The 2023 TV film Olympe, une femme dans la Révolution was broadcast on 3rd March on France 2 and is now available on streaming services, including Prime Video, though, sadly, not as yet in the UK. The producer is Julie Gayet, who also stars in the title role.
Julie Gayet steps behind the camera and in front of the lens for the first time to bring to life one of the most emblematic figures of French feminism: Olympe de Gouges. In Olympe, une femme dans la Révolution, broadcast on March 3 on France 2, the actress and director traces the tragic destiny of this pioneer of women's rights, famous for her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen. The film focuses on the last year of her life, when she was imprisoned before being guillotined in 1793. Through this work, Julie Gayet wishes to repair a historical injustice: the lack of recognition of this visionary woman, long absent from history books and cultural representations.
The TV film, co-directed with Mathieu Busson, offers a poignant immersion into the world of Olympe de Gouges, subtly illustrating her fight for equality and social justice. The choice of a stripped-down staging, where oppression is felt even in the corset worn by the actress, reinforces the feeling of confinement that weighed on women of the time. The story opens with a hard-hitting question from the heroine: “Men, are you capable of being fair?”, a direct echo of contemporary feminist struggles. In parallel with the television broadcast, the film benefits from a preview in Dordogne, with screenings followed by debates, testifying to the importance of this historical figure and her message that is still relevant today.
With Olympe, a woman in the Revolution, Julie Gayet has produced a committed and necessary work. By highlighting this forgotten woman, she reminds us that the fight for equality is far from over. Her film is part of an educational effort, aimed at raising awareness among a wide audience, particularly the younger generations, about the place of women in history and the persistence of inequalities. The tribute paid to Olympe de Gouges during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with a statue emerging from the Seine, illustrates the growing impact of this revolutionary figure. A biopic that, let's hope, will help to permanently anchor her name in the collective memory
No comments:
Post a Comment