The Dreyfus Affair
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The Dreyfus Affair was a political crisis in France from 1894 to 1906, centered on the treason conviction of army captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was Jewish. Initially supported by the public and fueled by anti-Semitic groups, the case gained momentum as evidence emerged suggesting another officer's guilt. Novelist Émile Zola's open letter, "J'accuse," published in 1898, highlighted the army's alleged cover-up and significantly divided France.12
Filmmaker Georges Méliès created L'Affaire Dreyfus (The Dreyfus Affair) in 1899. This film was one of his first to use linear temporality to tell a story, moving beyond his earlier "trick" films. It marked a shift towards narrative filmmaking, establishing the fiction film as a mainstream product.34
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filmNewsreels and documentaries…reconstructions of such events as The Dreyfus Affair (Méliès, 1899) and the assassination of U.S. Pres. William McKinley in L’Assassinat de McKinley (Pathé, 1901) were commonly accepted. Since then, viewers have required that newsreel material be neither prearranged nor fabricated, and they have become aware of the effects of the…
Read More…reconstructions of such events as The Dreyfus Affair (Méliès, 1899) and the assassination of U.S. Pres. William McKinley in L’Assassinat de McKinley (Pathé, 1901) were commonly accepted. Since then, viewers have required that newsreel material be neither prearranged nor fabricated, and they have become aware of the effects of the…
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History of filmMéliès and Porter…such as L’Affaire Dreyfus (The Dreyfus Affair, 1899), his first, which followed the logic of linear temporality to establish causal sequences and tell simple stories. By 1902 he had produced the influential 30-scene narrative Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon). Adapted from a novel by…
Read More…such as L’Affaire Dreyfus (The Dreyfus Affair, 1899), his first, which followed the logic of linear temporality to establish causal sequences and tell simple stories. By 1902 he had produced the influential 30-scene narrative Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon). Adapted from a novel by…
Read More