pasteur, A Tale of Two Cities, Three Smart Girls

Shame on me! Any hesitation you may have noticed in me continuing my journey through cinematic history was due to the fact that I was simply not excited to see this film. Two reasons prevented me from starting, one was the subject matter of a Broadway musical maker’s life, and the second was the runtime of 3+ hours, neither of which sounded appealing to me. And yet while this film would undoubtedly not be for everyone I found it to be a surprisingly rewarding experience.

The Great Ziegfeld tells of the career of one Florenz Ziegfeld, a Broadway impresario, and of his rise and fall as he creates his masterpieces of stage. But it is really two films in one.

The first film is a reproduction of some numbers from Ziegfeld’s shows which can be found scattered throughout the movie. As the tagline for the movie suggests we can see “10 Big Shows In 1” as we make our way though The Great Ziegfeld. I think these are the scenes that some modern viewers will find themselves struggling through as most of the numbers are lengthy. But it must be said that I what I took away from them was the distinct impression of Ziegfeld as nothing short of a revolutionary, someone willing to push the envelope of what can be achieved on stage. The extravagance and style that was on display and the astounding set pieces were extremely impressive.

The second film lives between these fabulous acts and tells the story of the man Florenz Ziegfeld and in particular of his relationships with women, and for me it is the far more interesting of the two. Florenz “glorified the American girl” in his shows and the women he was involved with found themselves in constant competition with the many beautiful women he was surrounded by. The film is really an exploration of how a man obsessed with the beauty of women deals with the women he loves and lives with. This conflict is seen in earnest when his marriage with his first wife, Anna Held deteriorates under the pressure.

Asides from Florenz being a lady’s man if there was another aspect of the man that I can take away from this movie it is his devotion to the entertainment of the public at any cost. Mr. Ziegfeld did not die a rich man and although he lived a rich lifestyle on borrowed money he lost the modern equivalent of millions in the production of his shows. Ziegfeld himself put it best on his deathbed in this movie when he whispers that he only wanted to “add more stairs and get higher”.

I will leave you with a recurring thought I had throughout the film. I could not stop thinking about the fact that this film was produced less than 10 years after Ziegfeld’s death. Ziegfeld died in 1932 and 4 years later his life is on screen and winning the best picture award. In modern day we may not all know his name but his influence on the times can be seen most clearly in this fact alone. I imagine that he would have preferred a stage version of his life but I do think that to be recognized in an award winning film so soon after one passes is an amazing compliment.

Next Up: The Life of Emile Zola

2000 - 2009 My Decade of Film

To celebrate the end of the decade I have listed here my 25 favorite films from the past 10 years. I had originally intended on coming up with 10 but I found it too difficult to eliminate films and to choose one great movie over another. So in the end I have settled on these 25 movies. You and the critics may not agree with all of them but they are the movies that I have loved and will love again.

Note that only 2 of my listed films are Oscar winners which makes me think that I need to re-watch all of the nominated movies from the past 80 years… but that will take the rest of my life so for now let’s be content with the winners.

Have a happy new year everyone and let’s raise a glass to another 10 years of film!

1. High Fidelity (2000)
Watching this film over and over again helped me become the man I am today, which is a combination of all four main characters -- Rob, Barry, Dick, and Laura! It also introduced me to the fine art of collecting records.

“I've been listening to my gut since I was 14 years old, and frankly speaking, I've come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains”

2. Gladiator (2000)
Rarely have I wanted a hero to kick the crap out of a villain as badly as in this film.

“What we do in life echoes in eternity”

3. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
If one of the goals of art is to elicit emotional responses then this film gets on my list simply because of the stunned emotional state it left me in. The last scenes represent the most visceral and intense movie experience of my life.

“Anybody wanna waste some time?”

4. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
A movie has to make my list once I have deliberately seen it over twenty times and I lost count with the number of Tenenbaum viewings a long time ago. This is my sick day, rainy day, bored day movie.

“I'm very sorry for your loss. Your mother was a terribly attractive woman.”

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001)
Of the trilogy this will always remain my favorite. The final film, The Return of the King, won the Oscar for Best Picture two years later but this is a far better movie and should have beaten A Beautiful Mind to the gold. Whether you are a Tolkienite or not you have to admire this epic experience!

“The ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this.”

6. Minority Report (2002)
Spielberg and Cruise make a great action movie set against an impressive vision of a utopian society where murders are predicted and offenders punished before any act takes place. The concept works and this is one of Spielberg’s best science fiction films to date.

“Everybody Runs”

7. Spirited Away (2002)
I ended up seeing this movie alone as I could not convince any friends to come see a subtitled foreign animated film. Nowadays Disney may have made Mr. Miyazaki a household name but I will never forget seeing the beauty of this movie for the first time. It is a gorgeous experience.

“Once you do something, you never forget, even if you can't remember.”

8. Finding Nemo (2003)
Of all of the animated films released in the past decade Finding Nemo has to be the most accessible. It makes my list simply because I cannot find anyone who dislikes it, and for good reason too.

“I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.”

9. Lost in Translation (2003)
This movie is about two people who are a little lost in life. It is simple and goes out of its way to not be dramatic about it because life is not always dramatic. And I loved it because I could relate to it. It also gets bonus points for starting a personal obsession with one Miss Scarlett Johansson.

“You're probably just having a mid-life crisis. Did you buy a Porsche yet?”

10. Mystic River (2003)
This is a little sucker punch of a film that has some of my favorite performances of the decade from Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. It is a heartbreaking story and I dare you to be unaffected at the end.

“We bury our sins here, Dave. We wash them clean”

11. The Machinist (2004)
I did not know whether to respect or fear Christian Bale after seeing him take method acting to the extreme for his role in this film. His physical appearance is harrowing as is the story he plays out. I was awestruck.

“If you were any thinner, you wouldn't exist.”

12. Capote (2005)
This movie follows Truman Capote as he researches his second book, In Cold Blood. I had read the book which told the story of how two men broke into a Kansas family farm and murdered all four members and was aware of how brutal a story it was. I was not however prepared to see the impact the research had on Truman, to see his decline as a socialite and celebrity, and to watch his emotional struggle as he becomes attached to the killer.

“It's as if Perry and I grew up in the same house. And one day he stood up and went out the back door, while I went out the front.”

13. The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Forest Whitakers deserves massive praise for his portrayal of the real life monster Idi Amin. The story is told through the eyes of a Scottish doctor who gains the trust of the ruthless dictator but it really is Forest who steals the show.

“I am the father of this nation, Nicholas. And you have most... grossly... offended your father.”

14. The Queen (2006)
Michael Sheen plays Tony Blair to a tee but is overshadowed by the amazing Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. After the death of Princess Diana the royal family came under increasing public scrutiny for their apparent lack of any emotional responses. This is a great film that looks at what happens when the traditional clashes with the modern and the struggle that ensued as the Queen tries to come to terms with the tragedy.

“Elton John wishes to sing at the funeral. Should be a first for Westminster Abbey.”

15. El Laberento del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) (2006)
I have always found that most traditional fairy tales have an underlying darkness to them, as if our more dangerous histories were escaped from into fanciful but still dangerous stories. And that thought is exactly what happens in Pan’s Labyrinth where a young girl runs from her dangerous life and escapes into a dangerous fairy tale. The end result is a beautiful and terrifying film.

“A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamt of the human world…”

16. Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives of Others) (2006)
This movie follows a secret police agent in the socialist East Berlin state circa 1984 as he is assigned to observe the lives of a prominent writer and his lover who are suspected of not being completely loyal. But as he listens and watches the agent begins to grow more and more attached to the individuals and begins to struggle with his assignment. Fascinating film!

“You don't know me, but I know you. Many people love you for who you are.”

17. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Typically the more a franchise continues the worse it gets but The Bourne series is the exception… a trilogy that gets better and better until it culminates in this explosive film, my favorite action movie of the decade.

“This is Jason Bourne, the toughest target that you have ever tracked. He is really good at staying alive, and trying to kill him and failing... just pisses him off.”

18. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
It may not be the fastest moving film ever made but there is no doubting that it is beautifully shot and excellently acted. I have been very impressed with the ability of Casey Afleck but he really shines here. By the end he even manages to outshine Brad Pitt!

“He suspected no one in history had ever so often or so publicly recapitulated an act of betrayal.”

19. No Country for Old Men (2007)
One of the Oscar winning movies of the decade that I am in complete agreement with. Most people walked away with the same reaction that I had… a complete fear towards one Anton Chigurgh who may well go one to become another celebrated film villain.

“Some of the old time sheriffs never even wore a gun. A lotta folks find that hard to believe.”

20. Juno (2007)
There is no doubt that this movie is funny but it is far from being just another comedy. There is real heart to be found here, real emotion, and the result is an endearing movie that sticks with you.

“THUNDERCATS ARE GO!”

21. The Dark Knight (2008)
Batman Begins was a fantastic film and would have made my list if it was not for the over achieving sequel we see here. Unless you have been living under a rock these past few years you will know all about the breathtaking performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker. The Joker was always Batmans greatest villain and it was fantastic to see the two duke it out for a few hours. Throw in a convincing Two Face and you have the best superhero movie in a decade that was overflowing with superhero movies.

“Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

22. Låt den rätte komma in (Let the right one in) (2008)
Let the Right One In is my favorite Swedish film of the decade bar none! No, all joking aside this is a great film that reinvents the vampire mythos. What I like so much about it is that in the end I am not sure how I feel. I cannot tell you if the ending is upbeat or not, whether it is good or bad! I am disappointed that there is a remake in the works as I feel that American audiences should just deal with the subtitles and watch this excellent movie.

“It's just I've been twelve for a very long time.”

23. Rachael Getting Married (2008)
Two reasons this gets on my list: The first is because it has the coolest wedding I have ever seen and I wanted the entire time to be a part of it. And the second is for the story that overshadows the exuberant wedding. This family was torn apart by a tragedy and Anne Hathaway plays the guilt racked sister responsible for it. She thoroughly deserved her Oscar nomination. I was into this film from scene one and it just never let go.

“And I struggle with God so much, because I can't forgive myself. And I don't really want to right now. I can live with it, but I can't forgive myself.”

24. The Wrestler (2008)
This is the second Darren Aronofsky film on my list but a much more accessible film than Requiem for a Dream. Mickey Rourke makes quite the comeback as a failed professional wrestler who must retire but finds it difficult to leave the ring. You cannot help but like him as you feel extremely sorry for him.

“The only ones gonna tell me when I'm through doing my thing, is you people here. You people here... you people here. You're my family.”

25. Avatar (2009)
I hesitated before adding Avatar to my list only because the film is still so fresh in my mind that I feel that it may have an unfair advantage over the others. But while I may be unsure about its lasting appeal as a story I can say that in IMAX 3D this film represents the future. And as such I feel it is the only choice to end my list with because based on the evidence presented here the future looks beautiful in all its high-def three dimensional glory!

“You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentleman.”

Honorable Mentions
Memento, Oceans 11, A Beautiful Mind, Pirates of the Caribbean, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Spiderman 2, Hitch, Der Untergang (Downfall), Kingdom of Heaven, Brokeback Mountain, Little Miss Sunshine, Batman Begins, Blood Diamond, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Good Shepherd, Transformers, Gone Baby Gone, Charlie Wilson’s War, El Orfanato (The Orphanage), In Bruges, Burn After Reading, Milk, Star Trek

And some of my worst of the decade
Mission to Mars, The Perfect Storm, Hollow Man, Bedazzled, Dude Where’s My Car, A.I., Dreamcatcher, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Paycheck, Alien vs. Predator, Blade: Trinity, The Brothers Grimm, The Constant Gardener, Doom, King Kong, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, Lady in the Water, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Ghost Rider, Shooter, Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, I am Legend, Be Kind Rewind, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Max Payne, Synecdoche: New York, Watchmen, Knowing, X-men origins: Wolverine, Transformers II: The Revenge of the Fallen

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Director: Frank Lloyd
Cast: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone
Genre: Drama
Other Nominees: Alice Adams, The Broadway Melody of 1936, Captain Blood, David Copperfield, The Informer, Lives of a Bengal Lancer, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Les Miserables, Naughty Marietta, Ruggles of Red Gap, Top Hat

I have noted in various reviews of The Mutiny on the Bounty that people complain about the film’s historical inaccuracy. Apparently the events portrayed here do not match what really happened on board the ship. To be frank I do not really care if the movie is not based on reality because in the end I enjoyed this one too much to care! A more accurate version was made in 1984 starring Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins so if you want to see what really happened rent that one but be warned that it was poorly received with bad reviews. This 1936 version may not be true to life but it makes for a great film and, with respect to the movies left to see from the 1930’s, it might even go down as my choice for movie of the decade.

The movie tells the story of Fletcher Christian played by a moustache-less Clark Gable. It is the first time Gable ever appears on screen without his trademark moustache and apparently he was very reluctant to shave it off (Gable was the Hollywood superstar at this time. Consider that he was also a lead in the previous Best Picture winner, It Happened One Night. Apparently he was on quite the roll). Fletcher is the first mate aboard The Bounty serving the abominable Captain William Bligh, played by Charles Laughton. It is Fletcher who enacts the movies namesake and mutinies against his captain after he can no longer withstand seeing the cruelty inflicted on the sailors.

The success of this movie is in its ability to make the audience hate the captain as much as the men do. The first half of the film is example after example of the cruel punishments that the captain uses to rule his ship by fear. One minute he sends one of them to the top of the mast in a massive storm and the next he ties another upright in the baking sun. Beatings are common for even the slightest offence. He steals from the ships supplies and then forces his men to work on meager rations. Probably the most striking example is the very first one we see when he continues to have an already dead man whipped so that the punishment is completely carried out. By the time Fletcher mutinies the men on board the ship are not the only ones relieved. As a viewer you really do want to see Bligh get his comeuppance. As Fletcher puts it:

I've never known a better seaman, but as a man, he's a snake. He doesn't punish
for discipline. He likes to see men crawl. Sometimes, I'd like to push his
poison down his own throat.

The scrolling introduction makes the point that the treatment of sailors improved in the decades after this event and that the mutiny that took place on the Bounty had a direct impact on this. I do not know how true that is but the message that the movie makes is clear. There is a speech made towards the end of the film that talks about how great the Navy could be if the wickedness was stamped out and if the sailors were treated right. A part of it goes:

He could sweep the seas for England if he called his men to their duty, not by
flaying their backs, but by lifting their hearts

I was going to start talking about the inaccuracies of the film as they are well documented but I realized that I do not watch movies for accuracy. I watch movies to see a good story told and to be entertained. The reality is that there is a very good story to be told here and like all great stories it has a hero you can relate to and a villain you can despise.

Next Up: The Great Ziegfeld

It Happened One Night (1934)

Director: Frank Capra
Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly
Genre: Comedy
Other Nominees: The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Cleopatra, Flirtation Walk, The Gay Divorcee, Here Comes The Navy, The House of Rothschild, Imitation of Life, One Night of Love, The Thin Man, Viva Villa!, The White Parade

In researching this one I learned that It Happened One Night was one of Friz Freleng’s favorite films. Friz was a Warner Brothers animator who helped create Bugs Bunny and he noted in his memoirs that this movie helped inspire the carrot chewing, wise cracking rabbit. I loved this little nugget and could not help seeing aspects of Bugs as I watched the film. There is a surprising amount of carrot chewing going on!

And doing most of the chewing is Clark Gable. This was my first Gable experience and I was surprised by his role. Without having seen him in action if you had asked me what I think of when I hear his name I would have told you Clark was sleek, sophisticated, suave, and all those other “James Bond” words beginning with “s”. Instead we see him as something of a lowlife here. When we first meet Peter Warne we see a drunk slurring into the telephone, surrounded by a slew of fellow drunks. An out of luck journalist, he is making a drunken call to his boss which is never a good career move. As he sobers his wise cracking nature comes to the surface. This is a romantic comedy but the romance does not come easily. In fact for most of the movie Peter grumbles to, complains about, and yells at his sweetheart. All in all he comes across as less of those "s" words and more of a jerk.

The lady in question, the 1930’s answer to Paris Hilton, is played by Claudette Colbert. Ellie Andrews is the daughter of a millionaire and a starlet in all the papers. Rebelling against her father she jumps ship (literally) and makes a break for freedom. Ellie is on the run from her father who has put a reward out for anyone who returns her to him when she meets Gable’s character, who sees in her an opportunity to get a great story. They both agree to dodge her father’s hounds and head for New York together.

There are some great scenes in this movie. There is the classic hitchhiking scene, probably the most recognizable one, where Ellie shows some leg to get cars to pull over. And there is the “Walls of Jericho” analogy as the sharing and division of various motel rooms is accomplished by the hanging a sheet -- a sheet which can only be brought down by “Joshua’s trumpet”.

Frank Capra directed and the only thing I know about Frank is that he also was responsible for one of my favorite films of all time, It’s a Wonderful Life. So it is no surprise to me that I enjoyed this one.

I will leave you with some Oscar trivia: Not only is It Happened One Night the first comedy to win an Oscar it is also the first Oscar winning film to win all five major Academy Awards -- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. Only two other movies since then have matched that feat (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1974 and The Silence of The Lambs in 1990).

Next Up: the swashbuckling Mutiny on the Bounty