Note: This Special Edition Blu-ray release will be available on November 15th courtesy of Arrow Video.
Back in 1919, the French film J’accuse (I Accuse) made a big impact. The anti-war epic from Abel Gance (Napoleon) incorporated footage from the trenches to help make its point. Less than two decades later, countries began rearming and patriotism and isolationism was taking hold. As a result, the director felt compelled to remake it, based on current events. Despite being well-regarded, the 1938 version of J’accuse has been incredibly difficult to track down, only being released North America in 1991 on VHS. Olive Films have finally given the feature a Blu-ray release.
This was a passion project and Gance is clearly letting all of his frustrations out. Having served as a front lines photographer during World War I and witnessing friends come to horrible ends (he was discharged after being harmed by mustard gas during one battle), the director had a point to make. And at numerous points during the 1938 feature, protagonist Jean Diaz (Victor Francer) voices the filmmaker’s personal anger and horror at the prospect of war.
The story follows Diaz, stationed in the trenches and the only survivor of his company’s night patrol (where several hundred have met violent ends). Like the others within his group, he becomes disillusioned with fighting. Some time after returning home, Diaz attempts to restart his life as a glass manufacturer. However, he can’t help but feel compelled to return to the grounds where he served. Soon, the lead begins to suffer from terrifying visions of the future and claims to know things that others can’t comprehend. The protagonist literally becomes catatonic, only coming to just as the planet teeters on the brink of devastation. And Diaz shares his views on what’s happened.
“I don’t accuse those who won (the war). I accuse the war of yesterday for 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 careless, 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. And I accuse you same men… of ignoring the voices of the millions who died in the war and have cried out to you for 20 years, “Stop! You’re taking the same terrible path!””
Yes, Gance is pretty much laying it all out here. Besides the heartfelt speeches, the director does an excellent job of using sound design. Early on, soldiers talk and try to relax between skirmishes, but there’s a constant stream of bombs and shells distracting the characters and shaking the walls. And when he speaks, Diaz’s passion is unmistakable.
The striking climax (SPOILERS AHEAD) is likely the movie’s most memorable feature. It features millions of dead and maimed soldiers rising from their graves and walking (superimposed over the streets) in silent protest. While this supernatural element seems a strange fit with a war film, it works and provides a memorable and haunting end to the story.
That not to say the feature is perfect. Gance intersperses stock footage of varying quality from WWI. The older pieces look much grainier (some of it was even shot at a different frame rate) and it doesn’t match up particularly well. And with every other film from this era, there’s an odd B-plot featuring a romance that feels very out of place. It’s a love triangle or actually, more of a love square. Whatever it might be, this results in Diaz dating the daughter of his girlfriend; his motivations have to do with a promise made during the war. This material feels melodramatic and unimportant compared to the main plot.
Obviously, by today’s standards the performances and approach is less than subtle, but its scenes of outrage still resonate nearly 80 years later. Additionally, it is interesting to see what could be described as a very early depiction of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Of course, the movie didn’t stop the world’s worst conflict from eventually taking hold. But it is an impassioned plea for peace. J’accuse may stumble here and there, but when it rallies against hate, fear, profiteering and isolationism, it is hard to deny its power. And now, early film enthusiasts can finally see one of the most difficult-to-locate features from a renowned moviemaker.