ɐ kˈɑːməntˌeɪɾɚ nˈoʊɾᵻd hˈaʊ "ðə fˈɪlm ɪz lˈɪɾɚd wɪð pˈeɪnfəl mˈoʊmənts" ænd ðˈæt "wɪð ɪts dᵻpˈɪkʃən ʌv wˈʌn mˈænz lˈɔŋ fˈɪzɪkəl ænd spˈɪɹɪtʃˌuːəl dᵻklˈaɪn, lə sˈiːn dˈuː lˈaɪən ɹˈiːkɔːlz ðə ɡɹˈeɪt nˈætʃɚɹəlˌɪst nˈɑːvəlz ʌv ɪmˈaɪl zˈoʊlə æz wˈɛl æz ðə wˈɜːks ʌv ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ɹˈiːəlɪsts sˈʌtʃ ɐz θˈiːədˌoːɹ dɹˈaɪzɚ.
A commentator noted how "the film is littered with painful moments" and that "with its depiction of one man's long physical and spiritual decline, Le Signe Du Lion recalls the great naturalist novels of Émile Zola as well as the works of American realists such as Theodore Dreiser.