De Gaulle: Resistance Review
The great titan of WWII France gets a biopic - or at least part of one.
De Gaulle: Resistance chronicles the life of Charles De Gaulle (Simon Abkarian), from his rise as a military to his emergence in French politics between 1940-1945. His stint in London, relationship with Winston Churchill (Simon Russell Beale), and experiences in Africa, are all laid out in a film that cuts off when her returns from Africa.
De Gaulle: Resistance feels like a movie of another time almost. There’s a certain level of frivolity and fun with it, right from the off - in a rapid shootout with a Nazi tank that De Gaulle approaches with unfazed calculation. It sets the mood from the off, because throughout the entire film we see a clear balance between the absurdity of the situation and the man, and the charisma, bravery, and unwavering love of country he also portrays.
And that energy and good humoured, rollicking love of a good tale, flies throughout the entirety of this film.
For fans of period war dramas, be warned - this plays more like Their Finest than Dunkirk. But that’s not to say that the action doesn’t turn up in this one.
There’s also plenty of great, meaty morality on display that needs to be weighed up, and the parallels and differences between De Gaulle and Churchill are particularly interesting perspectives to take; two now iconic names, both seemingly supporting one another’s rise to power.
Visually, this is a sumptuous movie. It is beautifully rendered, gorgeous cinematography mixing with some fantastic location work. From London to France to Africa, the film really immerses you in the scenery, but gives space for the quieter, more intimate moments as well. There’s nothing skimped on here either; it’s clear that this has the money behind it to make it feel real, and epic.
At the end of the day, De Gaulle: Resistance suffers greatest from the two dots in the middle of its title. The film tells us half of the story, and despite its best efforts, that does make it a somewhat unsatisfying watch. Fingers crossed the second half hits our screens soon, so that we can truly take the measure of the man.
