History Film / VaincreOuMourir

''Vaincre ou Mourir'' (a translation would be ''Vanquish or Die'' or ''Defeat or Die'') is a 2023 French historical {{biopic}} film directed by Paul Mignot and Vincent Mottez and written by Mottez. It is produced by the historical {{theme park|s}} Puy du Fou (a first for them) and Creator/StudioCanal, and based off the Puy du Fou show ''Le Dernier Panache''.

* AuthorTract: The Puy du Fou theme park (which produced the film) is all about a certain vision of history that doesn't always match how the field is academically or politically treated in France since it was founded by politician Philippe de Villiers, who has ties to traditionalist Catholics, reactionaries, royalists and the like (and wrote a book about Charette). Long story short, they ''really'' don't like UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution and how it shaped the nation. The film certainly aims at highlighting the ReignOfTerror as a [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized major component of the Revolution]] (and the biggest stain on French republicanism) as a whole and treats its protagonist as a heroic figure fighting for a noble and lost cause till the end.

* {{Determinator}}: After the two truces, Charette doesn't give up no matter how he's increasingly losing men to either battles or [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere desertion]], up to fighting a LastStand with the handful of men that [[UdyingLoyalty remain loyal to him]] in the end.

* LastStand: By the end, Charette has been abandoned by pretty much everyone bar a handful of men, and they're reduced to being preys of a manhunt in a forest.

* WorthyOpponent: Jean-Pierre Travot is the only military commander of the Republic's armies to earn respect from Charette. In turn, Travot acknowledges Charette's bravery upon executing him ("Soldiers, aim at the heart, that's how brave men die").

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere : Following the two truces, Charette's war looks increasingly {{hopeless|War}} and many men simply choose to give up even if that means complying with the Republic's conditions.

* AuthorTract: The Puy du Fou theme park (which produced the film) is all about a certain vision of history that doesn't always match how the field is academically or politically treated in France since it was founded by politician Philippe de Villiers, who has ties to traditionalist Catholics, reactionaries, royalists and the like (and wrote a book about Charette). The film certainly aims at highlighting the ReignOfTerror as a major component of the French Revolution (and the biggest stain on French republicanism) as a whole and treats its protagonist as a heroic figure fighting for a lost cause till the end.

** Jacques-Louis Maupillier didn't die in Charette's LastStand in 1796 as seen in the film. In RealLife, he survived the Wars in Vendée and died at age 79 in 1857. He also gets an AgeLift -- in real life he was born in 1777, which means he couldn't possibly have a son old enough be drafted in 1793. He's played by actor Francis Renaud, who was 54 when the film was shot.

** Jacques-Louis Maupillier didn't die in Charette's LastStand in 1796 as seen in the film. In RealLife, he survived the Wars in Vendée and died at age 79 in 1857. He also gets an AgeLift -- in real life he was born in 1777, which means he couldn't possibly have a son in age to be drafted in 1793. He's played by actor Francis Renaud, who was 54 when the film was shot.

** Jacques-Louis Maupillier didn't die in Charette's LastStand in 1796 as seen in the film. In RealLife, he survived the Wars in Vendée and died at age 79 in 1857.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Charette never received a secret letter announcing the death of Louis XVII.

* HitAndRunTactics: Charette's strategy mainly consists of ambushing the Republic's armies on forest roads and in bocages, since it's where they can be bottlenecked and are the most vulnerable, and he obtains some successes this way due to this HomeFieldAdvantage. In open field battles, it's pretty much always a massacre for the Vendeans.

** TheBigGuy of Charette's inner circle loses his son to an armed response of the Republic to the revolt against conscription early in the film, which motivates him to join the insurgency.

François Athanase Charette de La Contrie (played by Hugo Becker), a French navy commander who's distinguished himself fighting in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution, is asked by said insurgency to lead them against the armies of the Republic, and he takes the mantle, unflinchingly dedicating his life to the royalist cause from that point on. In turn, the Republic responds by sending its "Infernal Columns", committing numerous atrocities on the local populations to crush the insurgency. Charette soon has to use guerilla tactics against them.

''Vaincre ou Mourir'' (a translation would be ''Vanquish or Die'' or ''Defeat or Die'') is a 2023 French historical {{biopic}} film directed by Paul Mignot and Vincent Mottez and written by Mottez. It is produced by the historical {{theme park|s}} Puy du Fou and Creator/StudioCanal, and based off the Puy du Fou show ''Le Dernier Panache''.

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Charette has a dream in which he talks to the son of King UsefulNotes/LouisXVI, Louis XVII, who was imprisoned at the Temple Prison in Paris at the time. The next day, he receives a letter announcing Louis XVII's death, and the insurgency restarts after the fragile peace.

* AuthorTract: The Puy du Fou theme park (which produced the film) is all about a certain vision of history that doesn't always match how the field is academically or politically treated in France since it was founded by politician Philippe de Villiers, who has great sympathy for traditionalist Catholics, reactionaries, royalists and the like (and wrote a book about Charette). The film certainly aims at highlighting the ReignOfTerror as a major component of the French Revolution (and the biggest stain on French republicanism) as a whole and treats its protagonist as a heroic figure fighting for a lost cause till the end.

* BadassBoast: A horse-riding Charette's speech to his army before the first battle.
->''"My friends. We are the last ramparts of a [[UsefulNotes/LetatCestMoi thousand year old royalty]], and against us blows the storm of History. The army facing us is, they say, the best in the world. But these soldiers, WE CAN DEFEAT THEM! BECAUSE OUR CAUSE IS JUST! AND YOUR HEART IS PURE!"''

In the rural area of Vendée, the populations initially welcomed the changes of the Revolution between 1789 and 1792. By 1793 however, the War of the First Coalition and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy have changed everything, with people starting to resist the draft in the Republic's armies to fight "the enemies of Liberty" (the other monarchies attacking France), and a royalist and Catholic insurgency, the "Catholic and Royal Army", is born.

In the rural area of Vendée, the populations initially welcomed the changes of the French Revolution between 1789 and 1792. By 1793 however, the War of the First Coalition and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy have changed everything, with people starting to resist the draft in the Republic's armies to fight "the enemies of Liberty" (the other monarchies attacking France), and a royalist and Catholic insurgency, the "Catholic and Royal Army", is born.

* {{Conscription}}: The trigger of the insurgency happens when people in Vendée refuse to enlist in the Republic's armies to go fighting (and probably dying) against the forces of UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies and UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}}. The conscription is felt as too much for them after the Republic has already reduced the power of the Catholic Church in the country and beheaded their King, UsefulNotes/LouisXVI.

* LaResistance: The insurgency of Vendée (and that of the Chouans up north) resisted the First French Republic's measures against the Catholic Church and resisted the draft initially, which led them to reject the Revolution's society changes and the Republic responded with increasing violence and atrocities. The film clearly doesn't go the GreyAndGrayMorality route regarding the Republic and depicts them as a full on ReignOfTerror and Vendeans as resistants against it.

* WorthyOpponent: Jean-Pierre Travot is the only military commander of the Republic's armies to earn respect from Charette. In turn, Travot acknowledges Charette's bravery upon executing him ("Aim at the heart, that's how brave men die").

* ResignedToTheCall: At the beginning, Charette enjoys life in his castle with his wife and child and doesn't want anything to do with the brewing insurrection. Until the day they invade his castle to seek him out to lead them, being the most experienced officer they can find. He's not reluctant to take command, however, and will dedicate the rest of his life to this cause from that point on.