The Story of Louis Pasteur

"If This Story Didn't Have a Happy Ending YOU and YOU and YOU Might Not Be Alive Today to See It..."

1936 1h 26m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 57🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes★7.3IMDB · 3,237

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A true story about Louis Pasteur, who revolutionized medicine by proving that much disease is caused by microbes, that sanitation is paramount and that at least some diseases can be cured by vaccinations.

“If This Story Didn't Have a Happy Ending YOU and YOU and YOU Might Not Be Alive Today to See It...”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Paul Muni
Louis Pasteur
Josephine Hutchinson
Marie Pasteur
Anita Louise
Annette Pasteur
Donald Woods
Dr. Jean Martel
Fritz Leiber
Dr. Charbonnet
Henry O'Neill
Dr. Emile Roux
Porter Hall
Dr. Rossignol
Raymond Brown
Dr. Radisse

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Dieterle
Writers: Pierre Collings, Sheridan Gibney, Pierre Collings
Languages: English, French, Russian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

90 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Dieterle, shot by Tony Gaudio. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Heinz Roemheld. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ralph Dawson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Muni and Josephine Hutchinson and Anita Louise carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "If This Story Didn't Have a Happy Ending YOU and YOU and YOU Might Not Be Alive Today to See It...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Dieterle directs. Tony Gaudio behind the camera. Heinz Roemheld scores. Ralph Dawson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
290 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Russian.
4Directed by William Dieterle, shot by Tony Gaudio. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Heinz Roemheld. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ralph Dawson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Paul Muni and Josephine Hutchinson and Anita Louise carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "If This Story Didn't Have a Happy Ending YOU and YOU and YOU Might Not Be Alive Today to See It...".
9IMDB entry: tt0028313 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 57 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "france", "biography", "historical figure", "vaccine".
12Released under 23 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tony Gaudio
Original score: Heinz Roemheld
Editing: Ralph Dawson
Costume design: Milo Anderson
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 3,237 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Won 3 Oscars. 5 wins & 2 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Story
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

William Dieterle

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-19
★ 7/10
Paul Muni is super in this early biopic of the visionary French scientist who was the first to discover microbial causes for anthrax and rabies - and to develop a vaccine. Building upon his previously successful efforts to preserve wine, he struggles - despite opposition from first his Emperor, then his President and, of course, the highly sceptical scientific community in both his native France and overseas, to make any real headway against a staggering degree of intellectual bigotry. Gradually, though, by proving his theories in practice - and saving the lives of both animals and people, the tide begins to turn. It's an impressive film to watch, this - there is much more of the science on display (and in the writing) - the use of imagery of the test tube slides, the practical testing on man and beasts alike as well as his own medical issues all feature strongly and Muni delivers very well. His associates - for and against - are well represented by an ensemble of efficient character actors and the film has a poignancy that isn't cluttered by sentiment. Muni got his one Oscar (out of 6 nominations) for this and it's easy to see why.

Production companies