Festivals - Cannes 2026: The Battle of Gaulle: The Iron Age Divides but Impresses on the Croisette

By Mulder, Cannes, Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 20 may 2026

There was something quite fascinating, almost surreal, about May 20, 2026, on the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. While the Croisette buzzes every year with productions tailored to immediately win over international critics, The Battle of Gaulle: The Iron Age arrived with a far riskier proposition: a massive €74 million French historical diptych dedicated to Charles de Gaulle, directed by Antonin Baudry, a filmmaker already known for Quai d’Orsay and Le Chant du loup. A project that goes against the grain—excessive, political, and romantic—it fully embraces a vision of spectacular popular cinema inspired as much by historical epics as by Hong Kong cinema, which the director openly cites as a reference. Presented Out of Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival ahead of its French release set for June 3, 2026, this first part of the diptych, dedicated to the years 1940–1942, immediately divided, intrigued, and fueled conversations on the Croisette.

On the red carpet in Cannes, the cast’s arrival had a distinctly symbolic quality. Antonin Baudry, Bérénice Vila, British historian Julian T. Jackson, Ardavan Safaee, Simon Abkarian, Niels Schneider, Anamaria Vartolomei, Florian Lesieur, and Mathieu Kassovitz were present to champion this project, which had been anticipated for several years, under the photographers’ flashes and in an atmosphere quite different from the immediate critical triumphs that prestigious productions often seek. What immediately strikes one about The Battle of Gaulle: The Iron Age is Antonin Baudry’s determination to move away from a simple academic biopic to construct a true epic of political and existential warfare. Adapted from Julian T. Jackson’s book De Gaulle: A Certain Idea of France, the film follows Charles de Gaulle’s rise between June 1940 and the early years of the Free French, at a time when the future General refused the armistice and decided, almost alone against all odds, to continue the fight from London.

The official synopsis captures this idea of a lone man trying to convince the world that the Battle of France is neither over nor lost. But beyond this well-known historical framework, Antonin Baudry primarily explores the loneliness of power, French sovereignty, and the refusal to resign oneself to defeat. In the press kit, the director explicitly compares Charles de Gaulle to Don Quixote, a figure he considers tragic, epic, and at times even comical. This approach explains much about the film’s tone, which alternates between scenes of political strategy, moments of intimacy, and spectacular war sequences with an energy rarely seen in a contemporary French production. The parallel with Don Quixote lies at the very heart of the diptych’s structure. The subtitle The Iron Age directly refers to the idea of a corrupt and brutal world in which certain characters nevertheless attempt to preserve a form of chivalric ideal. Antonin Baudry describes the Free French as a modern-day chivalry. This romantic dimension permeates the entire film, particularly in the relationship between Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill, whom the director films almost like an old political couple constantly oscillating between mutual admiration and ideological confrontation. The filmmaker also emphasizes tensions with the United States and how the war profoundly reshaped Western geopolitical power dynamics. It is therefore not merely a historical film, but also a work that constantly seeks to draw connections to contemporary questions regarding sovereignty, international alliances, and the influence of major powers.

The role of Charles de Gaulle was obviously the central challenge of the project, and the choice of Simon Abkarian stands out as one of the film’s boldest gambits. The actor, physically transformed through a daily makeup process lasting nearly 1 hour and 40 minutes—involving prosthetics, shaving his forehead, and altering his gaze—delivers an extremely polished performance here. Simon Abkarian explains that he sought less to imitate than to imagine Charles de Gaulle, drawing on available public images while inventing the man behind the icon. The result is often impressive for its physical and vocal precision, but above all for the way the actor manages to convey the fatigue, loneliness, and sometimes even the doubts of a man who had nevertheless become a national monument. Antonin Baudry also mentions in the production notes his desire to portray a melancholic Charles de Gaulle, at times almost crushed by the historical situation he is facing. Surrounding him is a particularly strong cast. Simon Russell Beale portrays a Winston Churchill who is at once ironic, unpredictable, and deeply human, while Campbell Scott plays a much colder and more calculating Franklin D. Roosevelt. Benoît Magimel brings a commanding presence to General Koenig, Karim Leklou infuses his role as Blazej with a more down-to-earth and almost picaresque energy, while Niels Schneider impresses with his portrayal of General Leclerc, particularly in certain desert scenes shot in Morocco. The film also introduces a fictional character, Livia, played by Anamaria Vartolomei, conceived as a synthesis of several female figures from the Resistance. Her presence allows the narrative to step outside the strictly military and diplomatic framework, reminding us that the war was also being fought in the shadows, through the stories of anonymous individuals.

The production itself matches this ambition. With an announced budget of 74 million euros, La Bataille de Gaulle becomes one of the most expensive French films ever produced. Filming took place in Paris, notably around the Place du Panthéon, the Gare de l’Est, and the Marais, as well as in Normandy and Morocco for the military sequences. Antonin Baudry explains in the press kit that he used real tanks in certain battle scenes before incorporating digital effects designed to amplify the clashes. This desire to blend physical sets, historical reenactment, and digital technology helps give the film a visual scope rarely achieved in recent French historical cinema. The music composed by Volker Bertelmann, who previously won an Oscar for All Quiet on the Western Front, also contributes to this effort to avoid pure classicism. The score plays more on internal tension and dramatic build-up than on the expected patriotic outbursts, which perfectly aligns with the director’s vision. Throughout the film, Antonin Baudry seems more interested in the idea of showing men who are exhausted, cornered, and at times ridiculous in their stubbornness, rather than in crafting a mere cinematic monument.

This approach likely explains why the initial critical reactions at Cannes were so mixed. Some praised the project’s visual power, the scope of the narrative, and Simon Abkarian’s performance, while others criticized the film for its sometimes overwhelming ambition and its highly personal take on history. But perhaps this is precisely what makes The Battle of Gaulle: The Iron Age so unique in today’s landscape: the film rejects lukewarm neutrality and takes a strong, romantic, and almost lyrical stance on a French historical figure who has been portrayed a thousand times over. At a time when many major historical productions seek above all to offend no one, Antonin Baudry chooses here directness, passion, and at times even excess. It remains to be seen how audiences will receive this first part upon its French release on June 3, 2026, ahead of the arrival of the second installment, J’écris ton nom, scheduled for July 3. But one thing already seems certain after this Cannes presentation: whether or not one agrees with his vision, The Battle of Gaulle: The Iron Age is exactly the kind of film that French cinema sometimes sorely lacks today—a gigantic project, imperfect perhaps, but driven by a genuine faith in cinema.

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Synopsis: 
June 1940. France collapses and signs the armistice. Amid the chaos, one man refuses to give in. Alone against all odds, this unknown general flees to London to save what remains of a dream: freedom. Without an army, without support, without hope. But with a wild conviction: France—his France—has not laid down its arms. He makes one final gamble: to convince the world that the Battle of France is neither over nor lost. Reality is stubborn, and proves him wrong. But little by little, resistance fighters in the shadows, rebellious high school students, and determined soldiers rise up around him in England, France, and Africa. Their faith, their audacity, and their thirst for freedom defy a history that seemed, nevertheless, to have been written in advance.

The Battle of Gaulle: The Iron Age 
Directed by Antonin Baudry
Written by Antonin Baudry, Bérénice Vila
Based on De Gaulle, une certaine idée de la France by Julian Jackson
Produced by Axelle Boucaï, Ardavan Safaee, Jérôme Seydoux
Starring  Simon Abkarian, Niels Schneider, Thierry Lhermitte, Karim Leklou
Cinematography : Pierre Cottereau, Giora Bejach
Edited by Katie McQuerrey, Rehman Nizar Ali
Music by Volker Bertelmann
Production companies : Pathé, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, TF1 Films Production, Ness Films, Beside Productions, LDRP, Logical Content Ventures, Belvédère, Aonia Ventures, Ouroboros Entertainment, Stags Participations II
Distributed by Pathé
Release dates : 20 May 2026 (Cannes), June 3, 2026 (France)
Running time : 160 minutes

Photos : @fannyrlphotography