The French Minister

In 2003, when the United States was preparing to invade Iraq, sessions were conducted at the United Nations. The French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, delivered, in the best spirit of the Enlightenment, an impassioned, reasoned, speech to the Security Council, against the invasion. This movie from Bertrand Tavernier, is a fictionalized account of the events leading up to, and the person who delivered, that speech. He delivers perhaps one of the wittiest and most engaging political satires in recent memory.Villepin is the inspiration of the Alexandre Taillard de Worms, the French Foreign Minister, played to the tee by Tierry Lhermitte. Tavernier displays cue cards intermittently on the screen featuring quotations from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. This choice was entirely appropriate. Heraclitus was the philosopher who believed that the essential quality of the world is fire, and de Worms is fire, pure fire. Lhermitte’s character is energetic, bombastic, and demanding. When issuing his directives he sometimes contradicts himself. He is possessed of a large ego but is not an egomaniac. Lhermitte at times has the character descend into a miniature Inspector Clouseau, but largely the Foreign Minister is tastefully played with all the privilege and panache one could imagine to find in an aristocratic, upper-level government official.He rules over a clutch of loyal, but exhausted, support staff, one of whom readily admits their brains have been “fried” in meeting de Worms’ constant demands.Into this hornets’ nest the main protagonist, Arthur Vlaminick, played by Raphael Personnaz, is haplessly thrown to assist the others in writing de Worms’ speeches, his immanent speech to the UN being one of them, and to assist in the constant barrage of international crises which occur on a seemingly hourly basis.de Worm’s speech at the UN, as is de Villepin’s actual speech, is a model for cautious, rational and deliberate diplomatic action on international affairs. The great irony of this film is that this enlightened speech is the product of an environment that is anything but rational. The portions of de Worm’s speech at the UN captures the spirit, if not the letter, of de Villepin’s actual speech.There is one word that best describes this fine film: Formidable!

Looked forward to the dialogue about words but it was busy, overwrought and slightly annoying

The movie dragged and was sophomoric in its humor

This movie is a wonderful delight. In French with English subtitles. I do not believe I will EVER look at government types the same way again.

Movie was too long and had too much slapstick for my taste.In particular, the Minister was played as a caricature. A shorter ( by about thirty minutes) and more subtle approach would have been desirable.

Absolutely hilarious. Based on Dominique de Villepin, when he was the prime minister of France, 2005-2007, under President Chirac. You will love the paper fluttering effect. The film points up the ineptitude of de Villepin's administration -- in fact, probably in general of all governmental departments in every country. Surely de Villepin hates this 2013 movie, based on a comic book about the author's experience as de Villepin's speechwriter. The film's French title is "Quai d'Orsay," which references the official entrance of the prime minister's office on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris.

This movie is enjoyable if you like an intellectual kind of humor. The movie must be a caricature of the French Foreign Ministry, because I don't believe that France's position on the Iraq war could have been formulated under the chaotic conditions depicted. It is interesting, however, to see how the French poke fun at themselves and their patterns of thought.

Ah! The humor and wit of this quirky little video has us laughing every time we watch it. So much happens so quickly, a few viewings are required to grasp the complexity of it all. So many bold and nuanced statements, scenes, characters!

This is one of the most satisfying, entertaining films I have seen in a long time. The Quai d'Orsay is on the left bank of the Seine in the 7th arr. and there is located the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The film is dealing with serious matters but the outstanding director Bertrand Tavernier attacks these serious matters in an almost burlesque manner. His task must have been greatly facilitated, I'm sure, by an outstanding cast headed by Thierry Lhermitte as Alexandre Taillard de Vorms, the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Given the film's theme, France's independent stand against trigger-happy neo-cons, one might have expected a serious presentation (and we get it in the film's final scene) but that was not Tavernier's intent or style. It is an extremely funny film. Arthur Vlaminck (played by Raphael Personnaz) goes to work for the Minister as his speech-writer and is astonished by the erratic, near neurotic behaviour of the Minister - but fruitful collaboration between Minister and his staff is somehow achieved. A measure of sanity is maintained by the Minister's Chief of Staff played by Niels Arestrup, seen recently in Diplomacy as the German general ordered by Hitler to blow up all the great monuments of Paris. The final scene takes us to the United Nations where the Minister delivers what has been described as one of the finest speeches ever delivered before the Security Council - it was actually delivered on14 February 2003 by Dominique de Villepin, France's then Minister of Foreign Affairs telling the world France was not interested in invading Iraq. It is a serious film - and funny - and brilliant.

Thierry Lhermitte is absolutely perfect as usual! Story is amusing, but not phenomenal (apart form all of Lhermitte's adorable performances as the head in the clouds politician)... If you are watching to better your French, you will likely be disappointed, unless you are already basically fluent. There are so many political and unusual words and convoluted discussions! Even with subtitles, much of the time it was difficult to follow along as an intermediate/upper intermediate speaker.

This is a nice political satire, but all the points are made in the first twenty minutes... and then the movie continues repeating itself forever (for another hour). Should have been a 20 minute TV special; instead, it becomes tedious and no longer funny.

If you have ever worked for a politician, you will identify with this. Thierry Lhermitte is wonderful as the manic and all too believable Minister incapable to committing to saying anything of substance. Shades of "Yes, Minister"!

I saw this film on a plane and loved it so I had to buy a copy when I got back to watch it again. If you like quirky French films, you will love it!