Hollywood Spectator (1937-39)

Page Four July 17, 1937 Some Late 'Previews Muni’s Zola a Masterpiece THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, Warners production and release. Hal B. Wallis, executive producer; Henry Blanke, associate producer; stars Paul Muni; directed by William Dieterle; screen play by Norman Reilly Raine, Heinz Herald and Geza Herczeg; story by Heinz Herald and Geza Herczeg; photographed by Tony Gaudio; music by Max Steiner; art direction, Anton Grot; film editor, Warren Low; assistant director, Russ Saunders; costumes, Milo Anderson and Ali Hubert; dialogue direction, Irving Rapper; makeup, Perc Westmore; musical direction, Leo F. Forbstein. Supporting players: Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut, Gloria Holden, Donald Crisp, Erin O'Brien-Moore, John Litel, Henry O'Neill, Morris Carnovsky, Louis Calhern, Ralph Morgan, Robert Barrat, Vladimir Sokoloff, Grant Mitchell, Harry Davenport, Robert Warwick, Charles Richman, Gilbert Emery, Walter Kingsford, Paul Everton, Montagu Love, Frank Sheridan, Lumsden Hare, Marcia Mae Jones, Florence Roberts, Dickie Moore, Rolla Gourvitch. Running time, 123 minutes. f\NE of those great biographical films, the Warner \J Brother artists seem to excel in spreading on the 0 UITE as remarkable is the performance of Joseph Schildkraut as the unfortunate Dreyfus. In the hands of a less brilliant artist the part would have been a minor, negative one. Scarcely a score of lines are read by Schildkraut, and his greatest scenes are close-ups, his features immobile, only his eyes alive, yet several times the large preview audience rewarded the close-ups with bursts of appreciative applause. In all my picture reviewing of over a dozen years I cannot recall such physically static scenes having been rewarded in a like manner. As the wife of Dreyfus, Gale Sondergaard gives us another great performance which marks her as an artist of rare ability. She indulges in no heroics, sheds no tears, but in her quiet way registers powerfully her grief over the fate of her husband. As the wife of Zola, Gloria Holden is prominent among the group of people who tell the story. Donald Crisp also contributes a strong characterization, as do many more, the names being too numerous to mention individually. Max Steiner provided the picture with a score of outstanding merit, and Leo Forbstein directed it in a manner which makes it an important feature of the production. To the art direction of Anton Grot is to be credited one of the most visually impressive mountings any picture has had. And mention must be made of the able manner in which Warren Low has edited the long film. The costumes designed by* Milo Anderson also are a big factor in adding to the authenticity and visual attractiveness of the scenes. screen — another feather in the cap of Henry Blanke, who in the past two years has given us more outstanding pictures than any other production executive anywhere. And again the team of William Dieterle and Paul Muni whose brilliant contributions to it made Pasteur one of the most impressive productions ever presented on the screen. To Warner Brothers, vast credit for the honesty of their efforts to make The Life of Emile Zola one of the greatest pictures of all time. If you can be entertained by two hours of brilliant film craftsmanship in all departments, under no circumstances must you miss Zola. It is mounted superbly and authentically, presenting graphically the Paris of Zola’s day which Tony Gaudio’s camera brings to us in a series of superb photographic masterpieces. Dieterle’s direction seems to have been inspired, and the members of his long cast responded to his enthusiasm with a series of brilliant performances. In no spot does the direction falter or a characterization betray a weak moment. Muni’s characterization is an amazing portrait of the great French writer. Never is it Muni we see on the screen — always Zola, the champion of the truth, the lover of justice, the foe of oppressors. It is a performance which dignifies the screen as the greatest of all the arts and makes a sorry spectacle of Hollywood’s persistent effort to ape the waning stage. As much by suppression as by direct expression does Muni paint his vivid portrait. Every part of him is part of his performance, from his shuffling feet to the unruly mass of hair which adorns his head, his eyes mirroring his feelings, his voice carrying conviction, his gestures, as eloquent as the words he utters. YUHEN Norman Reilly Raine, Heinz Herald and ff Geza Herczeg approached the task of writing the screen play they were under the handicap of having too much story material. To keep the busy life of Zola within the limits of a motion picture was no easy task. But they committed the fault of not balancing evenly their condensation and their elaboration. The result is a picture which is too long for those who view pictures for their story content and not with an eye to its technical cinematic merit. Another difficulty the writers faced was the fact of our knowing at the outset what was going to happen. The Dreyfus Affair is history, and there can be no surprises in its retelling. For instance, we knew before the picture started that Zola fought for justice for Dreyfus, hence the several scenes showing his first objections to taking up the case served merely to delay action we knew was inevitable, and to that extent retarded the story. These scenes gave Muni an opportunity to display his acting skill, but we view pictures for their story action and not as exhibitions of acting. The elaborate and brilliantly presented court room sequence was for the purpose of showing the unfairness of the trial of Zola. Witness after witness was used to register a fact which was planted by the first one. If the story had been fiction, so many witnesses might have been permissible, but as we knew in advance how the trial had ended, a hint of the unfairness would have been sufficient. Again, the imposing spectacle of Zola’s funeral prolongs the film unnecessarily. The story ends with his death and the funeral adds nothing to it as an appendix to a story already told. I cannot see complete box-office success in the two-hour film, but the spots I have mentioned offer opportunities for cutting to bring it within reasonable limits. — W. B. m Para Presents Farcical Uproar EASY LIVING, Paramount. Producer, Arthur Hornblow, Jr.; director, Mitchell Leisen; screen play, Preston Sturges; based on story by Vera Caspary; photographer, Ted Tetzlaff; special effects, Farciot Edouart; film editor, Doane Harrison; art director, Hans Dreier and Ernest Fegte; musical director, Boris Morros; costumes,