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March 1974: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is elected French President and quickly named his prime minister, Jacques Chirac: together they formed the youngest leading power tandem of the Fifth Republic. The first months are a time of reforming euphoria. Why did the Giscard/Chirac team fail after only two years? Did this falling out and the ensuing in-fighting sow the seeds for the Right's final defeat in 1981? Giscard would retain a vividly painful memory of the combat he fought throughout his seven years in office, both on his right and on his left. If Giscard is the main witness of this film, he is not the only one. We also see Giscard accepting to talk about his mistakes, the Bokassa diamonds, his disappearance after the bombing of the Rue Copernic synagogue, the execution of Ranucci and the death penalty, his haughty attitude, his mediocre campaign in 1981, his bungled "farewells," the unpopularity of Raymond Barre, who hung on and refused to resign, dragging Giscard down with him, the facts behind Chirac's resignation, the dinner plot hatched against him between Chirac and Mitterrand on the eve of the 1981 elections, his two televised debates with Mitterrand, but most of all his on-going seven year clash with the RPR party and Chirac.

France - 2002 - 2x52' - Betacam SP - Colour

Director William Karel Camera Stéphane Saporito Sound Stéphane Saporito Editing Tal Zana

Production Roche Productions, 45 rue de Louvain, 92400 Courbevoie, France Tél : +33 (0)1 4334 0712 Fax : +33 (0)1 4334 0724 E-mail : roche@rocheproductions.com Co-Production France 3, France 5, Odyssée

Sales Roche Productions, 45 rue de Louvain, 92400 Courbevoie, France Tél : +33 (0)1 4334 0712 Fax : +33 (0)1 4334 0724 E-mail : roche@rocheproductions.com