The so-called 'Dreyfus Affair' is one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in French history. In many ways, Captain Dreyfus' experiences were like the Kafka novel "The Trial" in that he was assumed to be guilty and yet really had no change to defend himself nor know exactly what was really happening to him during much of the case. The miscarriage of justice was so obvious that the imminent writer, Émile Zola, took up the case to have his sentence to Devil's Island to be overturned.
Here is the case, summed up rather briefly. In about 1896, an unknown military officer was apparently passing secrets from the French to the Germans. This was discovered though WHO was doing this was unknown. The only evidence they had to show it might have been Dreyfus was a similarity of his handwriting to a letter from the spy. But the match was not even close to being exact...and the French army went forward with prosecuting Dreyfus despite this lack of damning evidence. Why? Well, they felt a need to find SOMEONE guilty and he was a Jew...a convenient scapegoat!
After years and years of work, Dreyfus was finally released from Devil's Island, a hellish prison in South America. But it took additional years until the French army officially exonerated him of treason! The kicker is that shortly after Dreyfus was initially convicted, the real culprit was discovered...but the French high command didn't want to admit they made a mistake and they let this poor guy flounder in prison! A decade of the man's life was lost due to this rush to judgment AND an unwillingness to give Dreyfus any sort of due process.
Because this was such a famous case, it's not surprising that there have been several versions of this story in film and documentaries on television. I've seen "The Life of Émile Zola" and a couple other versions of the case. This 1958 film version stars José Ferrer and he directed the movie as well. And, with makeup and costume, he really looked a lot like the real Dreyfus!
So is it any good? Of course. Ferrer was a brilliant actor, one of the most underrated I can think of off the top of my head. Additionally, the film was jam-packed with excellent British actors, such as Herbert Lom, Harry Andrews, Leo Genn, Anton Walbrook, and Emlyn Williams....among others. And unlike the other films I've seen, this one focuses a lot on the actual court proceedings...thanks to being based on Gore Vidal's book about the case. Well worth seeing and a movie that would make a great double-feature with Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" (1957)....another film which focuses on a depraved and indifferent French high command only a couple decades after the Dreyfus Affair.
For history lovers, like myself, this film is a must-see. While it lacks the excitement and action of some movies, it is incredibly well made and followed the facts of the case quite well. An exceptional film.
By the way, when Dreyfus was found guilty, they stripped his uniform off him and snapped his sword over their knee...breaking it in half. I turned to my daughter and said "That isn't possible if the sword is a normal sword...there must be a trick to make the sword snap!". Well, I did some searching and found an article which talked about this same exact movie scene. Want to know how they did it in the movie and in real life? They apparently notched the sword ahead of time...making snapping it possible and relatively easy!
Here is the case, summed up rather briefly. In about 1896, an unknown military officer was apparently passing secrets from the French to the Germans. This was discovered though WHO was doing this was unknown. The only evidence they had to show it might have been Dreyfus was a similarity of his handwriting to a letter from the spy. But the match was not even close to being exact...and the French army went forward with prosecuting Dreyfus despite this lack of damning evidence. Why? Well, they felt a need to find SOMEONE guilty and he was a Jew...a convenient scapegoat!
After years and years of work, Dreyfus was finally released from Devil's Island, a hellish prison in South America. But it took additional years until the French army officially exonerated him of treason! The kicker is that shortly after Dreyfus was initially convicted, the real culprit was discovered...but the French high command didn't want to admit they made a mistake and they let this poor guy flounder in prison! A decade of the man's life was lost due to this rush to judgment AND an unwillingness to give Dreyfus any sort of due process.
Because this was such a famous case, it's not surprising that there have been several versions of this story in film and documentaries on television. I've seen "The Life of Émile Zola" and a couple other versions of the case. This 1958 film version stars José Ferrer and he directed the movie as well. And, with makeup and costume, he really looked a lot like the real Dreyfus!
So is it any good? Of course. Ferrer was a brilliant actor, one of the most underrated I can think of off the top of my head. Additionally, the film was jam-packed with excellent British actors, such as Herbert Lom, Harry Andrews, Leo Genn, Anton Walbrook, and Emlyn Williams....among others. And unlike the other films I've seen, this one focuses a lot on the actual court proceedings...thanks to being based on Gore Vidal's book about the case. Well worth seeing and a movie that would make a great double-feature with Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" (1957)....another film which focuses on a depraved and indifferent French high command only a couple decades after the Dreyfus Affair.
For history lovers, like myself, this film is a must-see. While it lacks the excitement and action of some movies, it is incredibly well made and followed the facts of the case quite well. An exceptional film.
By the way, when Dreyfus was found guilty, they stripped his uniform off him and snapped his sword over their knee...breaking it in half. I turned to my daughter and said "That isn't possible if the sword is a normal sword...there must be a trick to make the sword snap!". Well, I did some searching and found an article which talked about this same exact movie scene. Want to know how they did it in the movie and in real life? They apparently notched the sword ahead of time...making snapping it possible and relatively easy!