I Accuse / Spy thriller (2019)

I Accuse/An Officer and a Spy (2019)



Roman Polanski’s latest flick about the Alfred Dreyfus affair—which, back in the day, was basically the kind of scandal that tore through the social fabric of France...
The movie is a genuine little masterpiece; Polanski really didn't miss the mark here..
It might rub some people the wrong way given the subject matter, but I reckon it'll find its cult following..

That whole affair is a legendary piece of history from the turn of the century, not just in France, but across the entire Western world..

The film itself is controversial, mostly because of Polanski—that's just common knowledge at this point..
Interestingly enough, the major American distribution companies refused to even pick it up for English-speaking markets..

It was a nightmare trying to track down where to watch it, but you can find it on torrent sites now, along with the English subtitles, which, by the way, took months to actually surface..

This movie is going to age like a fine French wine. 👍 I wonder how much they’ll actually dive into Emile Zola's involvement. Can't wait to see it... 🍿

You haven't even seen the movie, yet here you are, lecturing me on 🙄"developing a sense of taste."

goldenhound32 said:You haven't even seen the movie, yet you're rambling about "getting the flavor."🙄

Obviously. Roman Polanski is a brilliant director. Unfortunately, his true value will only be realized over the coming years—not because of the Alfred Dreyfus situation, which is the least of the controversies here, but because of how distribution in the USA keeps shutting him out.

Coppola is a brilliant director, which is precisely why he was able to get away with filming such garbage.

What on earth does the lack of a distribution deal here in the States have to do with the actual quality of this film?

goldenhound32 said:What does a lack of distribution in the US have to do with the quality of this movie?

Since it’s banned from US theaters, people will just watch it later. They'll see the quality for themselves. Critics are already calling this his best work since Polanski the pianist. I'm convinced—that's why I'm saying I Accuse is a good film before I've even seen it. That's my take. I'm not telling you how to feel. This whole American-style boycott thing is ridiculous. If we follow this logic, should the European Union start banning movies by Woody Allen too?

Polanski is a proven rapist who fled to avoid prison time. As for Woody Allen, nothing has ever been proven against him; in fact, all allegations were dismissed. Anyone who actually looked into the case knows he’s innocent—the whole thing just doesn't hold water. You might find him sleazy because of how he deceived Mia Farrow, but that doesn't make him a child predator.

His films are also being unfairly boycotted here in the USA due to this #MeToo movement. Honestly, what is their problem with Polanski?

Benjamin Ruiz60 said:Since the distribution ban in the States is preventing people from seeing it now, audiences will eventually catch up. They’ll seek it out later, and once they do, they’ll finally be able to judge the quality for themselves. The critics are claiming this is Polanski's finest work since Polanski the pianist.

Source?

I’ve been scanning through a few of the reviews lately, and honestly, the critics absolutely trashed the movie.

Imagine that. You’re standing there, absolutely convinced you’ve found his masterpiece—something even greater than *Polanski the Pianist*—and yet, you haven't even bothered to sit down and actually watch it. 😁

In my estimation, Ghost Writer holds a superior edge. Venus in Furs is equally compelling.

goldenhound32 said:Source?

Hold on. You want me to hunt down sources for a movie that racked up 12 Caesar nominations (how many did it actually win, three?) and took home awards at the Cannes Film Festival? Do your own homework. 😁

and imagine being convinced it’s his "best work since Polanski the pianist," yet you haven't even seen it 😁 Ghost Writer is better. Venus in Furs too.

And imagine being convinced that Ghost Writer and Venus in Furs are superior when you haven't even watched I Accuse. 😉

Benjamin Ruiz60 said:Hold on. If I were to go out looking for sources for a film that was nominated for 12 Caesars—how many did it actually win, three?—and was honored at the Cannes Film Festival, you could just look it up yourself. 😁

Good grief... I was asking for a source regarding your claim that "critics called this more Polanski than Polanski the pianist."

And imagine that—you're convinced that Ghost Writer and Venus in Furs are superior, yet you haven't even seen I Accuse. 😉

Where on earth are you getting this false assumption that I haven't seen it?

For heaven's sake, one of these days I might actually leave an impression on Impressionists.☕

goldenhound32 said:Where on earth are you getting this idea that I didn't watch it?
Seriously, man, I actually left my thoughts on the impressions page for once. ☕

Some people don't even have time to sit down and watch a movie, let alone hunt through a forum looking for your reviews. You could have just posted something here.

It seems everyone suddenly found themselves with nothing but time on their hands during the pandemic 😁

Caught this one a few days ago. Honestly? It was just okay. Not great, not terrible—just kind of mid. You wouldn't skip scenes or turn it off halfway through, but it lacks that real punch, you know? The whole thing feels pretty flat. Still, I'm not exactly bummed out. I actually felt pretty good about it, mostly because compared to the absolute garbage the Hollywood studios pump out every single day, even a mediocre flick like this feels like a win.
I guess Roman Polanski missed the mark by not centering the story on Zola, and that’s probably why it didn't hit that masterpiece level.

Mark Adams6 said:I caught this movie a few days ago and—honestly?—it didn't really blow me away. It’s just... okay. Like, it’s one of those movies where you won't feel the need to skip scenes, and you probably won't turn it off halfway through, but it totally lacks that "wow" factor. The storytelling feels pretty flat and one-note. Still, I'm not complaining! I'm actually kind of happy with it because, let's face it, an average movie like this is a total luxury compared to the absolute junk the Hollywood studio system dumps on us every single day.
Roman Polanski missed the mark by not centering the story on Zola, and man, that cost him having a true masterpiece on his hands.

I watched it too—definitely middle-of-the-road, but still worth a watch if you have the time.

About that whole thing with focusing on Zola—look, the movie runs over two hours and covers several years, which is exactly where it trips up. The focus keeps jumping around from one thing to the next. They tried to cram way too much plot into such a short runtime. There just wasn't enough breathing room to really dive into Zola, because if they had, it would've been a completely different movie altogether.
It probably would've worked way better as a limited series on Netflix or something.

It was such a genuine pleasure getting to sit down and watch this incredibly talented film—and Emmanuelle Seigner is just absolutely magnificent in it... 😍

Surprisingly solid—maybe even a bit cold—look at a specific moment in history. It follows the Alfred Dreyfus case, but strictly through the lens of the intelligence community. Honestly, I don't see any issue with the fact that we aren't diving into Zola's world here; instead, we're stuck with some military figurehead. The military guy did his job just fine, though I’m really not feeling his mistress or why her role is supposedly so pivotal 🤷
The most > scene for me was that simultaneous newspaper reading 😍
Also, that quick little nod to phrenology? Totally worked 😁

Benjamin Ruiz60 said:That movie is gonna age like a fine French wine, you know? 👍 I’m curious to see how much they actually lean into Emile Zola's involvement. Definitely checking this out soon... 🍿

Wine doesn't just get better with age. That's a total urban legend.

Wine has an expiration date.

Look, there's a massive difference here. This 'wine' was never any good to begin with, so you can't exactly age it into something better. Comparing it to something that improves over time is just totally misplaced; a great movie is great from the second it hits theaters, whereas some wines actually need to sit and mellow out to gain any quality.

The only thing in this whole flick worth mentioning was Zola's accusation, and honestly, that should've been the entire foundation of the story. Instead, they give it maybe a few shameful minutes of screen time, if that. They completely missed the boat by not adapting Zola's trial—his conviction, the escape to New York City, and the return after two years of exile once he knew he wouldn't be heading to prison.
By taking such a half-baked, already overplayed story and making it this messy, Roman Polanski pulled off an epic fail. And I think I know why he stuck to such trivialities; it’s that classic "Spielberg syndrome" complex. People who actually get cinema know exactly what I'm talking about.
I used to think this movie was just mediocre, but it's not. It's a disaster. It's just a mid-tier retelling of a tired story that feels monotonous, flat, and totally lacks a climax. Kind of like sex without the orgasm.

Everyone talks about German antisemitism, but people don't discuss French antisemitism nearly enough... It’s actually what pushed Jews to establish a global Zionist organization and start looking for their own homeland in Palestine in the first place. And during WW2, the French authorities were incredibly efficient at handing over the Jews caught on their soil directly to the Nazi concentration camps and death camps—something they've been doing a pretty successful job of hiding away from the world ever since...

Since you're bringing up Nazi death camps, have you actually picked up Gerard Menuhin's book, "Tell The Truth and shame The Devil"? He goes deep into the whole gas chamber issue there.
His folks actually survived Auschwitz, so he based the whole thing on their firsthand accounts. It’s wild that nobody has even tried to sue him for what he put in there. The book came out five years ago, so the statute of limitations hasn't even been an issue—there's really no excuse for why nothing has been done about it.

Menuhin is the son of violinist Yehudi Menuhin and dancer Diana Gould, and his brother is pianist Jeremy Menuhin.

And honestly, nothing stays hidden unless you've got orders from the top, I guess.
The big shots just call it a conspiracy theory.