Inside France is editor Emma Pearson's weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
I don't think I'm the only person in France who this week learned that the outfit one wears for judo is called judogi (and not, apparently, pyjamas).
The reason for this sudden interest in martial arts is, of course, the surprise presidential bid of French judo star Teddy Riner - already a massively popular figure as well as a stunningly successful sportsman, Riner's early polling tops 20 percent, putting him second in the polls behind only Marine Le Pen.
Before we get too excited, he hasn't actually announced any detailed policies beyond his 'ni de gauche, ni de droite' (neither left nor right) launch speech. And there is plenty of time for scandals to emerge or him to make gaffes and generally get caught out.
That initial polling success speaks, I think, to a general sense of the French electorate being sick of all politicians, and explains at least in part why 'les extrèmes' of the far-right and the far-left are leading the polls - neither of them has yet had a go at running France, and therefore neither of them has messed it up.
That's despite both of them touting economic policies that have variously been described as 'fantasy land' or economic suicide.
READ ALSO: OPINION: France's failing centre is to blame for popularity of Mélenchon's fantasy economics
It feels that there is increasing hunger for a 'saviour' from outside the system to come and somehow sort out the tangled mess of French politics, which might explain the interest in Christine Lagarde stepping down early from her job as head of the European Central Bank. She's being widely discussed as a possible candidate, despite not having made any announcement and despite the timeline making it extremely difficult for her to stand.
Talking France
We discuss the economic programme of Jean-Luc Mélenchon and La France Insoumise in this week's Talking France podcast, as well as the latest from the protests and the new-look TGV train. Listen here.
We also discuss all the French World War Two films in cinemas right now, and what it says about the current political climate. Since we recorded, I have seen Moulin - about the French Resistance leader Jean Moulin and his capture and torture at the hands of the Nazi commander Klaus Barbie - and I don't think it was the best of the bunch.
In my opinion, criticism of its "gratuitous violence" is a little unfair. It was telling the story of real life events that were very brutal (the film's torture scenes are mild compared to what they actually did to Jean Moulin) but it's something of a hagiography. That might be historically accurate but makes the film a little flat.
A shame, because the real Jean Moulin's life was incredible, and he deserves a better film.
My pick of the bunch remains Notre Salut - a complicated, unsettling and unusual film about a Vichy collaborator.
A milestone très français
I also achieved a French cultural milestone this week - a trip to France's national theatre the Comédie française to see a Molière play. I was a little worried about whether I'd understand it all, and had deliberately picked a lighter comedy, Les Fourberies de Scapin, which turned out to be very accessible and funny (people fell over, had buckets put on their heads and a man was put in a bag and beaten with sticks - this is absolutely my level of comedy).
The interior of the building is truly beautiful, and open for tours for those who feel that their French isn't yet up to a play. And for those outside Paris, you can catch a glimpse of the workings of this historic theatre in the recent comedy film De la comédie française.
Thanks for reading, and bon weekend
Inside France is editor Emma Pearson's weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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