Original title: La bataille de Gaulle: L’âge de fer.
A One Mann’s Movies review of “De Gaule: Résistance”. (2026, 4.5*, 15).
Part one of a two-part epic French production covering the career of war leader and future president Charles De Gaulle (the second part – De Gaulle: Liberté – is released in just a few week’s time on September 17th). This is an absolutely riveting portrayal of French wartime history that I really knew very little about. It’s brilliant!
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
We open the film with German forces in WW2 pushing into France and De Gaulle (Simon Abkarian) showing his bravery (and fool-hardiness?) in challenging a German tank in his little staff car! But we then follow his escape to the UK, his sometimes heated interactions with Churchill and his desperate attempts to create the ‘Free French’ movement as a counter to the capitulation of the Vichy Government in Paris.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC website: “Strong injury detail.”)
Talent:
Starring: Simon Abkarian, Simon Russell Beale, Florian Lesieur, Mathieu Kassovitz, Benoît Magimel, Loïc Corbery, Anamaria Vartolomei, Niels Schneider, Karim Leklou, Tom Mison, Kacey Mottet Klein, Chaïm Feroleto, Noémie Schmidt, Noémie Schmidt, Karen Westwood.
Directed by: Antonin Baudry.
Written by: Antonin Baudry & Bérénice Vila. (Based on the book ‘A Certain Idea of France’ by Julian T. Jackson.)
Running Time: 2h 40m.
Review:
Positives:
- The film unveils such a dramatic course of events that – even without the inclusion of Churchill (Simon Russell Beale) – it had me comparing it to Darkest Hour. The fact that sheer arrogance and bloody-mindedness could lead this man (played wonderfully by Simon Abkarian) to literally stand alone against the whole world and build up his organisation from literally nothing is truly astounding. I had heard before of the ‘Vichy government’ and the ‘Free French’ without ever having really understood what the terms meant: this film gave me all of the answers. It send the Illustrious Mrs Movie Mann – a degree-level historian – scurrying to her Google page immediately to check on sources, particularly in regard to their repeated use of the word “armistice” in relation to the setting up of the Vichy government.
- The emotional content of all of these huge events on the world stage could get lost in a film of this scale and ambition. But the script cleverly grounds us in that regard by focusing on the personal experiences of an idealistic teenager, Fernand, delicately and beautifully played by Florian Lesieur. It is Fernand that rebels against the Germans in Paris with his Jewish brother-and-sister friends, Pierre (Chaïm Feroleto) and Livia (Anamaria Vartolomei, Mickey 17). Obviously, from that first meeting, it is love at first sight between Fernand and Livia and that relationship forms an emotional heart to the film. (Not that Fernand doesn’t have his own moment in history’s spotlight.)
- The film has a $40M budget, so it is no Obsession in that sense, but it uses that budget to great effect by putting spectacle on the screen, not least of which is the brilliant depiction of the Battle of Bir Hakeim outside Tobruk: no spoilers, but it’s another extraordinary slice of history that I knew nothing about. This is one of the most well-portrayed and gripping movie battle scenes that I’ve seen in recent years, possibly because, as I say, I knew nothing about it or its outcome.
- There are remarkable visual moments in this film which stay with you long after you’ve left the theatre.
- A face-to-face stand-off between Churchill and De Gaulle that leads to some chair-smashing and a comic moment with Clemmie Churchill (Karen Westwood). History has it that this did happen and the chair was smashed, although each leader insists that the other did it!
- A group of Jewish soldiers chanting prayers around a fire in the desert that segues (beautifully) into the tip of De Gaulle’s cigarette.
- The depiction of real-life war hero Susan Travers, an aide at the Battle of Bir Hakeim, who stood with the men and was instrumental in their final act. Played in style by Swiss actress Noémie Schmidt, she stands at one point holding a machine gun in a pose that reminded me of the French cultural icon ‘Marianne’ (even though Susan Travers was actually English: there’s a fascinating biopic of its own to be told there, not least because of what she did after the war).
- There’s a brilliant score by Volker Bertelmann: I stayed right through the end titles to listen to it.
Negatives:
- There are a few moments where the special effects become a bit wonky. A plane crash into an African swamp, without seat belts, is singularly unconvincing.
- At 160 minutes, it’s a bit of a bladder-tester and with French subtitles for most of the running time, a bit of a hard-workout on the eyes too. (But I wouldn’t want anything to have been taken out.)
- I was going to quibble about Simon Russell Beale lacking the stature of our great wartime leader. But then I did some googling and I stand corrected: Churchill was only, in fact, 5 foot 6 inches. Simon Russell Beale’s height? 5 foot 6 inches!
Summary Thoughts:
The two-part film had a budget of around $80 to $85 million making it one of the most expensive French productions ever made. And it shows. To date, Part 1 has brought in only $19 million worldwide but hopefully the UK tickets can bolster that a bit. And it will hopefully also get a release in the US (although I’d not sure how US cinemas and subtitles get on).
But this is a movie you really should try to see in the cinema, particularly if you are a history buff: it deserves to find success, since it is gripping, cinematic and very thought-provoking.
Comes with a One Mann’s Movies “Highly Recommended” sticker.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvMHOrYgYSw. This trailer is a bit misleading in featuring nothing but UK dialogue in it: there is a LOT of French dialogue, with subtitles, so don’t be fooled!
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