Interview with François Velle, director of "De Gaulle, l’éclat et le secret"

What inspired this series?

It all happened as if in a movie! I was in Lille finishing another project called Maman a tort when my partner suggested we visit the house where Charles de Gaulle was born. Two days later, a producer phoned me to ask if I wanted to direct a series about the General’s life in the style of The Crown. I still can’t believe it was just a coincidence!

General de Gaulle has been the subject of a major body of literature and film. How did you find a way into his world?

The series is built around a love story between Charles and his wife Yvonne – the third main character is their youngest daughter Anne, who had Down’s syndrome. De Gaulle said that nothing would have been possible without his wife. The plot therefore develops over 30 years, as we wanted to show this powerful yet discreet love that we discovered while comparing anecdotes from their close friends and family. She was an incredibly private woman who never gave interviews; her voice was never even recorded.

Few politicians have had such a spectacular career. What did you choose to highlight?

Charles de Gaulle is a real challenge for screenwriters. His life was not marred by corruption or scandal – he even refused the pensions granted to formers presidents – and spent his life with the same woman. His exemplarity offers very few points of access!

However, he was a visionary who never did exactly what people expected. We wanted to focus on the times he went against public opinion. When everyone thought he would re-establish French Algeria, he instead opted for total decolonization. When everyone assumed he would remain in power for life, he stepped down on his own initiative. De Gaulle is also the soldier who took a plane alone and arrived in London in 1940, declaring that Hitler had lost and that it was time to think about the future. Some events in his life are even too unbelievable for a series! He also used theatrics in the ways in which he governed and relinquished power. Everything was carefully staged!

How did you portray such a physically atypical and recognizable character?

It took four-and-a-half hours in makeup every morning to turn Samuel Labarthe’s hair from white to black, and to make him older or younger, as we did not film in chronological order. Then there was makeup removal and ten hours of filming per day. Our actor pulled off a truly physical feat! Samuel also managed to master De Gaulle’s formal manner of speech, with the salient information spoken at the end of every sentence.

You were able to film at a variety of sites, including a number of exclusive settings. Could you tell us more?

We were allowed access to the outside of the Elysée Palace and the Matignon gardens, but it was the first time a film crew had been allowed at La Boisserie, the De Gaulle family’s former home. It is a wonderful place and emotions were running high. When the employees saw our actor arrive in full makeup, they began to cry. As he sat down in the General’s armchair behind his desk, the whole team realized that this mission was ours: to pass on his message to the next generations in France and abroad through an enjoyable piece of fiction.

What lessons can be taken from the life of the Grand Charles? Is De Gaulle now completely relegated to the past?

Today, as France struggles with contemporary challenges, we can see his social initiatives in a new light. While the term Gaullism is now associated with the right wing, the General oversaw a number of nationalizations while he was president. He worked with communists and had left-wing ministers. He was also fascinated by technology and had a staunchly modern side.

As he wrote in his Memoires, De Gaulle had a certain vision of France and his country always saw him as a guide. He never considered looking to the past, but rather realized that the sun always rises at the end of the night.

Text by: Juliette Démas

Translated from French by: Alexander Uff