Upon the sudden death of President Georges Pompidou, the French right is taken aback. Who will succeed him? It is finally Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, aged 48, elected with the support of Jacques Chirac, who is then appointed Prime Minister. Their alliance seems strong, but it will quickly crack.
Acting
Girardot's Giscard: charming, cold, utterly watchable.
Production
Period-perfect Élysée interiors, all wood paneling and cigarette smoke.
Writing
Dialogue so polite it's practically violent.
Director
Laurent Heynemann
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Heynemann based the screenplay on extensive interviews with surviving aides—some scenes are verbatim from memoirs.
FR
