The Dreyfus Affair (1908)
In this interesting picture we are given a vivid idea of the principal incidents connected with the Dreyfus case, which caused such a stir in military circles in the year of 1894. Alfred Dreyfus, an officer on the general staff, was charged with selling secrets to a foreign power. He was tried and judged guilty on flimsy evidence, and sentenced to imprisonment on Devil's Island, where he remained for eight years, until his influential friends, who took up his case in earnest, proved it was a plot formed by other officers, who subsequently confessed to having forged the documents. He was finally pardoned by President Loubet, and returned to his place in the army. In the first scene we sec Esterhazy take the papers from Henry's desk and send them to Baron von Schwarzkoppen, Henry sees him take them, but does not let it become known, for it was he who forged the document and placed it where it might be taken. A porter working in the baron's office discovers the document on the desk, and takes it to the Minister of War, who suspects Dreyfus. He sends for the doomed man and makes him sign his name. This done, he compares the writing with the document, and accuses him of treason. He calls on the secret service men. and Dreyfus is arrested. We next sec him in his cell, where he is visited by his faithful wife, who firmly believes in his innocence. He is brought into court and, after a short trial, the unfortunate man hears the terrible sentence pronounced upon him. He is then degraded in the public square in the presence of his fellow officers and comrades, by being stripped of his stripes and buttons and his sword is broken over the knee of his superior officer. He is then led away a prisoner, branded as a traitor, and is a pathetic sight, indeed, as he starts for his lonely prison on Devil's Island. We see him in his solitude as he passes the time looking across the sea and dreaming of home and family in his native land far away. Finally, after years of patient suffering, during which his friends fight for his vindication. Esterhazy confesses the forgery and soon after commits suicide. The glad tidings of pardon are brought to the prisoner in his little cabin, and we next see him returning to France, where he is reinstated in the position he formerly held in the army.
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GenresBiography
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Lucien Nonguet | Director |
| Ferdinand Zecca | Director |
| Louis Z. Rollini | Writer |
