Antonin Baudry’s epic two-part de Gaulle biopic is incredible. Covering 1940 to 1944, the thrilling two-parter deserves a massive round of kudos for delivering a great adaptation of ‘A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle’ by Julian Jackson, of which, for clarity, this review focuses on the first part: De Gaulle: Résistance.
Charles de Gaulle was almost destined for the big screen. A man who simply said, ‘No’ when the Nazis invaded France, and never wavered from that stance. He started the Free French military unit from nothing but a mélange of ego and arrogance. He was in power, out of power, and then back in power. He annoyed President Roosevelt immensely. At times, he also annoyed Churchill, although they seemed to be able to patch up their differences. Four years later, he and millions of others were rewarded by the liberation of Paris by the Free French Forces.
The movie opens with an engaging sequence during the invasion of France. De Gaulle, channelling an insouciance that will follow him, successfully outmanoeuvres German tanks. His skirmish succeeds, but France cannot hold out against the invading army. France surrenders to Nazi Germany on 22 June 1940.
De Gaulle (Simon Abkarian) cannot and does not accept this. It is, to take a phrase, ‘inconceivable!’ He escapes to London, refusing to accept the surrender. He begins the extraordinary task of convincing everyone that France is still fighting. The Vichy government is an aberration to him.
Simon Abkarian is an excellent de Gaulle. He plays him as a stern yet awkward fellow, whom others frequently find (at times hilariously) exasperating. He may not have a government or a country to govern, but he is a man in charge even if others don’t know it yet. He has a comical level of self-belief. With this, Baudry lets what could be a serious film have a light-hearted edge. It is terrific.
De Gaulle’s relationship with Winston Churchill becomes central to the story. Simon Russell Beale is wonderful as Churchill, creating an effective counterweight to Abkarian. Plus, his French is superb. Churchill is louder and more theatrical than de Gaulle, yet both men recognise something in the other; they are two halves of a whole.
The film becomes particularly interesting when their interests diverge. This is exemplified by the attack on Mers-el-Kébir. By July 1940, the French Navy was under the control of Vichyist Admiral Darlan (Mathieu Kassovitz). The British had major concerns that the Navy would fall into Axis hands, and De Gaulle found himself between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he did not want the French fighting the French, worried it would result in a civil war. On the other hand, he needed to stay in the good graces of the British government. It was an unwinnable situation for him.
However, de Gaulle persevered, setting up the Free French military unit. We are introduced to General Pierre Koenig (Benoit Magimel), General Leclerc (Niels Schneider), Admiral d’Argenlieu and French Resistance hero Jean Moulin (Felix Kysyl). These supporters disperse across the French colonial empire. The movie introduces these characters in a recognisable way, rather than a confusing hodgepodge of faces.
Intercut with the Free French storyline is the story of resistance fighter Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle. His perspective lets the audience see what was happening in France during the German occupation. Here, there is no real humour or lightheartedness, just a sobering watch.
The film is a quick 158 minutes and culminates in the instrumental Battle of Bir Hakeim in 1942. The cinematography shines during these sequences. Filming what was, in real life, a gore-filled desert hellscape was always going to be a challenge. But Pierre Cottereau masterfully composes the images, whilst Volker Bertelmann’s score refines it.
There are some weak spots. De Gaulle’s family is introduced in a blink-and-you-miss-it scene. This unfortunately means that viewers only get to see the public side of de Gaulle.
Watch De Gaulle: Resistance for what is not only an excellent biopic, but also a very well-written, well-directed film. It will surely win awards at the upcoming season.
De Gaulle: Resistance is in UK cinemas now.
