From the Markovic affair to the Elysée

In early October 1968, a rumour spreads like wildfire through Paris society: Claude Pompidou, wife of the former prime minister, is said to have arranged the murder of Stephan Markovic, a Yugoslavian playboy, because he was blackmailing her. The smear campaign in fact determines the fate of Georges Pompidou, who has just left Matignon after more than six years as Prime Minister. Disgusted by the plot hatched by some of De Gaulle’s supporters, he decides to stand for the presidency…

This film focuses on the four and a half years spent by the Pompidou couple at the Elysée Palace, from the initial smear campaign until the president’s death from leukaemia. It is the story of a loving couple, harried by intrigues, the loneliness of power, and illness. The story of a man who had never dreamed of being President of the Republic, and of a woman who was afraid of politics. But it is also the epic story of a time of happiness, when the Pompidou couple opened up the frosty palaces of the Republic to modernity, art and poetry.

Pierre Hurel, director

“The destiny of the Pompidou couple is the stuff of Greek tragedy. They are head over heels in love. He is intelligent, she is refined and full of life. Their happiness is like a fairy story. But one day he hears the call of power. She does not want him to go, and he vows he will not stay long. But politics catches up with them, and sullies their immaculate love. He takes up the reins of power, with her approval. And political power wears him out and kills him. The story of Georges Pompidou’s presidency begins with a despicable smear campaign and ends with a fearsome illness.”

An Eléphant Doc production with the participation of France Télévisions.