Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Life of Emile Zola Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 22, 2023

A standout early biopic and the first Outstanding Motion Picture (Best Picture) Oscar winner for Warner Bros., William Dieterle's The Life of Emile Zola is a well-constructed drama that still plays smoothly almost 90 years after its original theatrical release, when it was warmly received by audiences and critics alike. Anchored by yet another full-bodied lead performance from the reliably great Paul Muni, it's solid historical entertainment that only fully ignores one part of the real story... but can still be enjoyed as-is, even if that missing element ultimately keeps it from true greatness.

The Life of Emile Zola opens by introducing the French writer (Muni) as a penniless young man sharing a run-down apartment with his childhood friend, painter Paul Cézanne (Vladimir Sokoloff). Zola's proactive work and outspoken nature often get him into trouble but soon elevate him to a higher station in life, both in wealth and influence, and it's not long before he marries lovely Alexandrine (Gloria Holden). After a chance reunion with the still-poor Cézanne, Zola is chastised for his newfound complacency and their friendship is severed. Elsewhere, the French Army has learned of a potential German spy within their ranks and quickly assigns blame to Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut) with little reasoning... but more on that later. Their fates soon intersect when Zola brazenly accuses the French government of this injustice in a published open latter, inciting a violent reaction from military sympathizers and, unsurprisingly, a libel suit. The fallout is massive and The Life of Emile Zola obviously doesn't end there, exploring other facets of this case -- and the title character's fate -- during this sweeping and largely effective historical melodrama.

The elephant in the room, however, is The Life of Emile Zola's near-complete lack of acknowledgement of Dreyfus' Jewish heritage -- which was the root cause of his wrongful conviction -- and thus the antisemitism he endured at the hands of the French Army, which Warner Bros. likely omitted for fears of the film being poorly received or banned in international markets. (WB would not have the courage to directly address this and related issues until two years later with the release of Confessions of a Nazi Spy which was, to be fair, the first studio film to do so.) This is a major strike against what's otherwise a well-made and effective film, albeit one with a few minor pacing issues.

What can't be downplayed, however, is the rock-solid lead performance by Paul Muni, who had long established an aptitude for full-bodied, almost transformative performances as characters both fictional (Tony Camonte, Scarface) and historical (The Story of Louis Pasteur, which is surely due for Blu-ray soon). He fully anchors The Life of Emile Zola and most of the supporting performances are good to great as well, from Joseph Schildkraut to Robert Warwick (Major Henry), a prolific actor and matinee idol during the silent film era whose career spanned six decades.

The Life of Emile Zola was a huge success for WB at both the box office and the Academy Awards that year, where it was nominated for a then-record ten Oscars; in addition to Best Picture, it also won for Best Supporting Actor (Joseph Schildkraut) and Best Writing, Screenplay (Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg and Norman Reilly Raine). And while Paul Muni himself didn't win Best Actor for his lead performances (one of four times that would happen during his career), his win the previous year for The Story of Louis Pasteur might as well count for both films. Its award wins may have been a key factor in The Life of Emile Zola earning a second life on Blu-ray from Warner Archive; in recent months, they've taken a particular interest in 1930s Best Picture winners with films like Cimarron and The Great Ziegfeld. Not surprisingly, it's a well-rounded disc with solid A/V merits and a handful of vintage extras as pre-show entertainment.

The Life of Emile Zola Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This new restoration of The Life of Emile Zola is sourced from a new 4K scan of its original nitrate negative, brought in from the Library of Congress and treated to the boutique label's usual round of careful manual cleanup. The majority of the film looks crisp, detailed, and bright with visible textures and steady film grain levels that fit the look of its nitrate source. Black levels are typically robust with very good shadow detail and almost no perceivable signs of black crush. Occasional shots and moments don't fare quite as well (many in the opening moments), such as low-lit indoor scenes that struggle to rise above a generally murky and soft appearance. Others, such as a newspaper headline shown early in the film (screenshot #8), even look somewhat boosted with flat black levels and a curiously smooth appearance. (The terrible font choice and awkward mixture of French and English text doesn't help, of course.)

Yet it's almost impossible to dwell on these perceived shortcomings due to the age and assumed state of its original negative, and given Warner Archive's near-spotless track record -- not to mention the overwhelming amount of great-looking moments -- I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. So while these rare exceptions don't quite meet the high level of The Life of Emile Zola's best visual moments, this new restoration is nonetheless an admirable effort that stands head-and-shoulders about its last home video edition, Warner Bros.' 2005 Special Edition DVD.

The Life of Emile Zola Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Less impactful but still up to par is Warner Archive's similarly restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, a lossless split-channel presentation of the film's original mono source. The boutique label's generally light touch is appreciated here, as perceivable levels of hiss and distortion stood in the way of compromising the film's dynamic range. (A heavier hand on the control knob might have eliminated trace elements of both while sacrificing other sonic details in the process.) The result is a film that still features largely intelligible dialogue, well-mixed background effects, and more than enough room (perhaps too much?) left over for Max Steiner's original score. Aside from those occasional distractions mentioned above, the source seems to be in good condition with no flagrant pops or crackling to speak of. Having not heard the DVD's lossy audio track in quite some time, I can only assume it's yet another night-and-day improvement.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film only, not the bonus features listed below.

The Life of Emile Zola Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover art (yep, that's Paul Muni all right) and no inserts of any kind. The extras are mostly all pre-show entertainment and other curiosities from the era.

• Lux Radio Broadcast (58:44) - An abridged radio adaptation of The Life of Emile Zola featuring Paul Muni reprising his lead role, with Josephine Hutchinson filling in for Gloria Holden as Emile's wife Alexandrine and narration duties provided by actor Leslie Howard. Interestingly, this 1939 version was broadcast a mere two days after the previously-mentioned Confessions of a Nazi Spy's theatrical debut and actually mentions Captain Dreyfus' Jewish heritage several times... but it still doesn't make it a major focal point of the story.

• Taking the Count* (21:42) - This enjoyable 1937 "Joe Palooka" short features Robert Norton as the crowd-favorite character, a boxer reluctantly taking time off from the sport at the request of his fiancée Ann (Beverly Phalon) while her mother (Regina Wallace) would prefer she marry rich Count Rocco (John Vosper). Among other spirited supporting performances here is none other than Shemp Howard as "Knobby Walsh".

• Mal Hallett and His Orchestra (9:23) - This Vitaphone musical short features performances of "Get Happy," "That's How Swing Began," "Too Marvelous for Words," and "Swing Makens the World Go 'Round".

• Theatrical Trailer (9:23) - This overlong promotional piece can also be seen here.

* - Please note that Warner Archive's press release originally advertised a different black-and-white WB short from 1937, Joseph Henabery's Alibi Mark, but Taking the Count stands in its place for unknown reasons.

The Life of Emile Zola Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

William Dieterle's The Life of Emile Zola was an outright sensation in its day, not only a popular favorite with audiences but an awards magnet with a then-record ten nominations including Warner Bros.' first win for Best Picture. It's still perfectly entertaining fare with a full-bodied lead performance from the reliably great Paul Muni, although the studio's fearful omission of Dreyfus' Jewish heritage -- and thus him being the victim of French antisemitism -- is a fairly major strike against it, as WB would not have the courage to address such social issues until Confessions of a Nazi Spy two years later. Regardless, it's still a strong effort and so is Warner Archive's new Blu-ray edition, which features a largely pleasing A/V restoration and several period-specific extras. Recommended to fans of the cast and genre.