The Dreyfus Affair (1899) | The Film Index

Film Record

The Dreyfus Affair

Country: France
Release: 4 NOV 1899
Runtime: 13 min
Original Language: French

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The first movie ever censored for political reasons. The title refers to the then contemporaneous Dreyfus affair in which a Jewish military officer was falsely convicted of treason, and it was alleged that he was framed due to anti-semitism.

Why It's Here

Georges Méliès steps away from fantasy to create an early form of the docudrama. Spanning 11 separate short installments, it is academically vital as one of the earliest examples of a film series using a multi-scene structure to tell a complex, politically charged narrative.

What to Watch For: The chronological scene progression. Before this, most films were single-shot novelties. Watch how Méliès attempts to recreate historical reality in a studio setting, demonstrating an early understanding that cinema could be used for political advocacy and journalism.