‘The spirit of resistance’: De Gaulle biopic turns into surprise hit for France’s younger viewers

On 18 June 1940, Charles de Gaulle, then a little-known junior army officer, sat in a BBC studio in London and made his famous rallying call for the French to resist the Nazi occupation and its puppet Vichy government. In the eyes of the British prime minister Winston Churchill, De Gaulle was an arrogant, stubborn, and defiant thorn in their side, but he never stopped believing in France’s greatness and the need for resistance. Now, a new two-part biopic, *La Bataille de Gaulle*, based on a biography by a British author, has become a summer hit in French cinemas, captivating younger audiences with a fresh perspective on De Gaulle’s legacy. Released in June, the film has drawn over 5 million viewers, rivaling Hollywood blockbusters like *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* and *The Odyssey*. The success is partly due to cinemas serving as air-conditioned escapes from France’s heatwaves, but also because younger viewers are discovering parts of De Gaulle’s story they had not known—including his failures, hesitations, and the spirit of resistance he embodied. A historian at the Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Alya Aglan, noted that De Gaulle’s resilience resonates with today’s divided France, particularly ahead of a divisive presidential election. The films, nearly three hours long and costing up to £80 million to produce, are adapted from Julian Jackson’s biography *A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle*. The first installment, *L’Âge de fer*, follows De Gaulle’s journey to London in June 1940 and the founding of the Free French forces, highlighting the Battle of Bir Hakeim, where 3,700 Free French soldiers held out against 37,000 Nazi troops for 16 days. The second, *J’écris ton nom*, covers De Gaulle’s later years up to France’s liberation in 1944. Directed by Antonin Baudry, the cast includes Simon Abkarian as De Gaulle and Simon Russell Beale as Winston Churchill. To attract younger audiences, the film company Pathé organized watch parties with influencers and offered free tickets for students. Business student Alex and friends enjoyed the film, noting they learned new details about De Gaulle’s resistance efforts. Critics like historian Arnaud Teyssier dismissed the biopic as a "comic strip" that did not fully capture De Gaulle’s complexity, while others praised its historical epic quality. The film’s popularity among young viewers stems from its themes of resistance, engagement, and the idea of a providential figure offering hope in times of division. As France faces a potential far-right vs. far-left election, De Gaulle’s story offers a modern narrative of defiance and unity.