J'accuse (1938)

"I dedicate this film to the dead of the war of tomorrow, who will no doubt watch it skeptically without recognizing in it their own image." - Abel Gance

Yesterday my husband and I had a lovely conversation with a 93 year old WWII veteran who fought on D-Day in 1944. He told us about the time when he went back to Normandy for the 50th anniversary of the battle. My husband asked if visiting was difficult for him to go back and he replied "not really." In fact during the most of the conversation this vet brushed off any notion that anything to do with his service, including the dwindling size of his infantry, had any bad effect on him. This vet was either impervious to the brutalities of war or was still living with the decades old stigma of shell shock and the societal pressure of being a brave soldier.

But what about those who were affected and showed it openly? Director Abel Gance's J'Accuse (1938) shines a spotlight on the mental anguish caused by war. Victor Francen plays Jean Diaz, a soldier during WWI, is having an affair with the wife of fellow soldier Laurin (Marcel Delaître). It's the eve of the armistice and Laurin's troop has been chosen by lots to fight at Ravin des Dames, a battle that will lead to certain death. Laurin gives Jean a series of letters to send to their shared love Edith (Line Noro). Jean decides instead to swap places with another soldier and fight alongside Laurin and the others in the troop. Jean is the sole survivor and he returns to Edith. But he discovers he's lost his love for her and instead focuses his energy on preventing another war. Twenty years pass and the threat of a second great war is looming. Jean, who displays photos of the lost soldiers in the form of a cross above his bed, is haunted by the dead. His mental state spirals out of control. When Jean hears the news of the impending war he summons the dead from the graves in an epic and fantastical finale.

"I hope they have enough trees to make crosses." - Morat

I've read a few summaries of this film and many focus on the love triangle between Jean, Laurin and Edith. While this is certainly part of the plot it's not really the heart of the story. J'Accuse is Gance's anti-war manifesto. It comes almost 20 years after his silent version of the story, released in 1919 focusing on WWI. Gance remade the film in a sound version but chose to expand the story and bridge both WWI and the impending WWII. It's a fantastic film yet it's also bleak, unrelenting and difficult to watch. I had started and stopped the film several times. After my conversation with the WWII vet I was in a better head space to tackle the film and watched it all the way through.

J'Accuse is my first Abel Gance film but it certainly won't be my last. I've had my eye on Napoleon for a while and will be watching the original J'Accuse very soon.

Jean Diaz (Victor Francen) at the tombs of his fellow soldiers

The title is inspired by Jean accusations. He blames Europe of not learning from the past war to prevent a future one. I was particularly taken by Jean's speech, delivered just before his downward spiral. I've transcribed it below:

"I accuse the war of yesterday of making the Europe of today. And I accuse the war of tomorrow of preparing its destruction. I accuse mankind of failing to learn the lessons of the last catastrophe, of waiting with folded arms for the next war.  I accuse the short-sighted, the egotists, of having allowed Europe to be divided instead of building a permanent alliance. And I accuse the men of today not only of failing to understand, but of laughing when reminded of the most beautiful expression on earth: love one another. I accuse you same men of ignoring the voices of the millions who died in the war and who have cried out to you for 20 years Stop! You're taking the same terrible path!" - Jean Diaz

J'Accuse was released a few months before the start of WWII. According to Gance's end credits, the film's success demonstrated that France wanted peace not war. I've always been drawn to these types of stories. I credit Dalton Trumbo's anti-war novel Johnny Got His Gun for my love of literature and for influencing my politics. And in many ways it contributed to my passion for film. I was particularly fascinated by how Gance focuses on the dead and how their sacrifice should never be forgotten. The film is worth watching not only for it's message but also for the wonderful cinematography, the fine performance by lead actor Francen and an early depiction of zombies, who differ greatly from our modern representation of the paranormal.

Even if you're put off by the subject matter, I encourage you to tackle this film. J'Accuse is an underrated classic and important time capsule of world history.

J'Accuse (1938) is available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Olive Films. Thank you to Olive for a copy of this film to review.

I Loved Her in the Movies

I Loved Her In the Movies
Memories of Hollywood's Legendary Actresses
by Robert J. Wagner with Scott Eyman
9780525429111 -272 pages
November 2016
Viking Books

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"There's something in the nature of the movie-going experience itself that approximates the reverie that overtakes you when you're in love with a beautiful woman." - Robert J. Wagner

Who captivated you? Was it Gloria Swanson? Lana Turner? Rita Hayworth? Ginger Rogers? Gene Tierney? What was it about the actress that mesmerized you? Was it her beauty, her charm, her fierceness, her poise, her humor or her intelligence? Or all of the above? In I Loved Her in the Movies, actor Robert J. Wagner, in collaboration with biographer and film historian Scott Eyman, takes a closer look at the actresses of the golden age of Hollywood and beyond. Wagner narrates and takes us on a journey as he discovers each star, many of whom he worked with and loved.

The story starts with Wagner as a young boy. He befriends Irving Thalberg Jr. and encounters his very first movie star, actress Norma Shearer. Each chapter focuses on one decade starting with the 1930s and ending with the present day and a spotlight on Glenn Close. Many actresses fill the pages within including Gloria Swanson, Jean Arthur, Doris Day, Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, Claudette Colbert, Loretta Young, Betty Hutton, Linda Darnell, Lana Turner, Joan Blondell, Claire Trevor, Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, Rosalind Russell, Jennifer Jones, Ida Lupino, Janet Leigh, Lucille Ball, Stefanie Powers, Angie Dickinson and the list goes on and on. There are brief intermissions chapters that spotlight character actresses as well as close friends of Wagner. Pretty much every actress featured Wagner knew in some respect. In many cases, as was with Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck and some others, he had affairs with them as well. Two chapters highlights the great loves of his life: Natalie Wood and his current wife Jill St. John. (Note: If you're looking for any new details on Natalie Wood's mysterious death, you won't find them here.)

Jill St. John and Robert J. Wagner

As the title suggests, the tone of this book is a positive one. Almost every actress is spotlighted at their best but with a keen eye on their personality traits both good and bad. A couple exceptions to the rule include Shelley Winters and Raquel Welch but eventually Wagner finds something good to say about both ladies or he wouldn't have included them. The narrative explores what made each actress special, examines her career, what made her succeed and what made her fail. One major theme in the book is aging and how that affects a woman's career. Meryl Streep is brought up numerous times as an exception to the rule but many of the actresses discussed suffered career slumps due to getting older.

Bits of gossip are strewn throughout the text. One piece of gossip caught me off guard. Wagner claims that Fred MacMurray's first wife Lillian Lamont committed suicide. I hadn't heard of this so I did some research but couldn't find any sources to corroborate the claim. All I could find was that Lamont was very sick in the final years of her life. Wagner's claim is either hearsay or a bit of insider information.

"In so many ways, acting is a strange business. You work had with another actor, and you become entirely open to each other. You give more than the lines; you give them yourself at that moment in time. That kind of emotional openness has to be accompanied by a great deal of trust and mutual respect, so neither of you will be tempted to take advantage of that privileged connection, either professionally or personally." - Robert J. Wagner

Wagner, i.e. Robert Osborne's brother from another mother, has much love for Turner Classic Movies and the channel is mentioned several times throughout the text. There is some of the "good old days" nostalgia and some mourning of the loss of a bygone era. He does have a somewhat positive but rather mixed outlook on the future. While he does admire young actresses willingness to try anything he does criticize loss of mystique in today's paparazzi and over-sharing culture.

I Loved Her in the Movies is the follow up to Wagner and Eyman's previous collaborations, You Must Remember This and Pieces of My Heart. This is the first one of these I've read and I enjoyed it. It's a light read, perfect for someone who needs a palate cleanser after a hefty tome or for those who are intimidated by in-depth biographies. I don't usually comment on book covers but this one is exceptionally beautiful. The cover image above doesn't do it justice. You have to see it in person. The gorgeous image of Lana Turner with the author's name in gold makes it one you'll want to display face out. I don't even keep this book on my bookshelves. Instead I keep it on my vanity next to my framed portrait of Norma Shearer and Irving Thalberg on their wedding day and my autographed copy of Conversations with Robert Osborne DVD.

I Loved Her in the Movies by Robert J. Wagner with Scott Eyman is a delightful collection of insights and anecdotes on the actresses who've charmed us on the big screen.

Thank you to Viking Books for an opportunity to review this title!