The President’s Mistress is the English title of a French historical drama (based on a true story) which premiered on French television (France 3) in 2009.
Marguerite Steinheil is the mistress of the French President Felix Faure. The relationship, which begins in 1897, ends two years later in a dramatic and most unusual way.
On 16 February 1899, Marguerite and Felix are alone in a private room in the presidential palace in Palace.
The president’s first name Felix means “the lucky guy.” But on this day his luck runs out.
While the couple are in the middle of a very intimate moment, something unexpected happens:
Felix has a stroke. He is incapacitated and loses conscience. Marguerite is in shock. She calls for help. The president’s staff arrive quickly.
The first thing they do is to escort Marguerite out of the building via a side door. The next thing they do is to call a doctor. When a doctor arrives, he realizes that he cannot help the patient. It is too late. The president dies a few hours later.
This is the beginning of a huge political scandal: the president of France dies while having sex with his mistress! What a way to go!
In this film, we learn:
** How and why Felix and Marguerite meet each other in 1897
** How and why Marguerite becomes his mistress and a long relationship begins
** How Felix dies on 16 February 1899
** What happens to Marguerite and members of her family after the dramatic death of Felix Faure
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** French title: La Maîtresse du Président
** Director: Jean-Pierre Sinapi
** Writers: Valerie Bonnier and Martine Moriconi
** Language: French
** Subtitles: English
** Available via Amazon Prime Video
** Run time: 86 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Christiana Reali as Marguerite Steinheil (1869-1954) – her nickname is “Meg” – she is the wife of Adolphe – the mother of Marthe – and the mistress of the president
** Serge Riaboukine as Adolphe Steinheil (1850-1908) – he is the husband of Marguerite – the father of Marthe – and a painter of portraits
** Canis Crevillé as Marthe Steinheil (1891-?) – she is the daughter of Marguerite and Adolphe
** Chantal Neuwirth as Emilie Japy (?-1908) – she is the mother of Marguerite
Didier Bezace as Felix Faure (1841-1899) – he is the president of France 1895-1899
** Christine Gagnieux as Berthe Faure (1842-1920) – she is the wife of Felix Faure (they are married 1865-1899)
** Nadine Marcovici as Mariette – she is the housekeeper of the Steinheil family
INTRODUCTION
Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore, I feel free to mention some of them in this review.
While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here.
Some details may have been added, altered or excluded for dramatic purposes or practical reasons. But the basic story is true.
PART ONE – THE PLOT
Felix and Marguerite do not frequent the same circles. How do they meet? Here is the answer:
Marguerite’s husband Adolphe is a painter of portraits. Felix commissions Adolphe to paint a portrait of him. When Felix comes to inspect the painting, Marguerite is also present. This is how they meet each other.
Felix is very interested in her. He commissions another painting, so he has a good reason (actually an excuse) to visit the home of the Steinheil family where he has a chance to meet Marguerite again. This is how they get to know each other and this is how the whole thing starts.
Marguerite is a married woman who has a daughter. But the marriage is not a happy one. When Marguerite was young, she fell in love with a young man. But her mother did not like the young man.
Madame Japy sent the young man away and picked a suitable husband for her daughter from a family she knew well.
Madame Japy picked Adolphe for her. But Marguerite was not happy with him. This is why she is not fond of her mother.
While she loves her daughter, she does not love her husband. Perhaps this is why she is prepared to be the mistress of Felix Faure who offers her a chance to see and try something else?
After the death of Felix Faure, the police interrogate Marguerite. They suspect her of killing the president. According to the police, Marguerite poisoned Felix.
She denies the charge, and after a while, the police realize that there is no evidence to support the charge. The president died of natural causes. Marguerite is never arrested and never charged with a crime.
After the death of Felix Faure, Marguerite is no longer an anonymous housewife and mother of a daughter. She becomes a well-known character in high society.
After the death of Felix Faure, her life takes many surprising twists and turns. Some of them are shown in this drama. But I am not going to offer any details. I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. If you wish to learn more, you will have to watch the drama all the way to the end.
In the drama, the focus is on the president and his mistress. This story is in the foreground. For obvious reasons.
In the background, other stories are mentioned from time to time, in particular the Dreyfus Affair and the scandal connected with the failed construction of the Panama Canal.
PART TWO – RATINGS AND REVIEWS
What do reviewers say about this historical drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 68 percent.
On Amazon there are at the moment 126 global ratings and 126 global reviews of this product. The average rating is 3.1 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 62 percent. Almost the same as we have on IMDb.
Here are the details:
5 stars = 23 percent
4 stars = 31 percent
3 stars = 09 percent
2 stars = 11 percent
1 star = 26 percent
As you can see, the reviews are mixed. There are some good reviews and some bad reviews. Very few reviewers offer a rating of three stars.
Most review are positive: 54 percent offer four or five stars. But a substantial group of reviews are negative: 37 percent offer only one or two stars.
Why are there so many negative voices? What is the problem? What is wrong?
When we take a closer look at the reviews, we discover that there are two main reasons: the first reason is the foreign language (French); the second reason is the fact that there are subtitles.
Some people complain, because it is in French and because there are no subtitles!
This claim is not true. Subtitles are available. Perhaps they cannot get them to work?
Other people complain, even though there are subtitles, because they do not like to read subtitles.
Here are some examples of what the critical voices say (obvious grammatical mistakes have been corrected):
** “I found it boring, slow moving, and the French with English subtitles is just not my cup of tea.”
** “I don’t speak French, and I don’t like to read the translations. They are too fast.”
** “I don’t watch movies with subtitles.”
** “I don’t like subtitles.”
** Try English! Who the hell wants to read a movie?”
** “I don’t have the time to sit and read subtitles.”
** “It would have been better if it was in English.”
** “Great acting, but reading subtitles is difficult.”
While these reviewers do not say much about the movie, they say a lot about themselves. It is hard to believe that these people are prepared to present themselves in such a negative light.
** They admit they cannot read!
** They claim that subtitles are difficult to read!
** They insist that the subtitles are moving too fast!
One of them even says the movie would have been better if it was in English! In other words: the president of France and the people around him should speak English! How would this make it better?
This movie is based on a true story which takes place in France. This is why the actors speak French.
Why is this so difficult to understand?
Why is this so hard to accept?
In small countries - such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands - all foreign movies are shown with the original soundtrack and with subtitles in the local language. Nobody complains about this, because the viewers are used to this.
Giving a movie a low rating just because it is in French with English subtitles is not acceptable. It is not a good reason. It is childish!
Refusing to watch a foreign movie with subtitles in your own language is absurd. But in large countries, viewers are not used to reading subtitles and many viewers refuse to do it. They claim it is impossible to watch the movie and read the subtitles at the same time. They do not realize that this is merely a question of habits.
The objection to subtitles is in fact a sign that the viewer is self-centered and unwilling to respect foreign countries and their languages.
CONCLUSION
The critical reviewers of this movie do not have a real reason to complain; they do not have a serious reason to complain. Their voices cannot be accepted. Their votes should not be counted. When they are excluded, the average rating will improve.
While this movie is not perfect, it is better than the ratings offered on IMDb and on Amazon. I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
PS # 1. Marguerite wrote a memoir in order to present her own side of the story. An English version of her memoirs was published in 1912. It is available online:
My Memoirs by Marguerite Steinheil (1912)
PS # 2. The following article is available online:
“Marguerite Steinheil, Femme Fatale”
Headstuff
15 January 2020
PS # 3. Marguerite is a character in the French television series Paris Police 1900 which premiered in 2021. The role of Marguerite is played by Evelyne Brochu.
PS # 4. The President’s Mistress is an American television movie which premiered in 1978.
** Director: John Llewellyn Moxey
** Based on a novel by Patrick Anderson
** The cast includes the following: Beau Bridges, Karen Grassle, Susan Blanchard and Larry Hagman.
** IMDb rating = 46 percent
** Rotten Tomatoes audience score = 40 percent
This American television movie which premiered in 1978 should not be confused with the French historical drama which premiered in 2009, even though they have the same title in English.
REFERENCES
** The Scarlet Widow: The True Story of the Marguerite Steinheil Affair by Ernst Dudley (1960)
** Madame Steinheil ou la Connaissance du Président by Armand Lanoux (1983)
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A French poster (2009)
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Marguerite Steinheil
(1869-1954)
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Marguerite Steinheil
(1869-1954)
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Felix Faure (1841-1899)
President of France 1895-1899
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