Madame la Présidente

The telephone rings in the Elysée palace. The first woman president of France picks it up and exclaims in English, "Hi, Hillary!".

The scene could be a glimpse of France's future if Ségolène Royal, the Socialist favourite, wins next spring's elections for the succession to President Chirac. It comes, however, from Etat de Grâce (State of Grace), a mini-series opening tomorrow on France 2 television which depicts a fictional first Madame la Présidente de la République.

The six-part comic drama is causing waves because the fictional depiction of contemporary political life has long been taboo in France and even documentaries on serving politicians are only now beginning to appear. Anglo-American shows and docudramas, such as the West Wing or Stephen Frears' new film The Queen, are still unthinkable in France.

The makers of the five million euro series say that that they enjoyed lucky timing. They planned it before the unexpected ascent of Royal, 53, in the opinion polls last winter. However, they clearly borrowed from the "Madonna of the polls" when they shot the series last spring, giving Royal-like traits to President Grace Bellanger, the glamorous 42-year-old heroine played by Anne Consigny.  Like Royal, she is a political outsider and she is opposed by the men who rule her party. She also has the same suits and earrings.
   

Royal's male rivals are locked in a tragicomic campaign to stop her winning the party nomination in November. They are unlikely to be pleased by the prime time depiction of a courageous female president whose appointed Prime Minister is bent on avenging her rise to power. The fictional president's ineffectual partner is a golf coach who turns up at a state dinner wearing a kilt. President Bellanger's desk, in the office used by the late Charles de Gaulle, is decorated with portraits of Diana Princess of Wales and Mother Theresa. The plot revolves around the new president's sudden pregnancy with her first child.

The domestic reality of a Royal presidency would be stranger than fiction in some ways because François Hollande, her partner and father of her four children, is the party leader. He has been eclipsed by Royal and put in the delicate position of refereeing a leadership fight which she is likely to win. He is horrified by the idea of becoming a mere "Premier Homme de France". A Radio France commentator likened the jovial and plump Hollande today to "the friendly local charcutier".

Sophie Revil, who produced The State of Grace, said that she had consulted women politicians for advice when she prepared the series but she neglected Royal "because Ségolène didn't seem all that interesting to us at the time." She added: "Reality caught up with us."

Consigny said that her role had not been inspired by Royal. "Even if people are confusing my character with Ségolène Royal, I absolutely did not aim to draw on her as a model.. Grace Bellanger was presented to me as an ideal Présidente, therefore unreal... Anyway, she has a lot more sense of humour than Ségolène Royal."

France 2 gave me a DVD. It takes only a few minutes to see that Etat de Grace is lightweight stuff -- though no more than last year's Commander in Chief with Geena Davis as US President. Consigny looks wonderfully decorative but she is too young and naive to have made it to the presidency. Royal is tougher and more seasoned. The critics are comparing the show unfavourably with harder-hitting British and American political drama. But  they are saluting the makers for venturing into territory that was until recently off limits.

"For a long time, politicians were taboo in television dramas," said Fabrice de la Patelliere, Director of Fiction for the Canal+ network. "There were tacit rules which meant that you could not dramatise them, to avoid problems."

A documentary on the 1970s presidency of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was kept off the air for two decades. Last year, friends and family of the late President Mitterrand boycotted Le Promeneur du Champs de Mars, a reverent film on his final months, because they considered it distasteful.

Next month, France 2 is going much further, broadcasting a two-part documentary on the life of Chirac, who stands down next May after 12 years in the presidency. The documentary delves into the corruption scandals that surrounded Chirac's tenure as Mayor of Paris and Gaullist leader in the 1980s and 1990s and it shows former colleagues describing him as unscrupulous and an opportunist. Praising the film today, Le Monde says: "French television has always been shy about dealing with the past let alone the present as British channels do... but times are beginning to change."

Comments

[James]

Sarko understands the deep things (which many of his compatriots have forgotten).

Sego needs the web to figure out where she stands.

It's like the difference between Bush and Clinton.

Si les francais sont sages, ils voteront pour l'un qui comprend les choses profondes.

James

P.S. Hillary will never be president.

[Tara]

I'll never cease to be amazed at the things I learn about the differences between the French and America (or Britain, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, too!)

I can imagine there are more than a few pols here in the States who would LOVE to be exempt from any dramatizations.

Also, would anyone be kind enough to translate the word "charcutier"? Sounds demeaning. And if anyone knows of a solid French-to-English online dictionary, I'd love that reference, too, since I hate bugging all of you with this.

Tara

[Peter Donahoe]

Tara,
Follow this link to http://www.wordreference.com/enfr/welcome. It's the best online French-English dictionary that I've been able to find. If you are using the Mozilla Firefox browser you can ass it as a search engine - like the Google toolbar. Makes it convenient with Firefox's tabbed browsing to have one page open to a French - or other language - text and use another tab to translate a word. Worth a try
Peter

[Frank Schnittger]

Tara - my MS Word dictionary translates charcutier as Pork Butcher.

I would have thought most Pols would love their stories to be dramatized - there is (almost) no such thing as bad publicity and Brand=name recognition is all important.

Lightweight or not, I don't think we should underestimate the power of a dramatized representation of a female French President. It conditions ordinary voters to get used to the idea.

I have to agree with James that I doubt that Hilary will ever become US President. She lacks her husband's schmoozing skills and is also much too intelligent for the job! Being a women still seems a big disadvantage in US Presidential politics.

Most Europeans would find it difficult to associate Bush with the deeper things in life. Everything is relative I suppose! (Is this me being a dreaded European relativist, James?)

[dada]

To fully understand the term of charcutier, you have to watch the film "delicatessen" by caro et jeunet. and for the irreverence, there is groland on canal+.

for sarko and co, I recommand "indigenes" by bouchareb.

anf for james , if he's the same, "the life of brian" by the monthy python .

[colin grayson]

tara , as I look at the well thumbed french , german , spanish and italian dictionaries containing english translations sitting alongside my Chambers ,I am shocked to find that such things are not available in the USA , otherwise you would presumably have them

and charcutier ? nearest translation ? someone who runs a deli, especially with self made products , an honourable trade in france , and another french word by origin one presumes , delicatesse meaning delicacy as you would expect ;and the french being french , charcutiere's also exist I am sure , although I have never met one personally

and on the subject of dictionaries , if copyright was suddenly made retroactive the owners of Websters would have to pay Dr johnson's heirs enough to make them richer than bill gates

[James]

"Everything is relative I suppose! (Is this me being a dreaded European relativist, James?)"

---

I dunno, Frank. It all depends...

James

[christopher muir]

The BBC have been first rate in producing political TV dramas for a long time. The French have a wealth of fine actors who should be able to reveal subtle twists and turns when playing in this genre. There must be fascinating parts being thought of in contemporary French political TV drama for Depardieu and Deneuve. In the land of Balzac it's curious that the Paris elites have been so protected from TV docu-drama representation. I guess that the talented Bernard Tapi is awaiting an explosive property that will enable him to play, well, to play Bernard Tapi.

[Frank Schnittger]

Touché! James

[Tara]

Hi Colin,

Let me allay your fears...there most CERTAINLY are French-English dictionaries available here in the U.S. However, my post was written in the early evening, after I had come home for the day, and I was loathe to go out for a simple dictionary. Additionally, I do know that there are likely many different translations available online, but I think that sometimes certain ones are more reputable than others.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. I don't want it to appear that Americans lack for translation devices! It was simply my own laziness and curiousity.

Tara

[Tara]

Peter, thank you so much! For some reason, I trust this group of readers, and I knew someone - you! - would come up trumps with a recommendation.

Tara

[Frank Schnittger]

It is a pity, Charles, that you appear to be following a general trend amongst Times Correspondents by keeping your more substantial articles "off-blog". I suppose they tend to generate a lot of comment which must be wearisome to moderate.

Your piece today on Lionel Jospin's withdrawal was interesting - partly for Jospin's criticism of Royal, despite the fact that he said he was withdrawing so as not to divide the party. His definition of "the party" seems not to include all those who already support Royal.

It is understandable that long-time heavyweights should resent the media driven popularity of one who's own track record in high office is somewhat slender. However, even they must recognise the mood for change in France. I suspect their real problem is that Royal's rise is emblematic of the rise of American style media image driven politics.

Having gotten this far without having to declare a substantial political program, Royal must be wondering whether she can go all the way without having to do so. I doubt whether the Socialists will let her get away with that. Keeping her powder dry until she really has to commit herself can be a good strategic approach as it reduces the risk of alienating potential voters who might take exception to a particular element of her program.

The downside is she could be elected without ever declaring exactly what she proposes to do, which means she will lack a popular mandate to force through changes against the vested interests of the trade unions and the establishment. Even Blair, for all the early criticism of being all spin and no substance, eventually had to pin his colours to a specific political program. Some will argue that was the beginning of his downfall. Others, that that is what leadership is all about.

As the apocryphal Chinese sage is reputed to have said, “may you live in interesting times”

Frank,

Today Dominique Strauss-Kahn announced his candidacy and I think you will see some real action starting now.

I admit I'm not very sophisticated politically, but I have never felt that Ségolène Royal's popularity will get her very far. It seemed like some routine sondage last winter found her in the number one spot and ever since then everyone has been making a huge fuss about her, but it seems to me that the whole thing is built on air.

I think DSK was considered a very solid finance minister. He stepped down when he was accused of some misdeed, to get his name cleared, which he did, and ever since then we have been waiting to hear from him again. Jack Lang may be a dinausor (or an elephant), and maybe Laurent Fabius, but I'm not so sure about DSK. He hasn't really been a part of the government much at all. I just checked -- he was a minister from 1991 to 1993, and from 1997 to 1999 -- that's four years, not really a dinosaur compared to people like Mitterrand and Chirac, who were in government for decades.

I don't think Jospin's supporters are going to back Ségolène -- they will almost certainly go to DSK, which could bring him up to 30% in the opinion polls.

I think DSK has been lying low and letting Ségolène get all the attention this past year so that when the real campaign starts, HE will seem like the new, fresh face. I am sure he and his team have a solid stategy in place. He is like the wise man who built his house upon the rock, and I think maybe Madame Royale's house is built on sand.

Usually you are very astute, Frank, but my feeling is that this time you have been taken in by the media blitz.

Maggie G

[Frank Schnittger]

You are right Maggie G, that I am operating off a very limited amount of information about the French political situation but do not confuse my comments with actual support for Royal and what she stands for. I simply do not know enough about her to be able to predict what kind of President she would make; Hence my questions in previous posts.

I am fascinated by the mechanics of politics and how some people rise to power and others don't. It was Charles Bremner who predicted she now had an 85% of securing the Socialist nomination. This surprised me because I would expect that securing the nomination would be the hardest part for her. She appears to be popular generally (in a superficial sort of way) but the actual paid up members of any party are going to be the most partisan and demanding that she represent and implement official party policy.

Ultimately they will vote for who they think will represent best their views - although they may be swayed by the opinion poll evidence to the effect that she would have the best chance of defeating Sarkozy. Better to be in power with some influence than to be ideologically pure but in opposition - would be the pragmatic rationale for supporting her.

However those who the media create, they also love to destroy - at least in the Anglo Saxon world! The media love to feel they have the power to actual influence events and may give her a free ride now just to see can they foist her onto the Socialist party. Once they have done that the very organs which promoted her up to this point may very well turn against her. Then we will know how resilient she, and her support base really is.

From what you say Dominique Strauss-Kahn too has a relative slender track record in office - though he did hold the more heavyweight Finance portfolio. When the public mood is one of yearning for change having a long track record can be a disadvantage. You appear to have been around for ever and are associated with everything people have had enough off. So perhaps DSK, too, has a realistic chance of success; but not if current polls, and Charles's prediction are anything to go by. Sounds as if he would make a good Prime Minister though.

Looking good in a bikini, appearing confident and serene on television, avoiding controversy and making a few positive, supportive, sympathetic, populist noises shouldn’t be enough to get you elected President. But it is amazing how far it can get you. I am reminded of an old film starring Robert Redford called “The Candidate”. It chronicles his rise from obscurity to being elected to the US Senate. It is all about media image manipulation. At the end of the film he exclaims “oh my God, what will I do now that I am elected?” Sometimes the focus can be so much on the mechanics of an election you forget why you decided to stand in the first place! Has Sego told you convincingly what she is all about?