On the road to style and the Elysée: French presidents on screen – Reel

(Cover photo credit: President Bernard Blier in “The Chinese in Paris”, 1974 - IMAGO / Prod.DB)

The presidents of the French Fifth Republic have never really attracted filmmakers. On the other side of the Atlantic, however, we are crazy about biopics and historical frescoes. Lincoln, Nixon, Kennedy, many have had their own cinematic history. How can we explain such a lack of love in our country?

"There are certain subjects that we don't know how to do: historical, for example. Some will tell you that it's because it's not profitable enough, but I think it's because it doesn't interest the film industry. They don't want to. To end up with an adaptation of Napoleon by Ridley Scott is a bit sad ."

This observation was made by Ardentes Clipei tailor Romain Biette at the end of a long Déclic interview. Strangely enough, the most stylish French presidents on screen are often fictional presidents . Among my favorites of all: Bernard Blier in Jean Yanne's "Les Chinois à Paris" in 1974.

From the first minutes of the film, you will see the French president getting pampered before addressing the nation. His suit is impeccable. But the exchange with his secretary is just as delicious:

“I have just finished your speech, Mr. President.
- What do I say?
- Well, that's all ruined, Mr. President.
- Okay, but how do I tell them?
- Well, as usual: French women and men, the situation is serious but not hopeless... »

Nawal has already looked at the style of our presidents in two articles here and there . But that's for real life. What about presidents in works of fiction, and especially in films? Are there stylistic biases that are different from reality? And who are the best-dressed presidents in cinema ?

CHARLES DE GAULLE (1959-1969)

On paper, Charles De Gaulle is, along with François Mitterrand, the one who has been most embodied on screen. But this information needs to be qualified. Because what cinema and television have retained of him is not so much the president as the hero of the Nation and the Resistance.

He is therefore most often represented in military costume, sometimes from behind, very often furtively and in the 1940s, as in "Army of Shadows" by Jean-Pierre Melville in 1969.

Why is President De Gaulle rarely seen on screen? The character's stature certainly has a lot to do with it. He impresses: his aura, his physique, his place in history .

He is in a way a "sacred" figure, hence perhaps a certain form of self-censorship on the part of the film industry. Moreover, censorship was much stricter in the 60s than it is today, starting with everything that had to do with the image of the president.

In 1961, the De Gaulle couple welcomed the Kennedy couple to the Elysée Palace. The latter appeared on the cover of magazines. Their style, both glamorous and modern, was in line with the aspirations of youth. The contrast in clothing between the two men may seem striking. But should we see this as the only reason for the success of the Kennedy style in cinema?

Charles De Gaulle was reluctant to appear on screen. He thus refused to be represented in the film "Is Paris Burning?" by René Clément in 1965. However, he had nothing against the 7th art. His cinephilia was of a popular nature.

For example, he liked films with Gabin, De Funès, Bourvil or Belmondo . But also certain foreign films like "James Bond contre Dr No" and other adventures of Sean Connery as 007. In the 60s, the James Bond franchise was, let us remember, one of the most elegant gateways to style .

Although the General has often been portrayed in military attire , he is briefly seen in a presidential costume in Fred Zinnemann 's film " Chacal " in 1973. The action takes place in 1962. No fantasy, however, on the part of the General's interpreter, Adrien Cayla-Legrand. Surprising detail: the actor played the role of Charles De Gaulle a good half-dozen times.

Beyond this strangeness: we discover nothing in "Chacal" that could not have been worn by President De Gaulle. The incarnation is faithful, the stature imposing, the suit dark and the double-breasted blazer massive .

The first president of the Fifth Republic had a functional costume, sober and even austere, to be taken as an extension of his uniform . He also appreciated everything that could make France shine. We were not yet talking about fashion made in France .

But clothing and accessories were no exception for him. For example, he wore watches from the Lip brand, made in France, and suits made by Stark & ​​Sons. For this reason, it was nicknamed the "tailor of the Republic".

In an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien, Alain Stark told an interesting anecdote in 2006. His father made suits for General De Gaulle, "an impressive man" he said.

He also said that in 1968, the president did not wear a suit on the day of the "no" vote in the referendum. The results led to his resignation. President De Gaulle then told his father that the absence of a suit that day was one of the reasons for his defeat . Could the president's suit have superpowers?

If we are to believe the history of cinema, it is above all the soldier and his uniform that have remained engraved on film . With the exception of "The Jackal", there are a few other more or less successful films and TV films . But nothing that really lives up to the character and his presidential style.

GEORGES POMPIDOU (1969-1974)

You probably flashed on the yellow sweater and socks revealed by Nawal here . Georges Pompidou reached the highest steps of power in 1969, following in the footsteps of his mentor Charles de Gaulle. We change style and era. But the differences are already visible in this photograph from 1967:

What did cinema remember? Strangely, not much. Georges Pompidou was a man of culture, passionate about contemporary art among other things. During his predecessor's term, he shook up the codes by installing a work by Pierre Soulages at Matignon.

He would do the same at the Elysée, with the help of his wife Claude, who nicknamed the presidential palace "the house of misfortunes". They shared a passion for beauty. "External elegance is a reflection of that of the mind" , she said .

If Georges Pompidou's presidential costume was neat , he allowed himself more freedom in private. Senegalese President Léopold Senghor saw him as someone "both peasant and refined". In his home style, more casual and often inspired, some have not failed to see the influence of John F. Kennedy. This is a stylistic aspect that Charles de Gaulle is said to have had a hard time with Pompidou.

Despite his career, his mysteries and his attraction to poetry and style, there is only one real TV film centered on the story of Georges Pompidou: "Mort d'un président" by Pierre Aknine in 2011. It is Jean-François Balmer who takes on the task, with all the physical transformation that this implies.

Because the film mainly revolves around the last moments of President Pompidou's life. Ill, he must thus deal with a body deformed by the treatments . We find a man who wears the three-piece suit and the loafer with taste . In this, fiction meets the reality of the Pompidou style.

But the most disturbing thing about Jean-François Balmer's incarnation is that we discover another symbolism of the presidential costume: the weight of the function and of Defense Secret .

You have to see Jean-François Balmer sitting on his bed, getting dressed, suffering martyrdom while trying to fit his swollen feet into his leather shoes . This image is absolutely terrible. We will see it again later, in the home of another president of the Fifth Republic who was very keen on symbolism in clothing.

In the Pompidou family, you will find a sincere passion for aesthetics , whether it is clothing, art or literature. It is strange that style and cinema were not more interested in it than that. The couple met in a cinema in the Latin Quarter, which is to say how much they loved cinema.

It was also President Pompidou who installed the first real screening room at the Elysée in 1971 - the Chirac couple were often invited. Among his favorite works: "The Rules of the Game" by Jean Renoir, "Claire's Knee" by Eric Rohmer or "Children of Paradise" by Marcel Carné.

To discover the style of all the presidents of the Fifth Republic, click here:

VALÉRY GISCARD D'ESTAING (1974-1981)

Georges Pompidou would not complete his term. When he died in 1974, his finance minister Valéry Giscard d'Estaing skillfully positioned himself as his successor. He was supported by the no less skillful Jacques Chirac. Politics is a game of chess. Behind the finery of the costume are hidden all sorts of intrigues and strategies .

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's victory can be seen again in the documentary film that he commissioned at the time from the photographer Raymond Depardon. The scene is truly mind-blowing: we discover a man alone in his apartment. Classic but inspired costume , television on.

He watches the results from home. When victory is declared, he drives to his headquarters, shakes many hands at the finish, gives his speech and drives back home. Solitude, always.

Giscard banned the broadcast of Depardon's film. It would not be released until the early 2000s. You will see on occasion that we learn a lot about President Giscard and his way of managing his appearance. He changes and fixes his hair regularly - he hides a comb in his blazer pocket . He also puts his shirt collar and tie in order as soon as possible.

If not coquettish, Giscard is at least a president who is particularly in control of his image . His obsession: to be at the forefront of modernity. He is very strongly inspired by the American style of JFK .

His suits come from Savile Row , his shirts from Thuillier, his shoes from JM Weston - reference 579 which has now disappeared but is better known under the name of... "Giscard" . He is also the first president to appear in a swimsuit .

Despite everything, very few filmmakers have looked at his character. We can nevertheless discover him in the guise of Hippolyte Girardot in the TV film "La Rupture" by Laurent Heynemann in 2013.

The latter is very interesting because it is quite consistent. Quite a few brown or beige suits , and even a suit that looks exactly like the one seen in Depardon's documentary. As with De Gaulle and Pompidou, the transcription of Giscard's style on screen is relatively faithful to reality .

If President Giscard has had little influence on cinema, the same cannot be said for music. He was also a discerning music lover , and a " Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars " by Robert Guédiguian in 2005. Michel Bouquet plays President Mitterrand in his last years in power.

It is a twilight film, where style is above all a question of formal purity and color . President Mitterrand, played by Michel Bouquet, thus recounts his vision of the colors of France on a train journey:

“- In your opinion, Mr. Garland, what is the color of France?
- Do you want to talk about his political colour, Mr President?
- No, I know that: she's not here much anymore.

Like all the other presidents before him, Jacques Chirac had his little habits: Weston shoes, Guy Laroche shirts, Bonnet glasses, etc. His particularity lies in the fact that he has become an absolute subject of sartorial coolness over the years , and more particularly upon coming to power.

Although the cinema has rarely given him its favour, we can trace his journey through the TV films "La Rupture" by Laurent Heynemann and "La Dernière campagne" by Bernard Stora in 2013, as well as in Xavier Durringer's film " La Conquête " in 2011.

In "La Rupture", he is played by Grégori Derangère. The film focuses on the 1974 presidential campaign and the mandate of President Giscard. He is then a young prime minister. The character is well dressed, most often in a dark suit .

Or the exact opposite of President Giscard, often depicted in light suits. The two men did not get along very well. Should we see this as a translation of their opposition through clothing ? It is possible.

"The Last Campaign" and "The Conquest" are very symptomatic of a change in attitude in the way presidents are viewed on screen . Gone are the deference and sacralization of the function. The treatment is less dramatic, more ironic and sometimes even deliberately comical.

The portrait of Jacques Chirac delivered by Bernard Le Coq through these two films is stylistically unflattering: the suits are large and most often grey, the waist of the trousers very exaggeratedly high .

Chirac is portrayed as a cool but slightly outlandish old man, laughing from his sofa in front of "The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob", a glass of beer in his hand, the dog perched on his lap. But appearances can sometimes be deceptive.

"Far from seeking to deny this reputation that had been given to me in certain circles, I rather amused myself by maintaining it by affirming that I was only interested in westerns and military music."

As he expressed it in his Memoirs in 2011, Jacques Chirac knew how to deceive his world. He therefore had his secret gardens and an esthete's eye, particularly for everything related to primitive arts . In cinema or on television, however, to this day, we only remember President Chirac for a certain form of abandonment of style .

Some will say that the presidential suit began to lose its splendor in those years, with the only moments of sartorial fantasy suddenly being relegated to the colors and patterns of ties.

Could this be the starting point for the death of the presidential style ? In "Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars", President Mitterrand, played by Michel Bouquet, seemed in a way to announce the colour of the years to come:

"I say this without any presumption, but I am the last of the great presidents, the last in the line of De Gaulle. After me, there will be no more in France. Because of Europe, of globalization, nothing will be the same again."

NICOLAS SARKOZY (2007-2012) AND FRANÇOIS HOLLANDE (2012-2017)

A new era opened for presidential style with the arrival in power of Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007. Many now agree that the political costume became generally standardized at that time... down to the blue suit + white shirt + silk grenadine tie alliance .

But much more than the suits and casual outfits of the private sector, it is above all the luxury displayed by Nicolas Sarkozy's watch collection, which contrasts quite clearly with what we know with his predecessors: Rolex Daytona and Datejust but also many other models from Cartier, Breitling, Pequignet, Breguet or Patek Philippe .

François Mitterrand apparently did not wear a watch . Before him, Charles De Gaulle wore Lip watches and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing wore a Rolex on a bracelet - precisely to imitate President Kennedy.

We also know that Jacques Chirac had at least one Rolex Datejust and François Hollande had a very simple Swatch. That is to say that for a watch enthusiast, there would definitely be reason to look into presidential watchmaking .

Xavier Durringer's "La Conquête" is a rather striking example of how cinema can perceive our most contemporary presidents. One of the first images that Denis Podalydès shows of his character is a man sitting in a dressing gown. His eyes are in the distance, more or less fixed on the television. The results of the 2007 presidential election are announced.

He nervously holds a ring between his fingers, probably gold. Any resemblance to Gollum's unhealthy obsession with his "precious" is purely coincidental. But we think about it, inevitably.

An equally disturbing detail: although they are still few in number, all the representations of President Sarkozy on television or in the cinema seem to only retain the "flaws" of his presidential clothing style: immoderate taste for luxury, suits that are too big or too small , etc. The pinnacle is reached in the film "Presidents" by Anne Fontaine in 2021, with Jean Dujardin and Grégory Gadebois.

You should also see the white shirt ready to crack or the tension in the back of the blazer of Nicolas Sarkozy played by Thierry Frémont in "La Dernière campagne" by Bernard Stora in 2013. Admit that we were still much more tender with the style of the elders .

On the cinema side, some film buffs have taken to falling off their chairs when listening to President Sarkozy's public statements on the subject. More discreet, his successor François Hollande nonetheless remains an amateur, like many of his predecessors, with an affection for certain works by John Ford, Stanley Kubrick or Eric Rohmer.

His on-screen portrayals, however, are hardly more flattering than those of President Sarkozy: a total lack of style, oversized suits and coats - he is even given a horrible black duffle coat in Bernard Stora's "La Dernière campagne" in 2013.

Why this turnaround in the appreciation of the presidential style of dress on screen? While waiting for other films or TV films to gain more perspective, particularly on President Emmanuel Macron, we can always take a good dose of style from the fictional president and Chanel muse Anna Mouglalis in the French series "Baron Noir" - three good seasons since 2016.