#Alfred dreyfus siblings movie#
#Alfred dreyfus siblings series#

In 1894, the French government learned that an unknown French officer had sent a shopping list of military secrets to the German embassy (the list was known as “the bordereau” and I will be using that term throughout). (I also recommend this handy timeline as a lot was happening.)ĭreyfus during his second trial, for Vanity Fair.

#Alfred dreyfus siblings series#

As a result, viewers of the Méliès film series are thrown head first into the deep end of the case with zero explanation and because of this, I am opening up this review with a brief summation of the Dreyfus Affair. The French audience Méliès was addressing would have been as aware of the ins and outs of the case as American viewers of the 1990s who kept up with the O.J. This story was huge and was followed closely by the world’s population and it’s easy to see why it had everything: espionage, accusations of antisemitism, a faked escape from Devil’s Island, the biggest names in French literature taking sides, a celebrity author threatened with arrest… The Dreyfus Affair was originally an eleven-part series of short films that told the story of the hottest political and social justice story of the 1890s in France: The arrest, imprisonment and eventual re-trial of Captain Alfred Dreyfus. I have nothing further to say about it for the present and future.Ĭaptain Alfred Dreyfus in uniform before his ordeal. In fact, he was both politically engaged and capable of far more depth than many viewers may realize.Īnd on another note: I am aware of the existence of An Officer and a Spy. I have long advocated for viewing Méliès as more than a magician filmmaker and creator of fantasy confections. Nevertheless, it showcases bold innovation from its maker and it takes on one of the most controversial cases of the Belle Époque. Your help is most appreciated!Ī quick note before beginning: While my previous deep dive reviews have focused on famous epics, this film is not famous even to fans of Georges Méliès and the combined runtime of the surviving footage is a little over ten minutes. Christopher Bird, Pamela Hutchinson of Silent London, Kristen of Speakeasy, and many, many others. Friendly FireĪ huge thanks to everyone who helped me research this monster, track down documents and films, translate from the French and otherwise assist. Home Media Availability: Released on DVD. In order to give the case more context for the modern viewer, I will be reviewing three other Dreyfus pictures released in the English language market: The Life of Emile Zola, I Accuse and Prisoner of Honor.

The films themselves are as fascinating as their subject and are extraordinarily innovative to boot.

#Alfred dreyfus siblings movie#

Just before the dawn of the twentieth century, movie pioneer Georges Méliès tore one of the biggest stories from French headlines and made a series of biographical sketches in support of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer who was framed for treason and exiled to Devil’s Island.