''J'accuse!'' is a 1938 French

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by Abel Gance and starring

Victor Francen Victor Francen (born Victor Franssens, 5 August 1888 – 18 November 1977) was a Belgian-born actor with a long career in French cinema and in Hollywood. Biography Francen was born in 1888 in Tienen, the son of a chief of police. According ...

. It is a remake of the 1919 film of the same name, which was also directed by Gance.

Plot

The married Edith Laurin has a love affair with her husband's best friend, Jean. When both men serve together at the

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

front her spouse realises he's cuckolded. Because his old friend is also his comrade who fights at his side again the mutual enemy, Laurin doesn't take action against him. On 10 November 1918, everybody longs for an end to the war. The brass has randomly chosen a patrol to be sent to an almost certain death. Jean Diaz argues that the patrol is not necessary at least for that day. Captain Henri Chimay, however, does not dare to take the responsibility of canceling the mission. Diaz, who was the only survivor on a previous sortie, volunteers instead of a father of four. The

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

is proclaimed after the patrol has been wiped away. François Laurin dies while Diaz is wounded. Diaz works successfully for the Pierrefonds glassworks. He looks after widow Edith and her daughter Helene, but keeps his distance because of his promise to François. Struggling with his feelings, he moves to the former front. There he finds again Flo, a chanteuse and cabaret owner, who did a lot for soldiers' morale during the war. Both remember the fallen. Diaz devotes himself to his promise to the patrol to stop war forever. He researches a "steel glass" breastplate. Chimay, who has inherited the glassworks, appropriates the invention and provides it to the French government as part of the preparations for a future war. Jean's love for Edith has transferred to young Helene. The love triangle makes all suffer. Jean's wounds affect his sanity. While Jean is taken care by Edith's family, Chimay also develops feelings for Helene and marries her. French mutilé without mask2

Jean recovers sanity and despairs because Europe is heading to another war. He flees to Verdun and dramatically invokes the fallen of all nations. During a supernatural storm, the dead soldiers arise and march to their places of origin. Shocked, Chimay and the world governments abolish war. A late added text remembers that the success of the film in 1938 is a proof of how the French people supported peace even in the latest days before World War II.

Cast

as Jean Diaz *

Line Noro Line Noro (22 February 1900 – 4 November 1985) was a French stage and film actress.Hayward p.172 During the 1930s she played glamorous, often exotic, women in films such as '' Pépé le Moko''. Between 1945 and 1966 Noro was a member of the Co ...

as Edith * Marie Lou as Flo *

Jean-Max Jean-Max (1895–1970) was a French film actor.Goble p.106 Selected filmography * ''The Prosecutor Hallers'' (1930) * ''Le cap perdu'' (1931) * '' The Unknown Singer'' (1931) * ''The Darling of Paris'' (1931) * '' Suzanne'' (1932) * '' Once Upon ...

as Henri Chimay *

Paul Amiot Paul Amiot (29 March 1886 – 26 January 1979) was a French film actor. His career spanned some 63 years and he appeared in nearly 100 films between 1910 and 1973. In 1920 he appeared in Robert Péguy's ''Être aimé pour soi-même''. He was n ...

as Captain *

Jean-Louis Barrault Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Biography Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundia ...

Marcel Delaître Marcel Delaître (1888–1963) was a French film and stage actor.Crisp p.94 Selected filmography * '' Happy Hearts'' (1932) * '' Poliche'' (1934) * ''Street Without a Name'' (1934) * ''Crime and Punishment'' (1935) * '' Girls of Paris'' (1936) ...

as François Laurin *

Renée Devillers Renée Devillers (1902–2000) was a French stage and film actress.Goble p.328 Selected filmography * ''The Sweetness of Loving'' (1930) * '' The Man of the Hour'' (1937) * '' J'accuse!'' (1938) * '' The Blue Veil'' (1942) * '' Roger la Honte'' ( ...

as Helene *

Romuald Joubé Romuald Charles Eugène Gaudens Jean Sylve Joubé (20 June 1876 – 14 September 1949) was a French stage and film actor whose career on the stage and in films lasted approximately thirty years. Career Born in Mazères, Ariège, Romuald Jo ...

as Jean Diaz *

André Nox André Nox (1869–1946) was a French film actor.Goble p.28 Selected filmography * '' The Jackals'' (1917) * ''Vertigo'' (1917) * ''Sharks'' (1917) * '' The Fugitive'' (1920) *'' After Love'' (1924) * ''Count Kostia'' (1925) * '' The Nude Woman'' ...

as Leotard * Georges Rollin as Pierre Fonds * Georges Saillard as Giles Tenant

Release

Home media

''J'accuse!'' was released for the first time on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

by Olive Films on 15 November 2016.

Reception

Critical reception for ''J'accuse!'' has been mostly positive.

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, calling it "An excellent antiwar film". Clayton Dillard of '' Slant Magazine'' awarded the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "More than just an anti-war statement, ''J’Accuse'' visualizes long-term memory loss as mankind’s ultimate, and seemingly endless, tragedy."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaccuse 1938 films 1938 war films Anti-war films about World War I 1930s French-language films French war films French black-and-white films Remakes of French films Films directed by Abel Gance Sound film remakes of silent films Western Front (World War I) films Resurrection in film 1930s French films