The 1937 film "The Life of Emile Zola" is a partial biography of the French writer Emile Zola (1840-1902). Emile Zola (Paul Muni) begins writing novels in 1862 which are considered obscene by French officials. He then writes books about sordid life in Paris and the failures of the French Army in the 1870 war with Prussia. He then takes up the cause of French Army Captain Dreyfus who was convicted in 1894 of treason for passing secrets to Germany. Zola believed that Dreyfus was innocent and his efforts (along with others) persuaded the French government to exonerate Captain Dreyfus after five years. The film notes that much of the story has been fictionalized and that some names have been changed. The French Army officers plotting against Captain Dreyfus wear French military medals. Early in the film Emile Zola is very poor and is paid a few francs in coin by a book dealer and later by a publisher.

Emile Zola lives at a cheap Paris apartment with artist Paul Cezanne (Vladimir Sokoloff). Alexandrine is Emile's girlfriend and she gets Emile a position as a clerk in a bookstore.

Emile writes a novel, Confessions of Claude which a government censor labels as obscene. The censor also threatens the manager who pays Emile some money and does not fire him.

The manager pulls out five large coins and puts them on a table. Emile picks up the coins one-by-one leaving two coins.

The coins appear to be silver-dollar sized coins which would be French five franc coins or imitations.

A French five franc coin dated 1867:

Silver, 38 mm, 24.82 gm
Obverse: Emperor Napoleon III facing left, mintmark BB (Strasbourg)
Reverse: Arms of French Empire, EMPIRE FRANCAIS 5 F 1867

Emile explores the city and talks to various down-and-out people and writes about them. He shows his articles to a publisher.

The publisher gives him a few coins.

The coins are the size of French one franc coins. At a restaurant Paul and Emile encounter a woman and invite her to sit with them.

The men take Nana back to their apartment and interview her. She tells her life story of (implied) prostitution which Emile publishes as his novel Nana. The publisher Mr. Charpentier tells Emile that the book has sold 36,000 copies.

The publisher gives Emile an envelope with a sales report and a check for 15,000 francs. Emile asks him for the loan of a small amount of cash until he can deposit the check.

Emile Zola and Alexandrine marry and become wealthy from his novels and books. In 1894 The French Army General Staff discovers that one of their members has been selling secrets to the Germans. The officers look over service records.

They decide to "frame" Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut), a Jewish artillery officer. A notice is sent to the Captain to report to the office.

The Captain and his wife Lucie Dreyfus (Gale Sondergaard) wonder about the notice. The Captain reports the next day at the Army headquarters while Major Henry hides.

Major Henry wears three French military medals. The medals are the Legion of Honor, the Commemorative medal of the 1870 to 1871 War, and the Colonial Medal. He wears two bars on the Colonial Medal indicating that he has served in two French colonies.

Commander Dort wears three French military medals. The medals are the Legion of Honor, the Commemorative medal of the 1870 to 1871 War, and the Order of Academic Palms, a medal awarded to teachers and professors. Commander Dort asks Dreyfus to write a letter which he dictates. The letter confesses to espionage. He then shows the letter to the other officers but tells them that Dreyfus wrote it himself. Dreyfus is then arrested and convicted at a staged court-martial. He is sentenced to life in prison at the notorious Devil's Island prison in French Guiana. Mrs. Dreyfus and others have been gathering evidence of Captain Dreyfus' innocence. One of the military conspirators, a Major Picquart, later a Colonel, switches sides and proclaims that Dreyfus is innocent and names a Major Esterhazy as the traitor. Emile Zola has settled into a sedate rich life with his wife. Mrs. Dreyfus visits Emile and persuades him to take up her husband's cause. Zola writes a book I Accuse setting forth the facts in the case and naming the guilty parties. Emile is arrested for libel and put on trial.

The trial is staged and he is not allowed to mention Dreyfus or present evidence. Colonel Picquart manages to testify in Zola's defense.

Colonel Picquart also wears three French military medals, the Legion of Honor, the 1870-1871 War Commemorative Medal, and the Colonial Medal with one bar. Colonel Picquart tells the court that his reinvestigation uncovered the real traitor. Emile Zola gives a speech summing up his beliefs.

Despite Emile Zola's efforts, he is convicted of criminal libel and sentenced to prison. He instead relocates to England where he writes more articles in defense of Captain Dreyfus. France gets a new administration and the new minister of the military fires the officials who convicted Dreyfus. The minister also exonerates Dreyfus who is returned to France and reinstated in the army. Emile Zola returns to France where he is honored.

Paul Muni as Emile Zola
Vladimir Sokoloff as Paul Cezanne
Joseph Schildkraut as Captain Alfred Dreyfus
Gale Sondergaard as Lucie Dreyfus
Gloria Holden as Alexandrine
Director: William Dieterle
Writers: Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg, Norman Reilly Raine
Based on the 1928 book Zola and His Time by Matthew Josephson