A French icon can hide another. Catherine Deneuve has no intention of slowing down and intends to surprise us. Last year, we learned that the actress, affected by a stroke in 2019, was filming for a biopic inspired by the life of Bernadette Chirac.
In this comedy directed by Léa Domenach, the mother of actress Chiara Mastroianni lends her features to the wife of the former President of the Republic Jacques Chirac. The latter is interpreted by the actor Michel Vuillermoz, stunning in the skin of the Head of State who presided over France from 1995 to 2007. After a first photo of the shooting of La Tortue, the initial title of the film, the first images have been revealed this Monday, July 3, 2023 in a video extract.
Through the official Bernadette teaser, distributed by Warner Bros. France which unveiled the first excerpts, we discover a metamorphosed Catherine Deneuve. Hidden behind her sunglasses and dressed in a flowery purple coat, she blends into the background, posing with a turtle in her hands (a nod to the nickname her husband had given her in politics).
“When she arrives at the Élysée, Bernadette Chirac expects to finally get the place she deserves, she who has always worked in the shadow of her husband for him to become president. corny, Bernadette then decides to take her revenge by becoming an essential media figure”, indicates the synopsis of this comedy expected in the cinema in October 2023.
The tone is set from the first scenes of the teaser, where we find the First Lady facing one of her advisers, played by actor Denis Podalydès. The latter paints him an unflattering portrait according to the members of the staff of the Élysée. “Cornery” for some, “cold” for others or even “austere”, the flagship ambassador of Operation Yellow Pieces takes it for her rank. But she did not say her last word. “From now on, it will go straight to the Élysée”, she warns at the wheel of her car.
To the rhythm of Sing Hallelujah, a cult hit of the 1990s, the First Lady reveals herself in a new light before a conquered Karl Lagerfeld, played by François Vincentelli. Among the other stars in the cast, we also find Sara Giraudeau, Laurent Stocker, Lionel Abelanski and Artus. If the trailer promises a satirical comedy, this project would not be to the taste of the entourage of the widow of the former president. “They may not know that Bernadette is still alive…”, had castigated their daughter Claude Chirac with Paris Match. It’s up to you to judge the resemblance through Bernadette’s images and poster.
