Yes, I think Depardieu made disgusting comments about women.
• Also read: Films by Gérard Depardieu: Télé-Québec withdraws them, Radio-Canada puts them on pause
• Also read: Gérard Depardieu was removed from the ranks of the National Order of Quebec
Yes, I think the cinema industry has tolerated his abhorrent behavior for too long.
But no, I don't think the solution is to use an eraser to make Gérard Depardieu disappear from the cinema planet.
Collateral damage
Apart from showing off to all of us our great virtue and our moral superiority, what exactly is the point of removing Depardieu's films from screens, as Télé-Québec, Radio-Canada or French and Belgian television networks are doing?
It's just like these right-thinking people who prevented Roman Polanski's excellent film J'accuse about the Dreyfus affair from being shown in Quebec cinemas in 2019.
Can you trust our good judgment, we movie fans? Show the films, broadcast them on all platforms and WE will decide whether we are offended (or not) by seeing Gégé's big face on our television or on the big screen of our favorite cinema.
I hate being thought of as a child and making decisions for myself.
How to repair the damage caused by Depardieu to prevent the spread of Jean de Florette?
Do you realize that this punishes ALL artists of cinema who have contributed to his films and who see the results of their work rejected even though they have done nothing wrong?
Will you also delete any mention of Gérard Depardieu from the cinema history books in which we highlight his dazzling roles from Valseuses to Cyrano, including Truffaut's The Woman Next Door?
I repeat: we must distinguish between criminal acts (which must be judged by the judiciary) and morally reprehensible acts.
“Gérard Depardieu's scandalous statements in front of the cameras shocked the international public for good reason. His behavior is damaging the reputation of members of the National Order of Quebec. That is why I have decided to order his removal from the Order with immediate effect,” said Prime Minister François Legault. Why shouldn't this recognition be withdrawn in 2021, when Gérard Depardieu was accused of rape and sexual assault? We only reacted when we saw Depardieu calling women “fat bitches” in a Complément d'investigation documentary that aired on France 2 last Thursday.
Without naming names, I'm thinking of some famous and popular Quebec politicians who had the unfortunate tendency to like the fairer sex too much.
If we conducted a thorough examination of all recipients of all the highest awards, how many would pass the test of exemplary behavior?
How many statues should we take down?
ANATOMY OF A CASE
Gérard Depardieu's biggest mistake was behaving like a big, obsessed uncle in front of the lens of a television station.
Do you know the expression, “He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword”?
In his case, Depardieu enjoyed a spectacular rise thanks to his talent in front of the camera. Through a camera he suffers a dizzying fall. Not even hidden.