Politics, Power and Catherine Deneuve

3 stars

I wish I were French. Or at least steeped in enough French history, especially its political history of the 1990s, to rewatch Léa Domenach’s debut film, The President’s Wife, with a better understanding of the real characters it is based on. It’s certainly entertaining enough without it; the acting is good, the style refreshing, and the delicate balance between drama and comedy near perfection. However, watching it, I could never shake the feeling that I was missing something—something that would make the experience that much richer.

The film tells the story of Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve)  and her newly elected husband, Jacques (Michel Vuillermoz), as they arrive at the presidential Elysée Palace in 1995. From the moment we meet them, it’s clear that although Jacques won the election, Bernadette is the power behind the throne. The thrill of watching the film is watching the president’s wife realize it, too. And the joy of watching Deneuve.

An icon of world cinema, Deneuve has been making movies for more than 68 years and boasts a cinematic resume that spans French classics like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Belle de Jour, as well as American paycheck films like the 1975 Burt Reynolds action flick Hustle. Deneuve has also acted in some of cinema’s more daring creations, such as Don’t Touch the White Woman, the 1974 surreal farce directed by Marco Ferreri about the events leading up to Custer’s Last Stand. (It’s real. Click here.) Some films have worked better than others, but Deneuve has always been worth watching.

Her performance in The President’s Wife is subtle but effective. She deftly handles the film’s pivotal scenes, meaning the reimagined, real-life moments of the Chiracs’ lives, both public and private. It’s in the quieter moments, when it’s just Deneuve, the camera, and you that show you the actress’s power. 

Although you can’t take your eyes off her when she is on the screen, there are plenty of other fine performances to watch in The President’s Wife. Michel Vuillermoz makes a great sleazebag president, and the cronies that surround him are just as slimy. Denis Podalydès delivers a finely tuned comedic performance as Bernard Niquet, the meek press agent tasked initially with making Bernadette’s public persona more palatable to her husband. It’s fun to watch Niquet blossom alongside Bernadette, and you can’t help but cheer when his work is rewarded beautifully. I’ll leave it to the French to judge how accurate the portrayals are. 

Even without any previous knowledge of French politics, you can tell that Domenach’s film is as much a political statement as it is a comedy. According to the trivia section of the film on IMDb.com, the director wrote and made the movie without consulting anyone from the Chirac family, as she wanted to be free from external influences. And more power to her for making that artistic choice from the start, because her interpretive blending of historical footage and dramatic interpretation is the backbone of the story. Now, if there were only an American filmmaker with the same level of chutzpah to use that framework to explore the First Lady/President dynamic in this country,