Film Review: J'accuse (1938)

J’accuse, 1919 film by Abel Gance, is considered to be one of the classics of French silent cinema, one of the first major films to deal with the Great War and one of the first major anti-war films. Heavily inspired by Gance’s own experiences in the trenches and partially made while the war was still raging on, it was very personal affair for its creator. Like with many of his great films, Gance was for years returning to it in order to re-edit it and create many different versions. In 1938 he went further and made eponymous sound remake, this time dealing not only with the First World War but another world war that was about to begin.

The plot begins in 1918 at the Western Front near Verdun where French Army unit includes two men with very personal reasons to hate each other – François Laurin (played by Marcel Delaître) who discovers that his wife Edith (played by Line Noro) was being romantically pursued by his war comrade Jean Diaz (played by Victor Francen). Both men, however, choose to forego their rivalry for the sake of survival. Diaz has proven to be capable soldier, managing to survive patrol in the no man’s land – a task which means all but certain death. When another group of 12 soldiers, including Laurin, is sent into another of such suicidal missions, Diaz, who has failed to talk his superior officer Henri Chimay (played by Jean-Max) into postponing, volunteers to take replace another soldier. Laurin and Diaz are the only to return from patrol, but gravely wounded, with Laurin soon succumbing to his wounds. To make things even more tragic, patrol’s return coincided with the Armistice, meaning that the lives of 11 men were sacrificed for nothing. Much affected by survivors guilt, Diaz swears that he would do anything that lives of his comrades weren’t lost in vain and that the war he took part in is indeed the last. He neglects Edith and twenty years later catches attention of her daughter Helene (played by Renée Devillers). In an attempt to stop war, he has spent years in his workshop developing “steel glass”, impenetrable armour. But, much to his displeasure, Chimay, who is now a wealthy and politically connected industrialist, decides to sell his invention to French government as offensive weapon. As the very eve of the new war, Diaz visits the graveyard at Verdun and calls his fallen comrades to help him to stop it.

Made almost two decades after the original, Gance’s remake of his work benefited from passage of time. Not only Gance got opportunity to add sound, but also his anti-war message became more focused after years of contemplation. There isn’t any patriotic celebration of French heroism nor condemnation of German barbarity. For Gance war is pointless and stupid, best seen at the beginning when dozen men are sent to certain death in a mission that have lost any meaning and sense. The only way for the Great War to make sense is to make that war the last so future generations wouldn’t have to suffer; that meant that any future war must be avoided at all cost. J’accuse was released in cinema at the time of Munich Agreement and in many ways reflected the general public sentiment in France and other Western countries that have supported it.

Like in the first film, Gance wore his convictions on his sleeve. But his passion this time wasn’t matched by adequate display of talent. 1938 version had serious conceptual issues and was in many ways rough around the edges. The best segment is the very beginning, when we are introduced to life in the trenches and futility of war; Gance, however, compromises his vision by having newly shot scenes mixed with stock footage and the material he had made twenty years later. That combination make J’accuse look even more artificial. The relationship between Diaz and Edith, which was cornerstone of the first film, is mere afterthought in this film, and melodramatic subplot featuring Helene completely undeveloped, just like Diaz’s peace-creating wonder weapon. Victor Francen plays guilt-burdened and deeply frustrated protagonist with great passion, but his performance at times strays into overacting. Gance could have been aware that the new film might not be as powerful as the first one, so he tries to repeat one of his most memorable scene – macabre “March of the Dead” - near the end. The scene, in which, again real Great War veterans, many of them being disfigured, appear as ghosts, doesn’t have the same impact because it is overlong and has too much pathos, while the repetitive scenes of public reacting to resurrected soldiers by mass panic make J’accuse longer than it should have been.

Gance’s film later suffered because of being made at the worst possible time and trying to its finish its dark and depressive story on a positive note. In the original version, released in 1938, ghost soldiers succeeded in their mission, stopped the next world war and inspired governments to embrace universal disarmament and world peace. This fairytale corresponded not only with Gance’s views, but also with views of millions all over Europe who didn’t want to go to trenches again. A year later, war nevertheless came and France was quickly overrun and, like most of the continent, occupied by Nazi Germany. After the war France’s failure to defend itself was often blamed on the pacifist and anti-war sentiments espoused by the film. Because of that Gance had to use another version with somewhat bleaker ending that better corresponded with events of 1940s. Regardless of which version of 1938 film you prefer and despite many of its flaws, it is difficult not to conclude that Gance’s heart was ultimately at the right place.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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