The Place de l’Étoile in Paris, known as Europe’s most notorious roundabout with twelve converging avenues and no traffic lights, was entirely emptied for a single day on August 15, 2023, to film the historical war drama De Gaulle, 모비인사이드 MOBIINSIDE reported. Producer Axel Boukay selected the summer holiday of the Assumption of Mary to shut down the iconic square, racing against a strict timeline ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Here is why that matters for a production of this scale: building a digital set or relocating the sequence elsewhere was simply not an option for the filmmakers. “You cannot show the Place de l’Étoile in Hungary,” Boukay noted, explaining the absolute necessity of securing the authentic Parisian landmark for a pivotal cinematic moment.
Recreating the 1940 Student Protest at the Arc de Triomphe
On that quiet August morning, the cleared asphalt beneath the Arc de Triomphe served as the canvas for a crucial piece of French history. The production recreated the November 11, 1940, student demonstration, marking five months of Nazi occupation. Thousands of young Parisians marched toward the monument in defiance of German bans, staging one of the capital’s earliest public resistance actions. That exact historical date also dictates the rollout in theaters, with the first part of the production launching on November 11.
The physical location demanded intense digital modification to match the archival reality of the Second World War. The modern Arc de Triomphe stood far too pristine compared to its 1940 counterpart. Visual effects studio BUF deployed portable laser scanners to capture the entire square in high definition, later applying layers of grime, soot, and darkened weathering during post-production. The team purposely waited for heavily overcast days to shoot, aligning the lighting with the somber historical mood.
Stripping Modern Paris Down to 1944
Filming locations shifted from the Gare de l’Est at the end of July to the Panthéon on August 1, and onward to the Place Denfert-Rochereau by August 11, before moving into the Marais district in September. At the Panthéon, cameras captured resistance leaflets raining down from the sky against the backdrop of massive stone pillars.
The most intensive transformation took place in southern Paris around the Place Denfert-Rochereau, Port-Royal, and Rue Saint-Jacques. This zone served as the backdrop for the 1944 liberation of Paris. Art departments meticulously dismantled modern street furniture, covered up contemporary street signs, and hauled in period-accurate barricades and vintage trams. “The streets of Paris became the filming location, and the city itself played 1944,” the production team observed.
| Location | Historical Event Recreated | Key Production Adjustments |
|---|---|---|
| Place de l’Étoile (Arc de Triomphe) | 1940 Student Resistance March | Cleared entirely on August 15; digital weathering applied via lidar scans. |
| Place Denfert-Rochereau | 1944 Liberation of Paris | Removal of modern street signs, benches, and installation of barricades. |
| Bry-sur-Marne Studios | 1940s London (Downing Street, Carlton Gardens) | Rebuilt from scratch to bypass high shooting costs in the British capital. |
Constructing Wartime London Outside Paris
Shifting the narrative to wartime London—where Charles de Gaulle commanded the Free French forces, clashed with Winston Churchill, and broadcast radio addresses—presented a steep financial hurdle. “It costs 1 million euros to shoot for a day in London,” Boukay stated, noting that visual effects cleanup for modern structures would have driven expenses even higher. The solution involved importing London to the Île-de-France region.
Between February and March 2024, the Bry-sur-Marne studios on the outskirts of Paris housed replica sets of Carlton Gardens, Winston Churchill’s Downing Street office, and the subterranean war rooms. The art department constructed the BBC building’s entrance by hand, while visual effects filled in the surrounding architecture. A visual effects crew member even flew to London over a weekend to snap reference photos, capturing the distinct, heavy gloom of the British wartime capital.
Other operational hubs stretched across France and North Africa to match the geopolitical spread of the narrative. British army barracks were set up inside a former airship hangar in Écosville, Normandy, while the rivers of Cameroon were simulated in the Oise department north of Paris. Finally, the narrative arc wrapped up in July 2024 with a rooftop terrace scene shot against a bluescreen at Bry-sur-Marne, successfully rounding out a grueling 150-day production cycle.
