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Zola is a biopic produced by Warner Bros., directed by William Diattel, and starring Paul Mooney and Joseph Hildeclawt. The film tells the story of the French writer Zola's life experience from poverty to fame, and his indomitable struggle for Dreyfus's unjust case.
The young writer Zola and the Impressionist painter Cézanne lived in the attic of a dilapidated house in Paris, working hard in times of poverty. Zola then met nana, a prostitute, in a café, and based on her tragic situation, he wrote a novel "Nana", which was published with great success, and the royalty income also freed Zola from her embarrassing life.
In 1871, when the Franco-Prussian War broke out, the French Army collapsed, and Sedan fell, Zola was extremely dissatisfied with the incompetence of the authorities who started the war, and at the same time had great sympathy for the miserable people in the war. Zola's Rout bashed on the French Army, causing strong resentment in the War Department, but he was not moved by the might. Following the creative principle of in-depth observation of society, Zola's works have continued to pour out, and Zola's works have become famous for "Piping Hot", "Lady's Paradise", "The Joy of Life", "His Masterpieces", "Land", "Dreams", "Human Animality" and so on.
In Zola's cozy room, he dined with his close friend Cézanne. After the meal, Cézanne offered a kind exhortation to his old friend, who reveled in a comfortable state of life, not to abandon the ambitions of his youth and the pursuit of truth and justice. Zola then left Paris. Soon after, there was a sensational case in France, Dreyfus, a Jewish officer who was arrested and imprisoned on suspicion of espionage. He himself appealed unsuccessfully, was convicted of treason, and exiled for life. Three years later, the truth came out, the traitor was someone else, and the War Department refused to disclose the facts for fear that the incident would damage its own honor, and acquitted the real traitor.
When the Académie française accepted Zola as an academician for his literary achievements, Dreyfus's wife, Lucy, came to the door and pleaded with Zola to do justice for her husband. After a fierce psychological struggle, Zola published a famous open letter to the president in the Aurora newspaper, "I Accuse", exposing the military's concealment of the truth of the case.
Zola's move infuriated the War Department, who prosecuted Zola for "defamation", and in 1898 Zola was charged with a trial, and after several fights Zola was found guilty. He was then persuaded by a friend to flee secretly to England. During his seclusion in Britain, Zola continued to write sharp articles about the Dreyfus case, which caused a great shock in France, and people from all walks of life advocated a retrial of the Dreyfus case.
In the end, justice was done: Dreyfus was rehabilitated and Zola returned home. Zola died of gas poisoning in Paris in 1902 and was buried at the Panthéon in Paris six years later.
Generally, there are two ways to do biography to celebrities, one is the way of running accounts, describing the life of the character in great detail; the other is to seize several highlights in the character's life and express the characteristics of his entire life through his attitude and behavior. The Biography of Zola clearly belongs to the latter.
The film's narrative structure is clearly divided into light and heavy details, the early life of the fallen literati, the birth experience of the famous work "Nana", the drunken and boring life after the rich, the inexplicable parting with Cézanne, and the attack on the corruption of the French army, all of the above events are understated, and the persistence of the justice flag waved by The staff officer Rivers, who was unjustly imprisoned, finally allowed to sink the injustice is the real part of the film.
Zola is a writer who occupies an important position in both literary history and intellectual history, and his life is not a few deeds, but the director's choice makes the narrative rhythm of this film just right. The struggle for freedom and justice makes the character image extraordinarily full, and the film's lofty humanistic intention is in line with Zola's critical realist creation, showing the rapid development of the art of film creation.
Focusing on the historical fact of the Dreyfus case, Zola makes a profound reflection on the anti-Semitic tendencies that shrouded Europe at the end of the 19th century, conveying universal values in the pursuit of truth and justice.
Of course, any film will consciously or unconsciously reflect the collective psychological consciousness of its nation, and the protagonist embodied in "Zola Biography" embraces firm principles and beliefs, and the spirit of moving forward for the realization of ideals is also fully in line with the mainstream ideology of the United States, which is consistent with the so-called "American spirit" embodied in Hollywood movies in the 21st century.
In short, "Zola Biography" is not only a monument to the characters, the humanitarian care embodied in the film, as well as the critical spirit of reality, can trigger the audience's deep thinking. The film's pursuit of universal values strives to explore the connotation of characters in the process of reproducing historical facts, revealing the common spirit of mankind contained in it, and perfectly integrating with the mainstream ideology of the nation.