Movie Review: Vaincre ou Mourir

François Athanase Charette de La Contrie

"In my family, we have paid the blood tax for centuries. It is a duty and an honor. We must fulfill it with panache. I want to be that man. I want to be the man of panache." ~ Charette, Vaincre ou Mourir

Thanks to Michael Matt and Remnant TV I finally got to watch Vaincre ou Mourir (Vanquish or Die, 2023), a must-see for anyone interested in the true story of the counter-revolutionary uprising in the Vendée from 1793 to 1796. As far as I’m aware, this is the only platform up to now that has made the “controversial” film available to an American audience.

A breath of fresh air, directors Paul Mignot and Vincent Mottez’s film is a graphic depiction of the violent and corrupt excesses of the French Revolution and a sympathetic portrayal of the people who resisted the illegitimate and murderous regime. This is what I wanted the disappointing Netflix miniseries Briganti to be like.

Accused of promoting “far-right” views, most criticisms aimed at the movie are clearly politically motivated, and rightfully so. Seeing as the origins of left and right wings first appeared during the French Revolution, anyone supporting the Ancien Régime over the Republican Revolutionaries is in fact right wing. Therefore, it should come as no surprise, that today’s intolerant heirs of the Reign of Terror gnash their teeth and howl with vitriol whenever a scathing light is shined on the bloodthirsty and genocidal crimes of their leftist political forebears.

Notoriously critical, the one legitimate complaint about the film, if I’m being honest, is that it is too dark. The beautifully rich colors of the picturesque French countryside and traditional folk costumes and uniforms are unnecessarily muted. In this case, the grim storyline was not enhanced by the modern cinematographic trend for darker imagery.

Otherwise, I enjoyed this movie a lot. Replete with great dialogue, the performances were excellent, especially Hugo Becker as the heroic leader of the Vendéean revolt, François Athanase Charette de La Contrie (1763-1796). I liked the costumes and sets and thought the pacing was good. Far from the “Monarchist propaganda” flic it was accused of being, I was still all fired up after watching it (we are so starved for objective films these days) and wanted to rush outside and fan the flames of Bourbon Restoration myself. Watch this film. Vive le Roi!