Secrets Of The World's Richest Woman EP 1 | Luxury Industry

Secrets Of The World’s Richest Woman - This is the story of a small business that rose to epitomize beauty and glamour, shaped by a family whose wealth, secrets, and public controversies mirror the profound shifts and shadows of the 20th century.

Secrets Of The World’s Richest Woman EP 1 (2017)
Director: Gérard Miller & Jacques Dubuisson
Writer: Gérard Miller & Anais Feuillette
Genre: Documentary
Country: France
Language: English
Release Date: September 22, 2017 (France)

Synopsis:
The incredible journey of a small business that became the archetype of beauty and glamour is embodied through the extraordinary personalities who propelled its success, starting with its founder, Eugène Schueller—the father of Liliane Bettencourt. It’s the story of a remarkable family, so wealthy and mysterious, woven with achievements and unspoken secrets, a reverence for discretion alongside public scandals. A sweeping saga, worthy of a Balzacian novel, that takes us through the 20th century, with its sociological and aesthetic upheavals, as well as its darkest periods.


WIKIPEDIA: Liliane Bettencourt »

More articles on Liliane Bettencourt here and here.

French, German FMs Meet Syria's New de facto Leaders | DW News

Jan 3, 2025 | Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and her counterpart, France's Jean-Noel Barrot, are the first ministers from the EU to visit Syria and meet with de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa since rebels seized control of Damascus on December 8, 2024. Their visit to Syria is the highest-level western visit since the fall of the Assad regime.

They expresseed support for the rebuilding of Syria. But they also made it clear that the EU will not finance Islamism - or tolerate discrimination against women or ethnic and religious groups.

DW talks to Christoph Schult in Damascus who is currently traveling with FM Baerbock. He is a journalist at Germany's Spiegel magazine.

There's some controversy over the Syrian leader's greeting for his EU visitors. Ahmad al-Sharaa shook hands with the French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot, a man, but not with Gemany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, a woman.

The Vichy Espionage Revelations: Four Years of Surveillance and Repression

Dec 17, 2024 | During World War II, Marshal Philippe Pétain spied on the French for four years (1940-1944). He opened 24 million letters and listened to 300,000 telephone conversations. This information was used to repress political opponents and Jews. Some postal employees took part in the Resistance, setting up networks to protect Jews and participate in clandestine actions.

Long ignored, the dark history of the Technical Control Service (SCT), which spied on the French for Vichy, has been brought to light. The research of historian Antoine Lefébure, which inspired this revealing film, reveals its full extent.

Film directed by Emilie Lançon
Written by Emilie Lançon and Antoine Lefébure

BBC Newsnight: Gisèle Pelicot’s Lawyer Speaks to Victoria Derbyshire

In his first UK broadcast interview, Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyer Stéphane Babonneau tells Newsnight of the extraordinary courage of Madame Pelicot.

The mass rape trial which the 72-year-old is at the centre of is coming to an end. Mrs Pelicot was drugged by her former husband and was allegedly raped over the course of nine years by at least 50 men - strangers he’d recruited online.

Victoria Derbyshire speaks to lawyer Stéphane Babonneau with his client’s blessing.

Gisèle Pelicot’s Ex-husband Dominique Jailed in Mass Rape Trial | BBC News

Dec 19, 2024 | Dominique Pelicot has been sentenced for 20 years after drugging his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot and recruiting strangers to rape her for years.

Fifty other have also been sentenced alongside him in Avignon, France.

Dominique admitted to raping her and inviting the men he recruited online to have sex with her in her bed at home while she was unconscious and unaware.

Gisèle has waived her right to anonymity, saying she wanted to make "shame swap sides" from the victim to the rapist.


EN DIRECT : Procès des viols de Mazan : «Merci Gisèle !», scande la foule en l’applaudissant à la sortie du tribunal »

Procès des viols de Mazan : «C’est pour mes petits-enfants que j’ai mené ce combat», affirme Gisèle Pelicot après le verdict »

Bashar El-Assad: Power or Death

Dec 8, 2024 | This is the story of a man with two faces. The timid Doctor Bashar, who has long seduced the West and promised to move his country towards more democracy. And the terrible Mister Assad, dictator, who fights his own people in a civil war with hundreds of thousands of victims.

The terrible Mister Assad, dictator who fights his own people
Thanks to the testimonies of his relatives and former executives of the regime, the film tells the rise of a man who was not supposed to be president and deciphers a system that resembles that of the Mafia. With its godfathers, its settling of scores, and its billions in dirty money.

Bashar El-Assad received Syria as an inheritance from his father, Hafez El-Assad. He is the one who built this iron dictatorship that has held the country for nearly 50 years.

The film also explores the passionate ties that unite France and Syria. Leading French political figures, former ministers and diplomats, take us behind the scenes of this tumultuous relationship. A relationship that the story of Bashar El-Assad perfectly symbolises.

French presidents Jacques Chirac and then Nicolas Sarkozy initially considered him a valuable ally and rolled out the red carpet for him. Before bitterly regretting it.

Directed by Christophe Widemann

'Triumphant Trip' to Paris for Trump amid French Political Turmoil: Haass

Dec 6, 2024 | President-elect Trump is heading to Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame. The visit comes amid turmoil among the French government. Council on Foreign Relations President Emeritus Richard Haass joins Andrea Mitchell to weigh in on the trip, South Korea's president facing an impeachment vote, and the current situation in Syria.

Democracy Now! Political Chaos in France: Macron Refuses to Resign After Hand-picked PM Ousted by Lawmakers

Dec 6, 2024 | France has been plunged into political chaos after lawmakers from across the political spectrum voted to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a no-confidence vote Wednesday, a major blow to President Emmanuel Macron, who had hand-picked the conservative lawmaker to lead the National Assembly. Macron called a snap election earlier this year to counter the rise of the racist National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, but he then refused to work with the leftist New Popular Front that won the most seats, opting for an establishment pick instead. With the government's collapse, Macron has vowed to name a new prime minister and stay on to finish his own term, which ends in 2027, despite his growing unpopularity. "We're in this unprecedented situation of turmoil," says journalist Cole Stangler in Marseilles. He says Macron's decision to call early elections was "a self-inflicted wound" that ended up empowering the far right and making it virtually impossible for any faction to lead. "We have a mathematical problem. France needs to have a government, and you have three pretty evenly split blocs," says Stangler.

Macron Gave 'Combative, Scathing Address, But No Real Visibility': Analyst • FRANCE 24 English

Dec 25, 2024 | French president Emmanuel Macron has vowed to remain French president 'until end of mandate'. He says he'll name a new prime minister within days following the vote of no confidence that brought the Barnier government down on Wednesday. FRANCE 24's speaks to Ariane Bogain, senior lecturer in French and Politics at the University of Northumbria. She says Macron's address to the nation was surprisingly combative and showed no contrition about the crisis.

Can France's Opposition Pressure Macron into Resignation? | DW News

Dec 5, 2024 | French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament after just three months in office. President Emanuel Macron had appointed Barnier against considerable opposition from parties on both the right and the left. President Macron is now urgently seeking ways to solve the growing political and financial crisis. He is due to speak later on Thursday, what is he expected to say?

Michel Barnier to Resign as French Prime Minister after Government Collapse | BBC News

Dec 5, 2024 | France's Prime Minister Michel Barnier is expected to tender his resignation today, hours after being ousted in a no-confidence vote.

Barnier's government collapsed after MPs voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion against him, just three months after he was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron.

The prime minister is likely to stay on as caretaker while Macron chooses a successor, a process which could take weeks.

Last night's vote was the first time a French government had been voted down by parliament in more than 60 years.

Trump’s Tariffs Will 'Completely Wreck' European Economies

Nov 30, 2024 | “There's a real question as to whether or not Europe is facing another Eurozone crisis.”

Nina dos Santos says Trump’s double-digit tariffs, which would “completely wreck” Germany and France’s economies, could spiral the EU closer to a Eurozone crisis.

Donald Trump nomme Charles Kushner, le beau-père de sa fille, ambassadeur des États-Unis en France

LE FIGARO : Le président-élu Donald Trump a annoncé ce samedi soir la nomination du père de son gendre comme ambassadeur des États-Unis en France.

La politique est aussi une affaire de (belle) famille : Donald Trump a annoncé samedi nommer Charles Kushner, le père de son gendre et ex-conseiller Jared Kushner, comme ambassadeur des États-Unis en France.

Ce «chef d’entreprise génial» dans l’immobilier sera envoyé à Paris pour «renforcer le partenariat entre les États-Unis et la France, notre plus ancien allié et l’un de nos plus solides», a expliqué le président américain élu sur son réseau Truth Social.

Charles Kushner a passé un an dans une prison fédérale pour des malversations fiscales et avait été gracié par Donald Trump vers la fin de son premier mandat à la Maison Blanche. Son fils Jared Kushner est le mari d’Ivanka Trump, la fille aînée du président. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 30 novembre 2024

On a envie de dire que c'est incroyable. Mais dans le monde de Trump, plus rien n'est incroyable ! Que va-t-on entendre ensuite ? Il faut espérer que Charles Kushner aura plus de classe que Trump lui-même. Il faut aussi espérer qu'il aura de meilleures idées que Trump. Mais il ne faut pas se retenir de souffler ! – © Mark Alexander

Paris Prosecutor Seeks Jail and Public Office Ban for Marine Le Pen

THE GUARDIAN: Request in embezzlement trial threatens to undermine National Rally’s efforts to polish image before 2027 polls

A screenshot taken from today’s article in the Guardian. | Marine Le Pen arrives for the trial over the suspected embezzlement of EU funds. Photograph: Aurélien Morissard/AP
A Paris prosecutor has requested a five-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from public office for the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, at a trial in which she and 24 others are accused of embezzling EU funds.

The trial, which comes almost a decade after initial investigations started, threatens to undermine her National Rally (RN) party’s efforts to polish its image before the 2027 presidential election, which many believe she could win. » | Angelique Chrisafis and agencies | Thursday, November 14, 2024

3 American Myths We Don't Believe Anymore after Living in Europe

Nov 8, 2024

Living under Pétain: The Divided Memory of Vichy - Gestapo - History Documentary - AT

Oct 30, 2024 | When the people of Vichy recount the memory of the ephemeral capital of the "French State" from 1940 to 1944, the unsuspected force of the Pétain myth is revealed.

The new "French State" was born on July 10, 1940, in Vichy, in the Grand Casino theater. In a few days, the Hôtel du Parc, the Majestic, the Portugal, luxury establishments typical of pre-war Vichy, became the headquarters of a regime to which the small spa town would give its name. The terms of collaboration with the Nazi regime had been established as early as June. The hotels became ministries and parliamentary residences, before the Gestapo and its auxiliary, the Milice, set up their dungeons in Portugal and the Petit Casino.

On site, the filmmakers met men and women who, in their youth, were able to watch this sticky little world of the "National Revolution" live. Two of these witnesses, because they were Jewish, lived there as outlaws; one joined the resistance, another was among Laval's lawyers at his trial, a fifth was the daughter of a parliamentarian of the regime. Through their words, it is the history of collaboration and resistance that is written, with its ambiguities and its commitments.

Walks, greetings, hugs from chubby children… Pétain remains in the memory of many Vichy residents as a father and this documentary reveals the unsuspected strength of his myth in French memories. Remembering Vichy is mixing dreams, nightmares and reality, in the same way that Last Year at Marienbad, by Alain Resnais, makes us lose our footing in the troubled waters of memory. With this past that seems to await us in the peaceful alleys of the city, Bertrand de Solliers brings out the palpable unease caused by the era.

Last year in Vichy
Directors: Bertrand de Solliers, Paule Muxel
Producers: JULIANTO, ARTE FRANCE
All rights reserved ARTE

France - Algeria: A Painful Past that Resurfaces - Colonization Algeria - Documentary - MP

Oct 21, 2024 | In February 2017, shortly before his election, Emmanuel Macron alienated the pied-noir community for comparing the colonization of Algeria to a crime against humanity.

More than half a century after independence, the Algerian question remains a taboo subject in France and arouses passions as soon as it is addressed.

Whatever the words, whatever the decisions, there will always be a side that feels wronged.

But how did it get to this point? Why can't time erase resentment and aftereffects passed down from generation to generation? "Une affaire de famille" is a historical fresco, told through the prism of personal stories.

This documentary was made for educational purposes and may contain images that may offend some people. If you are a sensitive person, watching this documentary is not recommended.

A film directed by Dominique Fargue and Isabelle Quintard
On an original idea by Laurent Delahousse
A Magnéto production

When Paris Was German: German Soldiers in Wartime Paris I Slice History | Full Documentary

Oct 27, 2024 | June 14th 1940, the troops of the Wehrmacht entered Paris. This was the beginning of the occupation of the French capital, which was then relegated to the rank of an open city. The enemy made the law there for more than four years, until August 1944.

Many things have been said and written about the daily life of the French during this very particular period, made of shortages, repressive measures and raids. But never on the side of the occupying forces... What about the German soldiers? How did they live through this period? What were their living conditions like? Did they have any contact with the French population?

Documentary: When Paris was German
Directed by: Barbara Necek
Production: SPICA Productions

French Screen Star Alain Delon Dies Aged 88

THE GUARDIAN: The celebrated actor and star of Plein Soleil and Le Samouraï has died, his children have said

Alain Delon, the celebrated actor who starred in a string of classics such as Plein Soleil, Le Samouraï and Rocco and His Brothers, has died aged 88, his children have told French media.

“Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as [his dog] Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father. He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family,” they said in a statement, adding that the family had asked for privacy.

Identified with French cinema’s resurgence in the 1960s, Delon played a string of cops, hitmen and beautifully chiselled chancers for some of the country’s greatest directors, including Jean-Pierre Melville, René Clément and Jacques Deray. He also made films with auteurs including Luchino Visconti, Louis Malle, Michelangelo Antonioni and Jean-Luc Godard – though never quite succeeded in his attempts to make it in Hollywood. » | Andrew Pulver and Kim Willsher in Douchy | Sunday, August 18, 2024

Mesmeric and beautiful, Alain Delon was one of cinema’s most mysterious stars: Whether playing the lover opposite Marianne Faithfull or the assassin in Le Samouraï, the prolific French actor, who has died aged 88, was a symbol of the lost beauty of the 60s »

MADAME FIGARO : Alain Delon, ses amours, ses amis, ses rôles cultes : 12 photos qui racontent la légende : Saisir la quintessence d'un acteur immense… C'est l'ambition du livre événement signé Denitza Bantcheva, Alain Delon, amours et mémoires, qui retrace l'odyssée du monstre sacré. L'auteure en décrypte pour nous les moments-clés. »

LE FIGARO : Alain Delon, la légende du cinéma, est mort : L'acteur français, né le 8 novembre 1935, est décédé dimanche 18 août à l'âge de 88 ans. Sa beauté d'ange diabolique et sa présence féline révolutionneront le cinéma dans les films de Clément, Melville et Visconti. »

Louis XV, un roi mal jugé ?

Aug 17, 2024 | Pour ce nouveau numéro de Parlez-moi d'Histoire, Guillaume Perrault reçoit Yves Carlier, conservateur au château de Versailles, et Thierry Sarmant, historien, spécialiste de la Régence et Jean-Pierre Bois, spécialiste de la guerre et des relations internationales au XVIIIe siècle.