Watched the best picture of 1937-"The Life of Emile Zola" last night. He was a French author and friend of painter Paul Cezzanne I never remember hearing about. This was Hollywood's story roughly based on his life. He wrote searing critiques of French life and institutions over the years.

The movie was written in aftermath of WWI and in the scary shadow of WWII. However, the concerns then had a lot of parallels to today. You had an establishment not caring who it destroyed trying to protect itself. You had state institutions trying to limit people to acceptable speech. You had groups stirring up mobs to put pressure on people and institutions. You had a press influencing people both ways with its coverage, particularly of the Dreyfus affair.

This was a black and white film in more ways than one as was typical of Hollywood at the time. But the power of Zola and the press in the movie would not necessarily be for truth and light.

i've wanted to read germinal for quite some time

(02-24-2018 12:44 PM)Lush Wrote:  i've wanted to read germinal for quite some time

TCM has an Oscar's month and shows a lot of the previous best pictures. I'm trying to get some of them, particularly the early ones in the 20s/30s/40s that aren't shown that often or on PPV, on DVD and watch them.

He sounds a little like the French version of Upton Sinclair.

It concerns me that people like Mark Twain and Upton Sinclair don't get taught in favor of more modern writers. We need to know where we've been and how we got here. Its important to both sides of the political spectrum.

(02-24-2018 02:35 PM)bullet Wrote:  He sounds a little like the French version of Upton Sinclair.

i thought he hated socialism? admittedly, i know little of emile. i'm a bit sympathetic of socialism during the turn of the 20th century thanks to the jungle

(02-24-2018 05:01 PM)Lush Wrote:  

(02-24-2018 02:35 PM)bullet Wrote:  He sounds a little like the French version of Upton Sinclair.

i thought he hated socialism? admittedly, i know little of emile. i'm a bit sympathetic of socialism during the turn of the 20th century thanks to the jungle

I'm thinking of his muckraking/critiques of working conditions for the normal person.

(02-24-2018 05:01 PM)Lush Wrote:  

(02-24-2018 02:35 PM)bullet Wrote:  He sounds a little like the French version of Upton Sinclair.

i thought he hated socialism? admittedly, i know little of emile. i'm a bit sympathetic of socialism during the turn of the 20th century thanks to the jungle

I don't know much about Zola but I did read Germinal in college. It was similar to The Jungle. I don't remember it that well and thought about re-reading it at some point. Not exactly uplifting reading though - rather dark.