Book Review: Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion, and the Scandal of the Century, by Ruth Harris

Article first published as Book Review: Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion, and the Scandal of the Century by Ruth Harris on Blogcritics.

Late in September of 1894 a cleaning woman working in the German embassy in Paris discovered the discarded fragments of a memorandum which contained French military secrets in the waste basket of the German military attaché. The cleaning woman, who also happened to be a French spy working for military intelligence, turned the pieces of the memo over to the authorities, who analyzed the fragments and determined that there was a traitor on the French army general staff. On October 15, a promising young Jewish officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was arrested for the crime. He was court martialed and convicted on evidence that many considered trumped up and flimsy. In January of 1895, he was publically degraded, his epaulettes torn from his uniform, his sword broken in two. He was then paraded around the courtyard of the military school to the jeers of a screaming mob. In the end he was sent off to imprisonment on the notorious Devil's Island. Thus began the cause célèbre that was to rock France for the next decade and more, the Dreyfus affair.

Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion and the Scandal of the Century, Ruth Harris' comprehensive study of what for a long time was simply known as the "Affair" combines a historical survey of events with an analysis of the factional disputes between the Dreyfusards, those who for one reason or another supported Dreyfus' against his accusers, and the anti-Dreyfusards, those who supported the army and the right wing government. Where past studies have tended to see the central issue in terms of anti-Semitism, Harris, while recognizing that anti-Semitism indeed played a significant part in the reaction to the case, makes the point that it was not the only issue. The motivations of people on both sides of the Affair were often complex. Anti-Dreyfusards included nationalists who felt it was necessary to support the honor of the military even if they were in the wrong, conservatives who felt the need to defend the perks of the aristocracy, and Catholics who were unhappy with the secularization of the state. The Dreyfusards on the other hand were often republicans who had little use for either the military or the conservative government and believed in meritocracy rather than aristocracy. Some supported Dreyfus less for individual justice than for the principles involved. Some were simply concerned with the plight of the man. Certainly there were anti-Semites at work, but anti-Semitism alone does not explain the complexities of the situation.

Harris introduces a large cast of characters on both sides of the Affair. There are the family members, his wife Lucie and brother Mathieu who were stalwart in his defense. There are the well known figures like the novelist Emil Zola whose pamphlet, J'Accuse may well be the most famous document associated with the Dreyfus case and Clemenceau who was later to lead the country. There are the schemers like Commandant Henry who forged evidence and eventually committed suicide and the men of honor like Colonel Picquart who went to prison for defending Dreyfus. There were the contemporary journalists and propagandists like Bernard Lazare and Edouard Drumont, not to mention the lawyers, politicians, intellectuals, anti-intellectuals, generals andsalonnieres. Despite the large number, Harris manages to portray individuals in depth and with precision. In most cases she carefully draws her insights from their own letters and published writings. Altogether, her portraits of both Dreyfus supporters, antagonists and even those who tried to ignore the issue, create a panoramic picture of French society at the turn of the century and the impact of the Affair on that society.

In Dreyfus, Harris manages to tell a remarkable story with scholarly care. It is one of those rare academic works that is both readable and well documented. Notes and bibliography are impressively voluminous. Moreover the volume includes a wealth of illustrations, photographs and cartoons.

DVD Review: Napoleon & Love

This article was first published at Blogcritics

Napoleon & Love, a nine part 1974 BBC dramatic series, will be available March 1 in a three DVD set from Acorn Media Group. The episodic series which recounts the many love affairs of the French general as he powers his way through the armies of Europe to an Emperor's throne only to lose it with his ill advised Russian campaign stars Ian Holm as Bonaparte and Billie Whitelaw as Josephine, the greatest love and greatest disappointment of his life. Written by Philip Mackie, it focuses on the man's personal life with some attention to his political intrigues; oddly it pays little or no attention to the warrior's battles; indeed the only battle scene in all of the nine episodes deals with the Battle of Waterloo, and that lasts little more than a moment or two. The focus of the series is clear from the fact that eight of the nine episodes takes its title from one of the women in his life at the time: "Rose" (one of the names associated with Josephine), "Josephine," "Pauline," Georgina," "Eleonore," "Marie Walewska," "Maria-Luisa," and "Louise." The final episode reiterates the theme: "The End of Love."

It is Holm as the mercurial Corsican who holds the series together. He begins somewhat shakily as the young general ambitious but lacking in funds, and not all that convincing as the naïf duped by the sophisticates in Paris into a marriage to an older woman with a reputation who has no love for him. As the character grows older, and the actor sheds his youthful wig, his performance becomes much more believable. He rants; he raves, but most of all he commands. He sees what he wants and takes it. If at times he is almost absurd in his relations with the fair sex, one must remember this is Napoleon as portrayed by the Brits. It is not likely to be a heroic portrait. His chemistry with Whitelaw as at first she plays with him and later finds herself falling in love with him as he turns away from her to the other women lights up the screen. Whitelaw herself is bewitching as the tempting woman of the world, who knows her man, and knows how to get what she wants from him. One can well understand why she was Samuel Becket's favorite actress.

As we have come to expect from these British dramas the supporting cast is excellent, although one has to wonder why it is that some play with accents and some don't. Of course, no one attempts a French accent. As in the contemporary Les Miz, the French all seem to prefer British accents. Peter Bowles turns in a gem as the ridiculous ladies' man and Cavalry Captain, Murat. Peter Jeffrey is convincingly subdued as the scheming Talleyrand. A ridiculously young Tim Curry appears as Josephine's son from her first marriage, Eugene. Sorcha Cusack is her devoted daughter, Hortense.

Unlike the more recent British costume dramas which are shot outdoors and on location as well as in studio, back when this was shot they relied much more on the studio. This gives the production more the feel of a stage performance than the kind of film we get today. More often than not the scenes are confined to interiors, sumptuous interiors, but interiors and confining nonetheless. Costumes on the other hand are lavish and carefully integrated with character. Murat is dressed in clownish finery, while Talleyrand is more restrained. Napoleon appears as he does in some of the many portraits, but it is to the ladies that the truly beautiful couture is given, beautiful women are dressed beautifully.

Although each of the three discs includes a disclaimer noting that the development of video recording may have caused some problems with the rerecording of the older audio and video, I didn't notice anything awry in any of the episodes. Both video and audio quality were quite acceptable. Extras included on the final disc, include filmographies of some of the major cast members and a short time line of historical events during Napoleon's reign. While I would have liked some program notes along with the set, more often than not these sets don't bother with them. One can only hope.