Russian Citizen - Depardieu's Puzzling Love For Russia

G rard Depardieu will be pleasant relief Russian citizenship by simply Vladimir Putin

Editor's note: Matthew Fraser may be a mentor on the American University with Paris plus lecturer in the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.

Now that the French video clip star has homeless your land on the Gauls that will develop into a Russian citizen , his latest video role as being the nutty monk is being evoked that can put your cinematic photograph upon a new bizarre real-life episode that has turn into an party regarding state.

Depardieu's "defection" to help Russia includes the two interested and also angered his compatriots. The actor hasn't made it simpler for concerns along with their puzzling open public statements. Depardieu, whose papa ended up being some sort of communist, acknowledged Russia as a "great democracy," a outline prepared to take a few discussion as long as country's history.

Over the actual weekend, Depardieu made a new go to to be able to Russia which was splashed all over the media inside Russia in addition to has been the initial product with this French nighttime news about Sunday. French telly visitors watched footage regarding Depardieu protect Vladimir Putin along with happily brandish his brand new Russian passport.

Depardieu's really like pertaining to Russia is not indifferent to the country's flat 13% cash flow tax rate, measurably fewer than the 75% price which France's socialist government will certainly inflict this year upon earnings over a zillion euros. Depardieu, whose individual fortune is usually expected at $200 million, at first bolted with regard to Belgium for you to break free that tax. Now he's recognised the warm adapt to regarding his close friend Putin. France's constitutional court docket overturned this "supertax" around the rich, however the Socialist federal intends to be able to push forwards with all the measure.

Depardieu claimed he admires Russia for its story along with wonderful artists. Yet his or her passion for any Slavic universe will never be with no controversy. He is usually a friend of Ramzan Kadyrov, this autocratic us president on the Russian republic connected with Chechnya who features invited some other Western actors such as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Hilary Swank for you to their birthday parties to more shapely his or her over-sized self-image. More bizarrely, Depardieu noted down a new duet known as "Nebo Molchit" considering the glamorous Gulnara Karimova known as "Googoosha" little princess of Uzbekistan's autocratic ruler Islam Karimov.

Stay up to par around the hottest opinion, analysis and also discussions as a result of cultural media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion as well as abide by us all . We allowed ones tips and comments.

His naysayers in France look after Depardieu's posturing because the most up-to-date misadventure within the actor's turbulent life. Recently, your dog ended up being arrested and jailed to get generating his or her moped through Paris in a point out connected with intoxication. He ended up being furthermore kicked down a good airplane throughout Dublin regarding minimize herself on board. A man of gargantuan appetites known for you to affectionately in France as "G g ", Depardieu is often a larger-than-life determine whose the latest travails include outlined deep tensions inside French society.

Depardieu seriously isn't the only fabulously affluent resident that will leave France to escape that country's punishing income taxes. In the past, French rocks megastars like Johnny Hallyday as well as football players including Yannick Noah have captivated complaint regarding moving to Switzerland. Tax exile is frowned on with France, a united states in which fiscal duty is considered a motion regarding respect for you to the actual French nation.

Opinion: Why Depardieu's 'pathetic' desertion has caused French storm

France can be a traditionally Catholic lifestyle concered about cash plus hostile toward the particular wealthy. French us president Francois Hollande expressed publicly for the duration of past year's election campaign: "I don't like the particular rich." In French politics that type of report resonates having voters. The French usually are cynical regarding their own elites inside general, along with aggressive in the direction of your abundant with particular.

In the past due 17th century, Louis XIV infamously expelled practically some sort of million Protestants who seem to at the beginning were a new rich and powerful minority active inside banking and finance. Today France's billionaires, such as L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, tend to stay carefully out of view and lack the same heart regarding charity present in America. France has very little Warren Buffet as well as Bill Gates. The super-rich within France offer money to politicians, never to charities.

Depardieu could be a new widely popular movie acting professional inside France, but when he put his sumptuous digs in the contemporary Saint-Germain-des-Pr utes part of Paris available on the market pertaining to almost it reminded this French in which he goes with a numerous universe.

Even much more dubious is actually Depardieu's selection being some sort of Russian citizen , which will can be an open gesture connected with defiance along with rejection towards the French nation. France is really a land in whose mythology involving "national identity" is definitely deeply entrenched inside collective psyche. The belief from the "French exception" reinforces the idea which France differs and may place that will remarkable way to defend its national identity, ordinarily by serious state intervention. In France, citizenship is actually cherished, one thing that foreigners aspire to.

When probably France's most prominent and dearly loved movie stars fingers back his passport as well as flounces out of the national family, it is usually construed while an act regarding betrayal. Many regarding Depardieu's authorities with France have preferred to utilize the particular language regarding sarcasm, dismissing your ex like a troubled find out connected with hint when using the realities of his many other countrymen. The French magazine Le Monde noted this Russian commentators tend to be stating that will Depardieu can be currently being naively used by Putin. The Russian leader, these people argue, is with all the Depardieu fable for a PR exercise pertaining to internal purposes.

Depardieu has been viewed knocking with regards to his familiar precincts about the Left Bank with Paris. When they departs the country, he will need to returning subsequent time showing your Russian passport.

Meanwhile, the French picture starring Depardieu seeing that Rasputin even now is not produced in their new Russian homeland.

Join individuals on Facebook/CNNOpinion

The views expressed within this commentary usually are solely those of Matthew Fraser.