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ゾラの生涯 [ (洋画) ] 価格:1,000円 (2017/11/10 14:33時点) 感想(0件)

Plot
et 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.
Meanwhile, a French secret agent steals a letter addressed to a military officer in the German embassy. The letter confirms there is a spy within the top French army staff. With little thought, the army commanders decide that Jewish Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut) is the traitor, is courtmartialed and imprisoned on Devil's Island in then French Guyana.
Later, Colonel Picquart (Henry O'Neill), the new chief of intelligence, discovers evidence implicating the spy as Major Walsin-Esterhazy (Robert Barrat), but he is ordered by his superiors to remain silent to avert official embarrassment and is quickly reassigned to a distant post.
Years go by. Finally, Dreyfus's loyal wife Lucie (Gale Sondergaard) pleads with Zola to take up her husband's cause. Zola is reluctant to give up a comfortable life, but she brings forth new evidence to pique his curiosity. A letter is published in the newspaper accusing the army of covering up the monstrous injustice. Zola barely escapes from an angry mob incited by military agents provocateurs.
As expected, he is brought up for libel. His attorney, Maitre Labori (Donald Crisp) does his best against the presiding judge's refusal to bring up the Dreyfus affair and the perjury committed by all the military witnesses, except for Picquart. Zola, found guilty and sentenced to a year in prison, reluctantly accepts his friends' advice to avoid risk becoming a martyr and instead flee to England, to continue the campaign on behalf of Dreyfus.
A new administration finally admits that Dreyfus is innocent, those responsible for the coverup are dismissed or commit suicide, although Walsin-Esterhazy flees the country in disgrace. Zola dies of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty stove the night before the public ceremony in which Dreyfus is exonerated.
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_Emile_Zola

Cast
Paul Muni as Emile Zola ポール・ムニ
Gloria Holden as Alexandrine Zola グロリア・ホールデン
Gale Sondergaard as Lucie Dreyfus ゲイル・ソンダガード
Joseph Schildkraut as Alfred Dreyfus ジョセフ・シルドクラウト
Donald Crisp as Maitre Labori ドナルド・クリスプ
Henry O'Neill as Colonel Picquart ヘンリー・オニール

Academy Awards
Won
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor (Joseph Schildkraut)
Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominated
Best Director (William Dieterle)
Best Actor (Paul Muni)
Best Art Direction
Best Music
Best Sound Recording
Best Story
Best Assistant Director

今回の作品は昨日予告したとおり、1937年公開の「ゾラの生涯」です。
ゾラというのはフランスの文豪エミール・ゾラのことです。
この作品はゾラの伝記映画なのです。

ワーナー・ブラザーズ配給の作品ですが、この頃のワーナー・ブラザーズはギャング映画で人気を集めていたわけですが、こういう伝記映画も制作していました。主演を務めたのはポール・ムニですが、ムニは前年にもワーナーの「科学者の道」という伝記映画に出演してアカデミー主演男優賞を受賞しています。

作品の構成としては前半がゾラが作家としての名声を得るまでで、後半はゾラが関わったドレフュス事件の話になっています。映画の終わりは現実とは少し違っていて、ドレフュスが無罪判決を受けた時にはもうすでにゾラは亡くなっていました。ゾラは1902年に死去。ドレフュスが復権したのは1906年のことです。

映画を見ていると、こうやって他人のためにここまで人はどれくらいいるのだろうかと思いました。
他人を守るために裁判にまで掛けられたわけです。
普通の人だったら、あそこまで戦うことはできないと思いました。
自分を犠牲にしてまで戦うのは普通じゃないです。よほどの信念があったからでしょう。