Gaul's political comedy mirrors affairs of 'State'
Skein charts rise of France's first femme president
A comedy about the male-dominated world of French politics, the 6x52-minute skein charts the rise of France's first femme president -- a woman who has much in common with Segolene Royal, Gaul's most talked about female politician right now.
"Reality has caught up with us," says producer Sophie Revil, whose indie shingle Escazal Films produced the $6.5 million miniseries.
A one-time minister for the family and protegee of the late President Francois Mitterrand, Royal has emerged as the Socialist Party's likeliest candidate for next year's presidential elections.
But the connection between Royal and fictitious President Grace Dellanger, played by Anne Consigny, is purely coincidental, insists Revil.
The show was commissioned two years ago and the scripts were practically finished when Royal started grabbing Gallic headlines earlier this year.
"It's not that a woman president of France was far-fetched, but two years ago the prospect didn't seem likely," says Perrine Fontaine, France 2's head of primetime drama. "The fact that events have caught up with us shows we were on the right track."
In fact, Dellanger's creation was inspired by "women like Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice," Revil says. "The rise of women politicians is a global phenomenon. France is following this movement."
In a plot twist that Royal, a 52-year-old mother of four, is surely hoping won't come true, Dellanger discovers she's pregnant shortly after being elected.
"It was fun to explore how the macho world of French politics coped with a pregnant head of state," says Revil.
Ironically, even though the production team talked to former minister of justice Elizabeth Guigou and Anne Hidalgo, deputy mayor of Paris, Royal was bypassed when it was gathering background information for the mini.
"Segolene didn't seem all that interesting to us at the time," says Revil with amusement.
Nor did the producers interview Edith Cresson, who became France's first and only woman prime minister in the 1980s.
"State of Grace" is slated to air in the fall, before the Socialist party nominates its presidential candidate in November, and Gallic pundits are already commenting on the rights and wrongs of a TV show that might further Royal's cause at such a crucial juncture.
"Being so topical is both good and bad for the show," says Revil, "no one has accused us of setting out to help Segolene but France 2 won't want to be seen to be taking sides. It's complicated."
Fontaine adds: "I think the show will help the cause of women, in politics and in general, because it shows the main character having to deal with a closed milieu that is hostile to women. Female politicians take plenty of knocks, as women no doubt do in other professions."
