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Film choice: De Gaulle, big-budget biopic of the Free French leader
Review of the two-part French film about Charles de Gaulle’s exile and resistance during the Nazi occupation of France in World War Two
De Gaulle (2026)
Dir: Antonin Baudry
Simon Abkarian; 158/159 mins
De Gaulle, the biggest French cinema release of the summer, is a two-part biopic about Charles de Gaulle’s role as an exiled general during the Nazi occupation of France in World War Two. It was adapted from an acclaimed biography by a British author.
Historian Julian Jackson’s 900-page book, published in 2018, De Gaulle: a Certain Idea of France, was hailed as the finest English-language biography of the leader of the Free French ever written.
Director Antonin Baudry had a €75 million budget, making it one of the 10 most expensive French films ever.
Both parts – called Résistance and Liberté – are 160 minutes and feature epic battle sequences, while the story shifts from France to the UK, the US, Libya and several countries in West Africa. The cast is strong, with French-Armenian actor Simon Abkarian in the lead role and Simon Russell Beale as Churchill.
Despite a slow start at the French box office, the first film gathered momentum through word of mouth, with younger filmgoers especially attracted to its message of patriotism. However, some cynical commentators said that many people went to see the film simply to cool off during the June heatwave.
Interestingly, there has been a noticeable surge in visitors to Le Musée de la Libération de Paris as people seek to gain a better understanding of this period of French history.
Streaming platform yet to be confirmed.
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The long-awaited film of the hit comedy series is now streaming on Netflix.
