The Life of Emile Zola

The Life of Emile Zola is a 1937 movie giving a biography of the famous French author Émile Zola. The movie features his friendship with noted painter Paul Cézanne and his involvement with the Dreyfus affair.

The movie won three Academy Awards:

• Best Picture - Henry Blanke, producer
• Supporting Actor - Joseph Schildkraut
• Best Writing, Screenplay - Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg and Norman Reilly Raine

It was nominated for a further seven Oscars:

• Best Actor - Paul Muni
• Best Art Direction - Anton Grot
• Best Assistant Director - Russell Saunders
• Best Director - William Dieterle
• Best Music, Score - Max Steiner
• Best Sound, Recording - Nathan Levinson (Warner Bros. SSD)
• Best Writing, Original Story - Heinz Herald and Geza Herczeg

In 2000 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.