''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 Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director, producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J'ac ...

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, Belgium, the son of a chief of police. A ...

. It is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the 1919 film of the

same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...

, 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 city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

front her spouse realises he is cuckolded. Because his old friend is also his comrade who fights at his side against the mutual enemy, Laurin does not 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 in a railroad car, in the Compiègne Forest near the town of Compiègne, that ended fighting on land, at sea, and in the air in World War I between the Entente and their las ...

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 A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...

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. 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 actor, 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 membe ...

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 film), The Unknown Singer'' (1931) * ''The Darling of Paris (1931 film), T ...

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 ...

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 Burgundi ...

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

as François Laurin *

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

as Helene *

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) * '' Lord Arthur Savile's Crime'' (1922) *'' After Love'' (1924) * '' C ...

as Leotard *

Georges Rollin Georges Rollin (1912–1964) was a French film actor.Greco p.191 Selected filmography * ''Ultimatum'' (1938) * '' J'accuse!'' (1938) * '' The Most Beautiful Girl in the World'' (1938) * ''Final Accord'' (1938) * '' Notre-Dame de la Mouise'' (1941) ...

as Pierre Fonds *

Georges Saillard Georges Augustin Eugène Saillard (; 5 July 1877 – 11 September 1967) was a French film actor. He starred in some 52 films between French films of the 1910s, 1909 and French films of 1950, 1950. Saillard was married to actress . He died on 11 ...

as Giles Tenant

Release

Home media

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

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

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 ki ...

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 In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, calling it "An excellent antiwar film". Clayton Dillard of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' 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

* * {{Abel Gance 1938 films 1938 war films Anti-war films about World War I 1930s French-language 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 Films scored by Henri Verdun French World War I films French-language war films