The Life of Emile Zola

The Life of Emile Zola is a 1937 American biographical film about French author Émile Zola. Set in the mid through late 19th century, it depicts his friendship with noted painter Paul Cézanne, and his rise to fame through his prolific writing, with particular focus on his involvement in the Dreyfus affair. The film had its premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles and was a great success both critically and financially; contemporary reviews cited it as the best biographical film made up to that time. It is still held in high regard by many critics. It is the second... biographical film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. In 2000, The Life of Emile Zola was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Struggling writer Émile Zola shares a drafty Paris attic with his friend, painter Paul Cézanne . A chance encounter with a street prostitute hiding from a police raid leads to his first bestseller, Nana, an exposé of the steamy underside of Parisian life. Other successful books follow.
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