De Gaulle

It’s May 1940. World War II is intensifying between Germany and its European participants. France is now in the Third Reich’s sight. In cinemas from Thursday 6 May, De Gaulle is the historical French film that depicts the war’s crucial eleventh hour and an eponymous character’s ascent as the leader of the resistance.

The film opens with a sense of alarm as we see Hitler’s forces have zeroed in on France and are marching on Paris. The government, headed by Prime Minister Paul Reynaud, effectively gives up all hope and calls for surrender, in the belief that they can save the French people from the same bloodshed and loss experienced in World War I. Unwilling to accept an armistice, De Gaulle makes a last-ditch plea to the British government – with an abrasive portrayal of Winston Churchill at the helm – to ratify an alliance. Double crossed by the French government, De Gaulle travels back to London to establish a government-in-exile, culminating in his first radio address on the BBC.

Nothing short of a visual masterpiece, director Gabriel Le Bomin goes to great lengths to detail and recreate the sheer terror, anguish and enormity of a fallen country during World War II. Lambert Wilson’s portrayal of De Gaulle is unflinching, and he masterfully moves from the role as devoted husband and father and disgruntled politician to a national hero. Wilson is supported by a fine cast, including Isabelle Carré in the role of his earnest, protective and fearless wife Yvonne, Oliver Gourmet (Reynaud), and Laurent Stocker (Jean Laurent). While Tim Hudson is to be commended for playing the role of Winston Churchill with commitment, it does come across a little jarring in particular scenes.

De Gaulle is a story of ambition and being led by personal conviction. In what would’ve been the most uncertain of times, the film succeeds in portraying a man who said ‘no’ to literally everyone and risked it all. It is in the moments where De Gaulle ‘leaps into the unknown’ when the movie really comes alive.

Interestingly, no film has ever been directly dedicated to De Gaulle, making it the perfect opportunity to go beyond Wikipedia and get to know the guy who refused to wave the white flag, and launched Free France.

 4/5

De Gaulle
In cinemas now
lamama.com.au/whats-on/midsumma-2021/this-genuine-moment