The Conquest, Director Xavier Durrigner, 105 min, France, 2010,
In French with English subtitles.
Showing - Fri, Feb 10 through Thurs, Feb 16
The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul presents a larger-than-life account of Nicholas Sarkozy’s 2007 taking of the French presidency in Xavier Durringer’s The Conquest, showing theatrically on Screen 3 at St. Anthony Main Theatre Fri, Feb 10 - Thurs, Feb 16.
Denis Podalydès delivers a witty yet commanding portrayal of Nicolas Sarkozy and his rise to the French presidency through the lens of his unraveling marriage to then-wife Cecilia (Florence Pernel). Never one to disguise his ambition, the film’s Sarkozy curries favor with predecessor Jacques Chirac (Bernard Le Coq) and spars gamely with glib rival Dominique de Villepin (Samuel Labarthe). This lampoon depicts the future president of France as a bold and unashamed virtuoso of political combat, whose inattention to his disintegrating domestic partnership emerges as his chief vulnerability.
With leads brilliantly etching sharp characterizations of living politicians, director Xavier Durringer need never veer too far from reality, even while deploying fictional embellishments and a larger-than-life sense of humor that—with Nicola Piovani’s buoyant score—giddily evoke a circus-like atmosphere. (Description courtesy Music Box Films)
Official Selection - Cannes Film Festival 2011
The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul presents the very best of national and international independent cinema on Screen 3 at St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 SE Main Street, Minneapolis, MN 55414. www.mspfilmsociety.org | Press Release online: http://bit.ly/yJDRsK
