The Goldman Trial: Pierre Goldman’s widow denounces errors and fabrications
Christiane Succab-Goldman spoke for the first time in 44 years: “Cédric Kahn’s film was undoubtedly the spark that encouraged me to come out of my reserve”.
Christiane Succab-Goldmanthe wife of the deceased Pierre Goldmangave a historical interview to Worldin which she gives her opinion on the film Cedric Kahn, The Goldman Trial. The film recounts the second trial of Pierre Goldman (played by Arieh Worthalter), activist and bank robber, accused of having killed two pharmacists during a hold-up. While he admits to all these previous crimes, Pierre Goldman maintains that he is innocent and did not commit the atrocious murder of which he is accused.
Christiane Succab-Goldman is frank and direct: she did not like the film and explains the errors which, according to her, harm the memory of her husband. To begin with, she is outraged to see that a character supposed to represent her (played by Chloe Lecerf) is present at the trial, even though she was not there.
She demands “that a cardboard box indicates the fictitious nature of my presence in court as well as the comments made to my character. The truth is that I was not present there, any more than at the first trial, neither in the courtroom nor on the stand. (…) He (Pierre Goldman) absolutely wanted to protect me from all that. This is already something that we could have respected”, she declares.
She blames Cedric Kahn and to the film team for not having consulted it: “But I am a living person after all, why have I never been consulted? And I’m only talking about the film here.” She adds that she felt offended when “Cédric Kahn, during a preview in Paris, to have the public vote by show of hands to determine who thought he was guilty and who innocent. Concerning a case which has the force of res judicata, it is obscene.”
In addition to these criticisms, Christiane Succab-Goldman lists all the script errors, starting with Joël Lautric, their mutual friend who would have introduced them to each other according to the film, “which is not correct“, she says. “Then they use my police statement even though it was never made public”, adds the widow.
She also takes up the way Pierre Goldman is shown on screen, objecting to this treatment and asserting that unlike the film, “All reports from the time attest that Pierre remained very factual, measured and focused during the trial.” What seems to have hurt her is the excessive dramatization of her love for Goldman, which seems legitimate insofar as she was not consulted in the development of the film: “I am not a public figure, I have the right not to romanticize my life.”
The Goldman Trial: a cinema summit by Cédric Kahn (review)
