Product Details

• Actors: Marise Dauvray, Severin-Mars, Romuald Joube
• Directors: Abel Gance
• Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Silent
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Flicker Alley
• DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008
• Run Time: 166 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0018BYNY4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,130 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 06/17/2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Great Anti-War Film., October 5, 2008

By 

Chip Kaufmann (Asheville, N.C. United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: J'Accuse (DVD)

There were plenty of anti-war films before Gance released J'ACCUSE in 1919. Numerous short films were made circa 1911-1915 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the American Civil War (DRUMMER OF THE 8th from the CIVIL WAR FILMS OF THE SILENT ERA is a prime example) culminating in D.W. Griffith's continually controversial THE BIRTH OF A NATION. There is also a wonderful Thomas Ince produced feature from 1916 called CIVILIZATION but it has yet to make it to DVD. Being a master of the film medium, I'm sure that Gance must have been familiar with these movies especially BIRTH for technique and CIVILIZATION for content. He took what came before him and made the first great anti-war epic that still resonates today.

J'ACCUSE was conceived on a mammoth scale but like most great anti-war movies, the film is primarily intimate as it deals with the personal relationships of a handful of characters that forge a direct bond with the audience. It is this that gives J'ACCUSE its impact and keep it just as relevant to the audiences of today as it was back then. The performances of Roumalde Joube, Marise Dauvray and especially Severin-Mars (the train engineer of LA ROUE) linger long after the film is over. The film is far from perfect and definitely not for everyone. It's too long and the storytelling becomes too episodic at times but the overall message enhanced by Gance's inimitable silent film style make it hard to forget. As usual the restoration and presentation by Flicker Alley rates 5 stars. Great music from Robert Israel as well.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars French WWI silent cinema at its best!, September 12, 2008

By 

Barbara (Burkowsky) Underwood (Tumut, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: J'Accuse (DVD)

Having been deeply impressed by French director Abel Gance's other two silent epics, "La Roue" and "Napoleon", I had high expectations of this film which he directed a few years earlier, and was not one bit disappointed. Even the opening credits of soldiers forming the film's title "J'Accuse" was a great first impression, and Gance's famous use of sophisticated imagery and fast editing technique is apparent from the outset to the dramatic climax. Although the editing is somewhat less smooth than in his famous later films, "J'Accuse" is still outstanding for its production year, 1919, although filming had begun earlier, during the WWI years about which this film is meant as a protest, hence the title meaning "I accuse". Gance's message is that of accusing those who caused, supported and profited from the war, but rather than being a war movie per se, it is in fact very much a human story about lives in turmoil and the unnecessary suffering caused by the war. There are only a few main players in this film, all connected and touching each other's lives dramatically as the `Great War' shatters the innocent peace of an idyllic village in Provence. The story revolves around a woman, Edith, whose abusive husband and her caring lover both end up in the same trench when the war breaks out. Tension and rivalry between the two men turn into comradeship in the face of death and slaughter on the battlefield, and when Edith is abducted by German soldiers, they feel united in their love for her. Parents and a small child - the result of gang rape perpetrated by the German soldiers upon Edith - also become involved in the four-year ordeal of the war, all of which leads to a stunning climax which reinforces Gance's message. It is an issue later heard in our day as well, asking whether the war was worth all the lives it destroyed, and did the families left behind honour the sacrifice their men made for them by their conduct during the war. These soul-searching issues are challenged in unforgettable images depicting the fallen soldiers awakened from their graves, played by real soldiers on leave from the war. Other authentic images from the war were also used in this film, but actual battle scenes are short and not the main focus of this film. The majority of the 2 ˝ hours running time depicts the lives of the main characters and their feelings, making "J'Accuse" a very emotionally-charged experience, as well as a milestone in early silent film development. Perfectly restored and given an outstanding, beautiful musical score by Robert Israel who excels in such projects, this is a very important DVD for film historians, early cinema and even World War I enthusiasts. Besides its historic significance and `social commentary' which was common in silent films in the early decades of the century, "J'Accuse" is a highly artistic and very impressive work of cinematography which is rarely seen in our day. Also included in this 2-disc set is are two bonus short films, one of which is an actual documentary of WWI battles in France in 1916, and a top quality 20-page booklet with two essays about "J'Accuse" with insight into Abel Gance's thoughts add further to the high standard of this set.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Silent Movie Milestone, November 11, 2008

By 

G. Unterholzner (Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: J'Accuse (DVD)

J'Accuse was the only "peace film" to be made in Europe during World War I. Gance, who had served briefly in that conflict, returned to active service in 1918 to film battle scenes of soldiers actually under fire. Parts of the film were shot during the battle of St. Mihiel, one of the most significant of the war. Also, for the famous "March of the Dead" sequence at film's end, Gance used real soldiers home on leave from the front - most of whom were killed within the following weeks. Some titles are taken from real letters written by soldiers to their families. These scenes are surely the best and most spectacular of the whole movie.

The film stars Maryse Dauvray as Edith, a young Frenchwoman who is in love with a poet (Romuald Joubé) but is forced by her father (Maxime Desjardins) into a marriage with a much older man (Séverin-Mars). Edith is captured by the Germans and endures multiple rapes that result in her becoming pregnant. Edith's husband initially thinks that the poet is the father of her child, and the story ends in tragedy with both men seeing action in the trenches.

J'Accuse introduced techniques developed by Gance including rapid-cut editing and expressionistic camerawork and lighting. The film is a must-see for all silent movie fans. Overall, a spectacular and seminal work, although with nearly 3 hours it is very long for current standards and for the time. It contains some unnecessary reiterations, especially with its title J'accuse", where the meaning is not always clear. But, it is much better and more watchable than most films coming out in Europe and America of the time.