SIMONE, WOMAN OF THE CENTURY/ SIMONE, VOYAGE DE SIECLE

France, 2022, 140 minutes, Colour.

Elsa Sylberstein, Rebecca Marder, Elodie Bouchez, Olivier Gourmet, Mathieu Spinosi, Sylvie Testament, Philippe Torreton.

Directed by Olivier Dahan.

Simone Veil was a significant French personality of the 20^th century, a significant European personality. (She is not to be confused with the philosopher-mystic, Simone Weil.)

This is both biography and portrait. It has been written and directed by Olivier Dahan who had great success with his biography of Edith Piaf (and Oscar-winning performance by Marion Cotillard) but much less success with his biography of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco (played by Nicole Kidman). Here he is very successful in communicating the person and career of Simone Veil.

The storytelling is not straightforward or linear (some audiences complaining of confusion). However, with its running time, the audience has to be alert and will be rewarded as they watch various time phases of Simone Veil’s life juxtaposed with others, each making thematic comments on the other.

Simone is played older by Elsa Zylberstein, younger by Rebecca Marder, both very convincing.

The film does open in the 1930s, a Jewish family, a devoted mother with four daughters, Simone the youngest, bookish and eager for storytelling and songs at a young age. However, World War II breaks out, the rounding up of Jews in France, the experience of Auschwitz and other concentration camps.

We may be rightly expecting some detail about the concentration camps at this early stage of the film but, the information is verbal. However, much later in the film, and to much more dramatic effect, a great deal of time is given to the war experience, the family experience, Simone’s being arrested, then the family taken.

Rather, the film goes to 1946, post-war, Simone and her studies, her marriage to Antoine, the beginnings of a family, his being posted to Stuttgart and her reluctance to go to work in Germany but her liking it there. There is also a drama of her sister, Milou, with whom she strongly bonded in the past, in the camps, but Simone being affected deeply by the death of her sister in a car accident.

The film then pursues her studies, Antoine hesitant at first, legal studies, her applying to be a magistrate. And she has great success with her work in the 1950s and the early 1960s, visiting prisons, hostile reception from wardens and staff, the visualising of the appalling conditions of prisoners, health problems, and the compounding of these with the war in Algeria. Despite some misogynistic attitudes by authorities, she achieves her aims.

In the meantime, the film has introduced Simone, older, with children and grandchildren and her husband, writing her memoirs.

For Europeans, the scenes of her work in the French government, as Minister for Health over many years, her decision to stand for the European Parliament, her concern for what was to become the European Union and his support of it, and her becoming the first president, are reminders (or information for those not aware of it) of her successful political career.

And it is in this context that we have the long sequences of World War II, much lengthier than we might have expected, the crowded trains, the separation of prisoners, life in the hearts, the hard work, deaths, scrounging for food, the help of a kindly Kapo, the advance of the Russians, the SS retreating, the death march, and the two sisters all the time caring for their ailing mother. Most powerful. And this is reinforced by the invitation for Simone to come with her family to Auschwitz for the 60^th anniversary of the liberation, her going, and walking through the remains of the camp.

Important for French audiences, for European audiences, an informative and engaging for worldwide audiences.

1. Audience knowledge of Simone Veil, life, career, influence? French audiences? International audiences?
2. A biographical portrait? Narrative, emphases, activities? Relationships? Jewish background, secular background, French background?
3. The work of the director, biographies? His screenplay? The structure of the film, the linear aspect, the moving around in time, different times and memories, influences, Simonee writing her biography, remembering? The effect on the audience, different times influencing memories of other times?
4. The background, the family, the 1930s, Jewish, parents, secular Jews, no religious instruction, commitment to France? The father, the difficulty of registering as Jews? The mother, the bonds with her daughters, Simone, bookish, wanting stories, songs? Her relationship with her other sisters?
5. Early in the film, the 1974 abortion legislation, seeing her in action, speeches, negotiations, principles, backyard abortions, support from the Catholics even though condemning abortions as such, the achievement in legislation? This sequence influencing perspectives on the rest of Simone’s story?
6. The arrest, her arrest, her parents taken, Auschwitz and the other camps? The fact that this was not visualised early in the film but shown extensively later, the arrest, fleeing the Germans in the streets, the packed train carriage, the long journey, deaths, babies need in water, impossible to sit? The arrival, the separations? The treatment by the soldiers, the guards? The huts, hunger, fighting for food? Work? The two sisters looking after their mother? Wanting to find a spoon, the gift of the dresses? Work, standing in the rain? The kindly Kapo, the transfer to the other camp, Simone and her manual work, the arrival of the Russians, the SS and the departures, the death march, Milou and her caring for her mother, Simone and her mother, her mother’s death?
7. The move to 1946, Simone and her age, the encounter with Antoine, the families, discussions, his work, studies, her graduation, science background, wanting to do more, ambitions to be a lawyer? The marriage, her pregnancies? The joy of the children? Milou, the bonds, their talking throughout the story? Denise, her background, interrogations, later meeting with Simone?
8. The move to Germany, Milou not wanting her to go, the atmosphere of Germany, Stuttgart, Simone and finding Germany congenial, the music, the work, the travel, supporting Antoine? The children? The visit of me Lou and her husband, the baby, the tragic news of the accident, their hurrying, the husband and child surviving? Milou’s death?
9. Simone, interviews, reticence, her story and her writing, the television crews, the flashbacks within the context of these television interviews?
10. Her role as Minister of Health, for so many years, the 1980s and AIDS, her visit to the patient, her demands, the emaciated man, weeping, wanting an authentic role?
11. Wanting to be a magistrate, Antoine’s objections, her studies, the interviews, her becoming a magistrate? Discussions with government officials, the sexism, her being listened to, convictions, the visits to prisons, the men, the appalling conditions, health and illness, the clashes with the prison administrators, the war in Algeria, her visit, the women prisoners, the amputated 16-year-old woman? Her achievement in reforms?
12. Her continued work, the effect on family, her sons, her absences, but their being proud of her?
13. The European Parliament, her standing, the campaigning, meeting people, the setting of the Parliament, her election as President, the speech? The years, her influence and change? Her belief in the European Community?
14. The scenes in old age, Antoine and Simone, comfortable together, the children, grandchildren?
15. The insertion of the Holocaust sequences later in the film, the effect?
16. 2005, the 60^th anniversary of Auschwitz, a decision whether to go or not, Antoine and his decision, the other children, the travel, her walking through the camp, and again the insertion of memories?
17. Questions about her religion, her secular beliefs, the nobility of committed secularism?
18. A significant woman in European history of the 20^th century? The audience sharing her voyage?