Cannes 2011: 'embarrassing' Nicolas Sarkozy biopic to debut - Telegraph

Quote:

La Conquête (The Conquest) will receive its world premiere at the French festival on May 18 after months of fevered speculation about its content. The drama charts Mr Sarkozy’s victory in the 2007 election. It also shows him fretting about his height and using colourful language to describe his enemies. Yet it brings out a more sympathetic side of the French leader as he struggles to cope with the break-up of his marriage to Cécilia, his second wife. She left him for another man shortly after the presidential race. Mr Sarkozy now faces a dilemma over his attendance at the festival. He had been expected to walk his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, down the red carpet at the premiere of her film, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, which will open the 10-day event. Critics of Mr Sarkozy await its unveiling with glee, after a teasing trailer for the film showed him proclaiming: “I am a Ferrari. You open the hood with white gloves on.” The premiere spells potential embarrassment for Mr Sarkozy and could dent his bid for a second presidential term at a time when his disapproval rating amongst the French electorate stands at 74 per cent. The film was made amid such secrecy that the cast members have not been able to view the finished film. Nor have Mr Sarkozy or his aides, but they are unamused by the trailer. Pierre Charon, Sarkozy’s former adviser, said: “What we have seen, we do not like at all.” The French leader is played by Denis Podalydès, a well-known classical actor who dons a luxuriant wig for the role. His impersonation of Mr Sarkozy’s voice and mannerisms is uncanny, and the actor studied endless film footage of the President in order to perfect his performance. “Rarely does one have access to so many images of a man,” he said. The Conquest was written by Patrick Rotman, a respected historian, who claims that his sources are impeccable. However, Dominique de Villepin, the former French prime minister is among those to rubbish the project, saying: “Any resemblance to real people must be dismissed.” Thierry Fremaux, director of the festival, said: “We have suffered no pressure to take or not take the film. It will be unveiled in Cannes on May 18, the day of its release, and not before.” The film will be screened outside the main competition for the Palme d’Or. The 19 films competing for the Palme d’Or include Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia and Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In. Lynne Ramsay is the sole British director in contention with an adaptation of the Lionel Shriver novel We Need To Talk About Kevin. Robert de Niro heads the jury for the festival, which runs from May 11-22. Out of competition films include the latest Pirates of the Caribbean blockbuster and The Beaver, directed by Jodie Foster, and starring Mel Gibson.

Unusual to see Villepin giving a yes or no answer on any issue that doesn't involve the possibility of him going to jail. Presumably the thing's not exactly flattering to him either - or he's anticipating his own presidential run.

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