Really Brilliant, realistic and documented « view from the inside » great actors too

good political drama

I kept waiting and waiting for "The Conquest" to become the film I had hoped it would be- an off-the-cuff, hard-hitting contemporary political docudrama that paints a portrait of an intriguing candidate, and a marriage that would done-in by his and her ambitions. Indeed, it did show signs of promise, and the cast is top-notch. Unfortunately, "The Conquest" is undone by poor pacing, and it's 1 hour and 45 minutes feels more like 3 hours.

Fabulous French film that follows the rise of Nicolas Sarkozy from backbencher to President of France, and the dissolution of his marriage to second wife Cecillia that unravels just as his campaign reaches its zenith. There's also great fun in the exploration of the relationship between Sarkozy and his rival Dominique de Villepin and then President Jacques Chirac.

As Nicholas Sarkozy(Denis Podalydes) wakes up on election day in 2007, it starts out well enough as he wins the vote in New York and Israel. But he is still worrying about the whereabouts of his wife Cecilia(Florence Pernel) and more importantly whether or not she will be voting with him. However, that is nothing compared to five years previously when President Jacques Chirac(Bernard Le Coq), feeling Sarkozy would only lose in a national election due to his conservative politics, chooses Dominique de Villepin(Samuel Labarthe) to be Prime Minister, leaving the Ministry of Interior to Sarkozy. "The Conquest" seeks to dramatize Sarkozy's rise to power by also undermining him by showing that the only way he got elected was in the media's preference of personality over policy. While possibly not wrong, it is a neat trick that the movie never quite pulls off, as it also falls into the same trap by mostly avoiding politics except by mentioning Sarkozy is pro-American.(Which I guess might be the same as being pro-French here in the States, I suppose.) As far as being satire, not much, except for the jaunty soundtrack and one masterful shot that starts with Sarkozy eating alone, before panning to the press who then rush off to cover Villepin on the beach. The only irony comes when Chirac says the socialists will never win an election in France. Who knew? Plus, Podalydes gives one of those performances usually seen on Saturday Night Live where a performer does an impression by picking on a singular personal tic and then hammering it into the bedrock.

Très intéressant et super bien joué.

Muy extraña pelicula de la cual yo tengo serias dudas sobre la verdadera naturaleza del mismo. Si busca mostrar al Sarkozy politico, despiadado como pocos lo borda. Pero si busca humanizarlo, fracasa completamente. Y creo que esa es la verdadera naturaleza del film. Interesante de ver, pero que contribuye a crear una imagen de Sarkozy nada amistosa.

The Conquest is interesting in that it shows only exactly what is necessary to run a successful political campaign. It's just interesting that the movie's idea of "necessary" only includes talks and schemes behind closed doors. In a lot of political drama, we always see a juxtaposition between the public side and the private side. However, the Conquest is all about being in places that only actually matter. Which isn't out in the public getting in touch with the people electing the figure, but discussing with a few select individual in the powerful ruling class. It's a nice idea and message but that approach can't carry the entire film. Denis Podalydes' performance as the very ambitious Sarkozy is chilling to watch at times and that definitely helps but the film peters out in the final half where there doesn't seem to be much of a point to the plot's conclusion. The Conquest is a film that's satirical while still trying to be respectful and that's very admirable, but there are a lot of times where the film plays it a little too safe and ends up not really developing anything. It's a fascinating watch, but you have to invest a lot in order to get the most out of this movie. Yet, when it all comes together, you do appreciate it that it showed restraint to not overplay the political game as so many political movies do to try to push the drama. Director Durringer really understands how to capture the, almost farcical, nature of french politics while writer Rotman showed extreme discipline in the writing to keep the melodrama at a minimum.

Très juste dans le jeu d'acteur, casting irrà (C)prochable, la conquête offre un portrait de la droite française de ce dà (C)but de siècle, à mi chemin entre le biopic et la farce. Joli coup

One of the best fictionalized political drama, I have ever seen. It is in the league with W, Nixon, and JFK.

Divertido, ainda mais na và (C)spera da eleição de 2012. Após vencer Sà (C)golène Royal em 2007, Sarkozy tenta, amanhã, repetir a proeza com seu ex-marido. Descontada alguma surpresa, acho que não vai rolar, hein? Quem sabe Cecília não volta? :)

Quelle que soit la tendance politique à laquelle on souscrit, on ne pouvait qu'être impatient de découvrir la vision que le cinéma français allait donner de Nicolas Sarkozy alors que ce dernier est toujours en exercice. Techniquement sans génie, souffrant du traditionnel syndrome Téléfilm, "La conquête" présente une succession d'instantanés rapides sur cinq années de vie politique et de campagne présidentielle, entre 2002 et 2007, qui réclameront un minimum de connaissances ou de souvenirs sur le sujet pour être pleinement appréciés. Au cas où les Guignols seraient votre unique source d'information sur la politique française, il sera toujours possible de se contenter d'apprécier le brillant travail de mimétisme (dans les mimiques, dans les postures ou dans la voix, tout est très impressionnant !) accompli par Denis Podalydès (Sarkozy), Samuel Labarthe (De Villepin) et Bernard Lecocq (Chirac). S'il est un domaine où le film surprend plus (compte tenu de la manière dont Sarkozy cristallise les passions dans son propre pays), c'est dans sa farouche volonté de neutralité. En stoppant net sa chronique le 6 mai 2007, "La conquête" est moins l'histoire (factuelle) d'une conquête politique que celle de l'artisan de cette conquête : Sarkozy côté cour, un homme nerveux, arrogant et autoritaire, mais aussi un homme sentimental, souvent mal à l'aise dans les rôles auxquels il s'astreint et constamment menacé par ceux qui devraient lui être alliés. Cette vision, qui se veut réaliste et équilibrée, éloigne de ce (semi-)biopic tout soupçons de panégyrique ou de pamphlet...mais le moindre de ses paradoxes n'est pas de conférer à ce Sarkozy de cinéma une aura de sympathie et d'humanité à laquelle semble incapable d'accéder la figure médiatique du Président français. Finalement, ce dont on peut surtout gratifier cette réalisation plus surmédiatisée que brillant par ses qualités propres, c'est d'incarner la première tentative, certes mineure, du cinéma français de s'emparer d'un sujet d'actualité. Même si justement, son absence de prise de risques préservera le film de tout jugement de la postérité, en bien comme en mal.

Entertaining and interesting biopic of Sarkozy with a pretty nice soundtrack. Just that.

The Chirac character is the best.

Well worth seeing. A window into the life of the current French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, when he was angling to become president in 2007. In the context of the American skirmish going on in January 2011, a political scene worth looking at.

Interesting and well-done. Probably not for the non-French population as knowledge of French politics is a big plus to get the movie completely.

Intà (C)ressant ! Les personnages sont tous tellement ressemblants, c'est impressionnant. Au dà (C)but on voit la caricature chez Podalydès, et puis on rentre très vite dans le film. Hippolyte Girardot est plus vrai que nature en Claude Guà (C)ant. C'est un film imparfait mais qui mà (C)rite le dà (C)tour.

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L'histoire des 5 annà (C)es prà (C)cà (C)dant l'accession de Sarkozy à la prà (C)sidence de la Rà (C)publique vue des coulisses. Pari rà (C)ussi pour le rà (C)alisateur qui rà (C)ussit à construire un film passionnant, alors que le sujet peut laisser perplexe. Mention spà (C)ciale pour Denis Podalydès, saisissant dans son interprà (C)tation de Sarkozy, et pour la musique qui souligne l'aspect spectacle des agitations en vase clos du microcosme politique français. On s'y croirait !

Tres instructif meme si certains partis pris sont a prendre au second degre (ex : role de chacun dans l'affaire Clearstream)