I Accuse!
Directed byJosé Ferrer
Written byNicholas Halasz (book)
Gore Vidal (screenplay)
Produced bySam Zimbalist
StarringJosé Ferrer
Anton Walbrook
CinematographyFreddie Young
Edited byFrank Clark
Music byWilliam Alwyn
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
March 5, 1958 (USA)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,768,000[1]
Box office$665,000[1]

I Accuse! is a British-American 1958 biographical drama film directed by and starring José Ferrer. The film is based on the true story of the Dreyfus Case, in which a Jewish captain in the French Army is falsely accused of treason.

Plot synopsis

Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish captain in the French Army, is falsely accused of treason. He is sentenced to imprisonment on Devil's Island. When the real traitor is found, the French Army tries to hide the truth by exonerating the traitor in a mock trial. Emile Zola, the famous French author, writes a letter to the President of France entitled "I Accuse!", which reveals the truth behind the coverup. The letter is published in the newspaper and Zola is sued for libel, leading to a re-examination of the entire Dreyfus case.

The story had been told before in the Oscar winning 1937 film The Life of Emile Zola. However, Dreyfus was not the leading character in the 1937 film; Zola was. Zola is a supporting character in I Accuse! and appears in only two scenes.

Cast

Reception

The film was a box office flop. It earned $190,000 in the US and Canada and $475,000 elsewhere, leading to a loss of $1,415,000.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
Plays
Novels
Screenplays
Teleplays
People
Categories