The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
"He'll hold you in silence as deep as your emotions!"
ThumbScore
👍 81%audience score Estimated from TMDB user ratings and critic scores, calibrated to Google's former audience score. Google stopped publishing it in 2026.
Critics Score
🎬 92%
(RT: 92%) RT = Rotten Tomatoes (critic reviews). MC = Metacritic (weighted critic average). Critics Score is the average of both.
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Where to Watch
Subtitles on OpenSubtitles.com: English · Español · Español (Latinoamérica) · Español (España)
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Cast
Paul Muni as Emile Zola
Gale Sondergaard as Lucie Dreyfus
Joseph Schildkraut as Capt. Alfred Dreyfus
Gloria Holden as Alexandrine Zola
Erin O'Brien-Moore as Nana
John Litel as Charpentier
Henry O'Neill as Colonel Picquart
Is The Life of Emile Zola good?
Most people think so. 81% audience score, estimated from 162 TMDB ratings. Critics gave it 92%.
Where it ranks on ThumbScore
Overview
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. Wikipedia ↗
