La promeneur de champ de mars
France,
2004, 120 min
Shown in 2005
CREDITS
- dir
-
Robert Guédiguian
- prod
-
Frank Le Wita, Marc de Bayser, Robert Guédiguian
- scr
-
Georges-Marc Benamou, Gilles Taurand
- cam
-
Renato Berta
- editor
-
Bernard Sasia
- cast
-
Michel Bouquet, Jalil Lespert, Philippe Fretun, Anne Cantineau, Sarah Grappin, Catherine Salviat, Jean-Claude Frissung
- source
-
Pathé Distribution, 10 rue Lincoln, Paris 75008, France. FAX: 33-1-40-76-91-94. EMAIL: elodie.henneton@pathe.com.
- premiere
-
North American Premiere
-
COMMENTS
Marc de Bayser, Frank Le Wita and Jalil Lespert in attendance.
OTHER
A must-see for anyone interested in European politics, history or Europe in general, The Last Mitterrand fictionalizes the last months of the ex-president of France, François Mitterrand, to create a portrait of a man, a country and a culture, and the politics, histories and memories that define them all. Director Robert Guédiguian (acclaimed for his series of Marseilles-set fictions, including The Town Is Quiet, SFIFF 2001) restages Mitterrand’s final moments in power as a dialogue between the president and his young biographer Antoine Moreau (based on Mitterrand’s real-life biographer Georges-Marc Benamou, who wrote the screenplay). Idealistic and committed, Moreau confronts Mitterrand on his beliefs and politics, especially regarding his WWII-era past as a possible Vichy collaborator. Mitterrand remains unbowed; no shrinking violet, he calls himself “the last great French president,” and swears that due to increasing globalization and corporatization all who come after him will be more accountants than politicians. Through their conversations, Guédiguian confronts the entire history of France, the hopes and compromises of socialism (and of the European Left in general), and how politics and power influence—and are influenced by—individuals. Actor Michel Bouquet makes a striking Mitterrand; his presence is so riveting and his impersonation so convincing that even Mitterrand’s foreign minister and lifelong friend Roland Dumas praised his performance.
FACTOID #12
In our occasional film series, The Unvanquished, we showcased the work of filmmakers who continued to make their art despite suffering artistic repression. Those honored include directors Paul Carpita (1996), Paul Meyer (1996), Abraham Polonsky (1996) and John Berry (1998) and actors Karen Morley (1999) and Behrouz Vossoughi (2001).
