J'Accuse

"J accuse, director Abel Gance s (Napoleon) indictment of war, is a tale of romance and idealism in the tradition of Tolstoy s War and Peace and Jean Renoir s La Grande Illusion. Set against the backdrop of World War I, the idealistic poet Jean Diaz (Victor Francen, A Farewell to Arms), in pursuit of a higher calling, having witnessed the horrors of war, seeks to create a technology that will put an end to future bloodshed. Jean s hopes for a peaceful resolution are soon dashed when investor Henri Chimax (Jean-Max, Satan s Paradise) appropriates Jean s plans knowing that another world war, looming on the horizon, will profit him financially J accuse features supporting performances by Line Noro (Pépé le Moko), Paul Amiot (Le Cercle Rouge), André Nox (Savage Brigade) and Marie Lou (The Woman Thief). Directed by Abel Gance, J accuse (which used his epic 1919 silent screen version as a template) is both a stirring indictment of man s inhumanity to man and man s capacity for love and compassion."