Emil Bakkum Le President is, first of all, a political film. Politics is really my thing, of course together with economics, since any work will have to be paid. Having written this, we live in an imperfect world. That is, probing my familiarity with the French intricacies yields one word: poor. Still it is sufficient (assez!) to review at least the contents of the film. I guess that I must begin with a brief sketch of the story, so that we know what we are talking about. You may call this a spoiler, but honestly who likes surprises? I bet that when you take a book in hand you alway secretly peep at the final pages. So: the main theme is political integrity - as far as I can see, while knowing that it is nothing but an illusion. Emil Beaufort was once the president of France, and consequently the chairman of the Conseil (council) of ministers. When we first meet him, he is already retired and writing his memoirs. Consequently the film uses one long flashback to narrate the events during his active political career, a kind of re-switching. The then government and Beaufort decide in secret to devalue the franc, the currency of the time. Imprudently or cunningly (who knows?) his personal assistant Philippe Chalamont leaks the information to his wife. And not surprisingly she leaks to her father, a stinkingly rich business man, who takes advantage of the information. From then on Beaufort is convinced that Chalamont is a ne'er-do-well. This opinion reflects his own character, which in spite of his king-like position is supposed to have remained essentially modest. Typical is his vow: "La France has been my only mistress". Reflect on that. Of course Jean Gabins coarse features underline this message. Nevertheless the ne'er-do-well turns out to be extremely talented, and his star rises quickly on the firmament of French politics. Finally Chalamont is nominated as the new French president. In order to get the necessary backing, he visits the castle, where Beaufort spends his final simple years. At first Beaufort is sympathetic. But when Chalamont, trying to be nice, promises to consult him with regard to important future decisions, Beaufort is completely turned off. He blocks the nomination by threatening to disclose the past lapse of Chalamont. End of story. Is this brilliant? You tell me. However beware, because since my knowledge of French is in its infancy, I grasp only about 20% of the tale. Undoubtedly the versatility of the film partly surpasses my view. I can yet follow the interesting speech of Beaufort in favour of a European federation - a French ideal, which never really materialized. But then there is the process of aging, the abdication of power, the political integrity, his attitude towards women ("She shows respect by lying about her absence. It would have been disrespectful to admit that she was simply being laid"). I don't know. And why is Beaufort also a gifted oboist? Apart from this, the film was obviously amazing and recommendable. If you fancy political stories, consider seeing my other reviews.

jotix100 Emile Beaufort, a former French president, is now living in his country home, surrounded by his memories about his life in politics. As the story begins, the English P.M., Sir Merryl, arrives to pay a visit to his former ally. The visit, although brief, tells us how much appreciated Beaufort was during his public life. Now in retirement and in fading health, Beaufort has been working in his memoirs, assisted by his faithful secretary, Ms. Milleran.The former president confesses he was married for only ten years, but he had a forty year affair with his mistress: France. It is clear the love Emile has for the country in which he was able to work toward its greatness. One of the worst moments in his life is connected to the ambitious Philippe Chalamont, a man that almost derailed France's recovery after WWII by revealing a state secret to his wife. Emile Beaufort never forgave him, asking him to write a letter just in case he would try to capitalize on his connections to become president of France. In the end, Emile Beaufort thought better of fulfilling his promise, not before having a confrontation with Chalamont.The film is based on a George Simenon novel, of the same title. Not knowing what the film was about we were looking for the wrong reason when the film started. It has nothing to do to anything prior associated to the author, a master writer of mystery and crime. As directed by Henry Verneuil, the movie is a political drama that is involving, even though French politics of those years are not exactly a subject often seen in pictures. The crisp dialogue was adapted by Michel Audiard, the father of Jacques and Francois Audiard, in collaboration with the director. To Mr. Audiard's credit the sequence where Emile Beaufort faces a hostile parliament is one of the best things in movies about this subject.The best asset in the film is Jean Gabin. He was a man that brought an integrity and credibility to everything he asked to play. Such is the case with his Emile Beaufort, a man that truly loved his country. Mr. Gabin gave one of his many excellent portrayals for the French cinema in this film. Equally good, Bernard Blier, another excellent actor who matches Mr. Gabin well. Renee Faure is seen as his secretary Milleran. Alfred Adam, Louis Seigner, are seen among the supporting players.

babotango The tirade of The President in front of the French Parliament during the film, is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful scenes I know.By the strength of the actors, by the strong political message delivered (and more than 40 years after, still up to date), and of course by the 'straight to the point' lines of the dialogues, written by Michel Audiard, this scene is just fascinating. It's just a speech every liberal politician must dream of.And it is served by a camera moving both with the solemnity due to the place and the historical circumstances, while keeping at the same time a focus on the underlining of passions and reactions of the main characters.So, definitely, I'm a fan!"L'important n'est pas de sonner juste, mais de sonner à l'heure"

MarioB This movie is a very strong political drama about an aging president who loves to take risks. He is very clever man, but he's alone at the top. He wants to create a United Europe, but every French politician is against him. I'm a big fan of Jean Gabin. He's always fabulous, even in bad movies. He was great when he was young, and great when he was older, like in this one. For me, he's one of the ten best movie actors of all time. This film had very strong dialogues. It deserves a 8 out of 10.