Goldwyn Bets on French WW2 Epic ‘De Gaulle’ Crossing Over to U.S. Audiences: ‘It’s the Story of an Ally’

Samuel Goldwyn Films is bringing Antonin Baudry’s two-part epic about Charles de Gaulle to US cinemas and transactional video-on-demand, betting that its World War II story can reach audiences unfamiliar with the French leader. The US premiere drew a seven-minute standing ovation, and distributor Peter Goldwyn says the films’ scale and character focus could appeal beyond arthouse viewers.

The €74 million production stars Simon Abkarian as de Gaulle and Simon Russell Beale as Winston Churchill. After a slow start, the films sold more than six million tickets in France; the first part, “De Gaulle: Resistance”, is the UK’s highest-grossing French-language film of the year and has been acquired for release in China. Goldwyn is showing the first film in major US markets, with the second, “De Gaulle: Liberty”, due in early December.