The Law

The Law

2014 · 87 min · ★ 6.4 · History, TV Movie

Directed by French Director Christian Faure and released in 2014, The Law brilliantly traces three days, in late Fall 1974, of stormy debate in the French National Assembly, around a bill which would make "voluntary termination of pregnancy" legal. Behind this bill stands a lone woman brilliantly played by a remarkable Emmanuelle Devos (also in The Other Son): Simone Veil the Minister of Health in the Jacques Chirac government during the presidency of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. During these three days of violent debate Veil, a Jew and Holocaust survivor, is spared nothing: political negotiations, solitude, sparring arguments, insults and violence to her family. In spite of all of this, Veil never wavers.

Directed by Christian Faure · Written by Fanny Burdino

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

France Channel Amazon Channel

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 58m together

Both from Christian Faure.

More from Christian FaureSee all →

Suite en RéSuite en Ré · 2000
Suite en Ré
10.02000
Movie
Coup de chienCoup de chien · 1992
Coup de chien
10.01992
MovieCrimeDrama
A blind man, a returning safecracker and a recently released ex-con organize a heist of a prosthesis factory to get some platinum. But nothing will happen as planned.
Fugue en RéFugue en Ré · 1999
Fugue en Ré
10.01999
MovieRomance
Two neighbors, Louis and Coralie, have been at war with each other for years because of their different origins, French and Reunionese. Their mutual hatred is not the only thing they have in common: they also adore their respective children, who secretly love each other.
Loin des yeuxLoin des yeux · 1996
Loin des yeux
9.01996
MovieAdventureRomance
Le rêve françaisLe rêve français · 2018
Le rêve français
9.02018
SeriesDrama
In the 60s, the Government encourages Islanders to leave the French West Indies to escape poverty that results from the closure of sugar mills. Lured by the idea of a "dream country", they find life in Europe is not what they had imagined.
The PoisonerThe Poisoner · 2006
The Poisoner
7.62006
MovieDramaTV Movie
Loudun, October 1947. Leon Besnard and Marie celebrate their eighteenth wedding anniversary with friends and Ady, a former German prisoner they have "adopted". A few days later, Leon dies. Louise, a friend of the couple's and probably Leon's mistress claims that, on his deathbed, the deceased told her that Marie was poisoning him. The whole town soon condemns Marie and she is arrested and sent to jail. Did she really kill Léon as well as twelve other members of her family as she finds herself charged with?
L'enfant perduL'enfant perdu · 1997
L'enfant perdu
7.41997
MovieDramaTV Movie
Pierre Neuville returns home to find his son. He meets André, a boy with some similarities.. But chance suddenly brings him face-to-face with his true son, an overly sensitive youth with a strong attachment to his foster mother.
Just a Question of LoveJust a Question of Love · 2000
Just a Question of Love
7.32000
MovieDramaRomance
After his gay cousin dies from hepatitis, young Laurent, who lives with his best friend Carole, falls in love with Cedric, a plant scientist. He's afraid to inform his conservative parents that he is gay.
A Love to HideA Love to Hide · 2005
A Love to Hide
7.32005
MovieDramaTV Movie
A young Jewish girl, Sara, is looking to escape the clutches of the Third Reich after seeing her parents and sister brutally slain by a smuggler who betrayed them while attempting to escape to England. Terrified, she is sheltered by her childhood friend Jean, a homosexual in a clandestine relationship with his lover Philippe.
Fais danser la poussièreFais danser la poussière · 2010
Fais danser la poussière
7.32010
MovieDramaTV Movie
Mauvais SangMauvais Sang · 1986
Mauvais Sang
7.11986
MovieDramaRomance
Two aging crooks are given two weeks to repay a debt to a woman named The American. They recruit their recently deceased partner's son to help them break into a laboratory and steal the vaccine against STBO, a sexually transmitted disease that is sweeping the country. It's spread by having sex without emotional involvement, and most of its victims are teenagers who make love out of curiosity rather than commitment.
Black ButterflyBlack Butterfly · 2008
Black Butterfly
7.12008
MovieThrillerTV Movie
Richard, a lonely, alcoholic, down-on-his-luck, divorced screenwriter, invites Jack, a mysterious vagabond, to stay at his woodland home while a serial killer preys on young women in the area.
Au nom des filsAu nom des fils · 2014
Au nom des fils
7.12014
MovieDramaTV Movie
Two mothers each try to come to terms with the pain of losing a child after four young scouts and a young man who tried to save them drown, with the inquiry revealing negligence on the part of the supervisors.
Sœur Thérèse.comSœur Thérèse.com · 2002
Sœur Thérèse.com
7.12002
SeriesCrimeComedy
Les Sandales blanchesLes Sandales blanches · 2021
Les Sandales blanches
7.12021
MovieDramaTV Movie
It all begins in the early 60s, in a slum just outside Paris inhabited by Algerian immigrants. Malika is 5, and her mum has just bought her a brand-new pair of sandals. They're so white that the little girl can't keep her eyes off them, and doesn't see the reversing truck. Then begin years of hospital, operations, suffering and struggle. Years far from her family, during which the little Muslim girl, in the hands of Catholic nurses and nuns, discovers music and singing at mass. From that point on, fighting the racism of French society as well as the enduring prejudices of her own community, Malika follows her dream and moves mountains to become the woman everyone will one day call "the diva of the ghetto".
FerbacFerbac · 1991
Ferbac
7.01991
Series

More Like This

Workers Leaving the Lumière FactoryWorkers Leaving the Lumière Factory · 1895
Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory
6.71895
MovieHistoryDocumentary
Working men and women leave through the main gate of the Lumière factory in Lyon, France. Filmed on 22 March 1895, it is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. Three separate versions of this film exist, which differ from one another in numerous ways. The first version features a carriage drawn by one horse, while in the second version the carriage is drawn by two horses, and there is no carriage at all in the third version. The clothing style is also different between the three versions, demonstrating the different seasons in which each was filmed. This film was made in the 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames.
JFKJFK · 1991
JFK
7.61991
MovieDramaThriller
Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.
Malcolm XMalcolm X · 1992
Malcolm X
7.61992
MovieDramaHistory
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
ConfuciusConfucius · 2010
Confucius
6.02010
MovieDramaHistory
In 500 B.C., during Chinas famed 'Spring and Autumn Period', Kong Ze (Confucius), a commoner reverred for his outstanding wisdom, is made Minister of Law in the ancient Kingdom of Lu. Under his inspired leadership, Lu ascends to new heights but becomes a target of conquest for the warlike nation of Qi. Threatened with annihilation by their powerful neighbour, a desperate people turn to their greatest teacher to lead their most powerful army. When Confucius delivers a stunning victory against all odds, a jealous aristocracy sets out to destroy him, but they should never under-estimate a remarkable man whose wisdom is more powerful than the sword.
Lust for LifeLust for Life · 1956
Lust for Life
7.21956
MovieDramaHistory
An intense and imaginative artist, revered Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh possesses undeniable talent, but he is plagued by mental problems and frustrations with failure. Supported by his brother, Theo, the tormented Van Gogh eventually leaves Holland for France, where he meets volatile fellow painter Paul Gauguin and struggles to find greater inspiration.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter