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Antonin Baudry & Simon Abkarian Talk French Box Office Hit ‘De Gaulle’: “The National Icon Did Not Exist In 1940”
Director Antonin Baudry has made *De Gaulle: Resistance and Liberty*, a two-part historical epic about how the little-known general became a leader of the French Resistance after France surrendered to Nazi Germany in 1940. Its success in France and upcoming US premiere bring attention to a period Baudry says has rarely been shown on screen, while the film presents de Gaulle as an isolated and unusual figure rather than the established national icon.
The story runs from 1940 to 1942, following de Gaulle, Winston Churchill and Fernand Bonnier de la Chapelle, without flashbacks. The $84 million Pathé production took more than five years to make and has earned over $50 million in France since its summer release. Both films will screen back-to-back in Los Angeles on 7 November, with the second part making its US premiere, followed by a discussion with Baudry and actor Simon Abkarian.
In short
- A two-part film explores de Gaulle’s rise in 1940.
- The $84 million production has earned over $50 million in France.
- Its second part will have its US premiere in Los Angeles.
Explained simply
In 1940, during the Second World War, Nazi Germany defeated France and occupied much of the country. General Charles de Gaulle fled to Britain, where he urged the French to keep fighting and helped organise resistance to German rule. At the time, he was not yet the widely recognised national figure he later became.
Winston Churchill was Britain’s prime minister and supported de Gaulle’s efforts from London. Fernand Bonnier de la Chapelle was a young French resistance member who also appears in the story. Their roles help show how military leaders, governments and resistance groups shaped France’s response to defeat and occupation.
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