On December 18, 2023 local time, on the right bank of the Seine River in Paris, the Greven Wax Museum, known as the "Pantheon of Wax Celebrities", announced that in view of the current surging public opinion and public opinion, they decided to remove the life-size wax figure of the actor Gérard Depardieu, who was suspected of ****, from the exhibition area.
Wax figure of Gérard Depardieu.
The wax figure has been on display here for more than 40 years, since 1981. Corresponding to these long 40 years is the 75-year-old Depardieu's remarkable film career: as one of the most famous film actors in France, he has twice won the César Award for Best Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, participated in more than 200 films, and was nominated for an Oscar for his masterpiece "Big Nose Love Saint", and also won the nickname "Big Nose Love Saint" among the people. In "Shut Up! ", he plays Tie Dan, a big talker with a distinct personality and full image, which is also quite popular in China.
Stills from "Big Nose Love Saint" by Gérard Depardy (right).
Depardieu has been deeply involved in ** turmoil in recent years, and a total of 17 women have come forward to accuse him of **, which has nothing to do with the infatuation and loyalty of the "big nose love saint". Due to the special evidence-gathering characteristics of the case, this has made France, the film industry, the civil society and other parties continue to pull each other between disputes, tearing apart French society.
Depardieu's sex scandal is becoming more and more complicated in French society. On December 26, as if in response to the removal of the wax figures, as many as 56 French stars signed an open letter defending Depardieu, arguing that the famous actor was being "lynched". In addition to peer maintenance, there is also the endorsement of Macron, a self-proclaimed admirer of Depardieu, who has also publicly expressed his support. On the other hand, there is no stopping trend of resistance, ** and crusade. Due to the long period of time and the difficulty of establishing a firm judiciary, it is difficult for the truth to be revealed for a while, and the tearing is likely to continue.
The latest developments are proof of this. On Jan. 19, the Paris prosecutor's office said it had dismissed a lawsuit filed by actress Hélène Dallas alleging sexual harassment on the set of Depardieu's 2007 disco because the statute of limitations had expired.
Presumption of innocence
An open letter from 56 celebrities defending Depardieu was published in the French conservative newspaper Le Figaro, and was signed by former French first lady Carla Bruni, veteran movie star Carol Bouquet, Pierre Richard, who has worked with Depardieu at least eight times, and French actress Natalie Bey, who has won the César Award, the highest honor in French cinema four times.
First of all, they highly appreciated Depardieu's talent in the professional field, and did not hesitate to praise him with great rhetoric: "He is a talented actor, a part of French art, and a great contribution to the history of French art." Even, because of his excellence and pioneering, "France owes him a lot". Based on such feats, in the open letter, these artists, writers, and filmmakers liken Depardieu to the "human incarnation" of cinematic art
When society attacks Depardieu in this way, it is also the art of cinema itself that is under attack. If this is the way to ruin his reputation, it is also a ...... of failure for art for usLosing this great actor would be a farce ......This is the death of art, our art. ”
Carol Bouquet, Gérard Depardieu, Carla Bruni, Charlotte Ramplin.
As for the allegations, the "56-member team", which is nearly half a female filmmaker, said it "didn't want to be part of the debate." The principle of presumption of innocence is one of the most important core values of France. Before the law decides, everyone should be innocent, and the public cannot "judge before trial" and cannot kill people with saliva. Depardieu also deserves that right, and he shouldn't be treated differently because he's a celebrity in the film industry. The open letter says.
Echoing the views of the 56 people who signed the open letter is Emmanuel Macron, an admirer of Depardieuel and France. In a televised public speech, Macron slammed the current witch hunt of "saliva killing", and once again expressed his praise for Depardieu: "He is a great actor, he has performed a lot of beautiful works. He let the world know about French ......I will say as a French ** and a citizen that he makes the whole of France proud. ”
Emmanuel Macron defended actor Gérard Depardieu.
As a French citizen and a French citizen, Macron hopes that at this moment, Depardieu, who is "innocent" under the presumption of innocence, can "defend his rights, continue to work, and continue to create, like everyone else".
Schrödinger's innocence
Like all controversial celebrities who have kept a low profile at the center of the storm, Depardieu said in an interview that he was "not involved" in the campaign to protect his reputation, which was written and led by a friend of his daughter's, and praised the letter as "beautiful" and the 56 signatories as "brave."
* Superstars who have not hesitated to praise, celebrities who have been admired by their partners in the same professional field, and a mighty 56 people have signed to support ......It seems that Depardieu, the man who represents France and carries French art, has been greatly wronged and hurt.
Is he really innocent?
The ** indictment against Depardieu began in August 2018. Charlotte Arnold, a 23-year-old actress who plucked up the courage to go to the police station and accuse Depardieu, then 69, of committing two acts on herself at her home in Paris.
Charlotte Arnold.
In May 2022, Helen Dallas accused Depardieu of sexually harassing her while filming the 2007 film Disco. "Between each shoot, he would put his arm around my waist and touch my body. I was wearing a tight skirt and his hands were gradually moving from the waist to my hips. Then, he whispered in my ear, presumably asking me to go to his dressing room. But because the statute of limitations had expired, on January 19 this year, the prosecution dismissed the lawsuit. In France, adult** lawsuits older than 6 years old will no longer be entertained, let alone those charged earlier.
Helen Dallas.
On December 21, 2023, Spanish female journalist Ruth Baza reported to the local **, alleging that during an interview in Paris in 1995, Depardieu carried out ** against herself.
From 1995 to 2023, at least 17 women, actresses, set crew, journalists, ......, said they had been sexually harassed by DepardieuDepardieu's assault or harassment took place at home, on filming sets, in outdoor venues, ......He didn't care when anyone else was there. ”
These accusations against Depardieu** entered the judicial investigation stage at the end of 2020 at the earliest, and related cases were also filed in 2022 and 2023, but due to multiple reasons such as the epidemic and evidence collection, the judicial department has not yet reached a conclusion. Legally, Depardieu is indeed "innocent", as Macron and his supporters say.
Lynching and complicity
In December 2021, actress Charlotte Arnold, who sued Depardieu for the first time, said on social ** that she was shocked to find that after she made ** accusations against Depardieu, the other party's career, life, and reputation ......Everything was not affected in any way, and he was physically and mentally exhausted after summoning up the courage to "denounce", and the "official result" was even more far away.
A year after his first indictment, Depardieu starred in Constance Meyer's "Tough as Ever", the opening film of Cannes Film Critics' Week, and the importance of it is self-evident; In the past three years, in addition to "Strong as Ever", works starring Depardieu such as "Nursing Home Promotion" and "Looking for Freshness" have also been ......released
In contrast, the victims face tremendous physical and mental pressure after "real-name accusations", and even pay the price of their lives. On December 7, 2023, 60-year-old Emmanuel de Berville committed suicide by jumping off a bridge in the Seine in Paris. According to her complaint before her death, when she was 19 years old, she worked in the crew of the movie "Danton" and was sexually harassed several times by the male number one Depardieu. In 2019, she made social accusations that the superstar was very indulgent on the set, and he took full advantage of the privacy in the carriage to put his fat hand *** in his skirt.
Emmanuel Deberwee.
In front of the public, he positions himself as a victim in order to elicit sympathy and spread slanderous and contemptuous remarks. Charlotte Arnold said in an interview.
* Accusations are already difficult. Years and decades of accusations have made it even more difficult to find evidence, file a case and arrest – not to mention that Depardieu's involvement is an unshakable "mountain" of power.
In the past, in the face of this important "big man" in the industry, the victims who were afraid of losing their jobs and prospects could only swallow the bitterness alone and did not dare to speak out. Nowadays, even if dozens of people have the courage to expose their scars, it is difficult to hope for justice, but they still have to accept a larger "power bombardment" such as open letters and speeches, and their lives and psychology are in chaos.
Gerald Deparde.
The so-called "lynching" has become a breakthrough of sorts. In April 2023, the French online media mediapart interviewed 13 victims and posted an article accusing Depardieu, calling him a "repeat offender", so that his two films "Strong as Ever" and "Wartime Without Side", which were originally to be broadcast on France Télévisiono 2 in May, were temporarily canceled from broadcasting.
On the same day that Emmanuel Derbervie committed suicide, that is, on December 7, 2023, the "News Investigation" column of France Télévisions broadcast a detailed special report on "The Fall of the Devil", combing the timeline of Depardiyo's accusations. It was also in this show that Depardieu told some vulgar and misogynistic jokes, talking about "children riding ponies", and the ridiculous attitude caused widespread social emotion, and the "progress" of removing the wax figures took place. In the documentary, Emmanuel De Bervie also recounted his painful experience working with Depardieu.
On December 16, 2023, the Belgian town of Estaimpuis also announced that it would revoke the title of "honorary citizen" granted to Depardieu in 2013, and the Canadian province of Quebec also revoked the highest honor bestowed on him.
Gérard Depardieu was stripped of the honorary citizenship of the Belgian city of Estanpuis (Estaimpuis), an honor that was awarded to him in the summer of 16 when he lived there.
In the face of vulgarity, Macron, Depardieu's number one fan, said in his speech that this paragraph must have been "re-edited". But according to the Associated Press, French television claimed that ** had been seen by the bailiffs and could confirm its authenticity.
The undoubted Mr. ** and the open letter of the group building momentum are, in the eyes of some people, more like a conspiracy to maintain power. According to the victims, Depardieu's sexual harassment often took place in front of staff and cameras, a field that everyone could see, and "no one said anything." After many years, Helen Dallas opened up about her experience of being abused, and the director of the film "Disco" still said that "I don't remember any problems with that shooting".
In the short term, this huge dispute will not be conclusive. In France, where Beauvoir was born, gender justice and equality between men and women have always been a matter of great concern, and it is worth paying attention to how this country, which prides itself on gender progress, will deal with such complex allegations.
A still from Disco Depardieu (right).