French Cinema
The influence of France on the world screen is undeniable. From early inventors and pioneers such as the Lumiere Brothers, George Melies and Alice Guy Blache, the birth of cinema can virtually be traced back to French shores. Cinematic innovators such as Jean Renoir and Michael Carne followed. By the 1960s New Wave directors like Truffaut, Godard and Chabrol had an indelible impact on fledgling American film makers such as Scorsese, Coppola and Bogdanovich who revolutionised the way films were made in the US; studios fell, auteurs ruled. With the advent of television, French film budgets shrank but thanks to government intervention and a good deal of imagination, French cinema is still going strong with contemporary talents like Jean-Jaques Beineix, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Luc Besson and the controversial Gaspar Noe.
At Alice we're very proud of our extensive French collection, covering all genres from French farce to period drama, magical realism to mystery and suspense. Viva la France!
The Night Is Young ( Mauvais Sang ) (1986)
5.7/10
Director: Leos Carax
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Denis Lavant, Michel Piccoli
'Mauvais Sang'. This exhilarating, affecting, romantic film mixes music and visuals to amazing effect and follows the exploits of Alex, a young card-t... Read more
The Odyssey (2016)
6.7/10
Director: Jerome Salle
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Audrey Tautou, Pierre Niney
Summer, 1946. The Cousteau family - Jacques, his wife Simone and their two children Philippe and Jean-Michel - live in their beautiful house by the Me... Read more
The Ordeal ( aka Calvaire ) (2004)
Director: Fabrice Du Welz
Starring: Laurent Lucas, Jackie Berroyer, Philippe Nahon
This demented Belgian slasher thriller starts innocently enough with cabaret singer Marc (Laurent Lucas) having van trouble in the middle of nowhere.... Read more
The Other Son (2012)
7.4/10
Director: Lorraine Levy
Starring: Emmanuelle Devos, Jules Sitruk, Khalifa Natour, Pascal Elbe, Mehdi Dehbi, Areen...
As he is preparing to join the Israeli army for his national service, Joseph (Jules Sitruk) discovers he is not his parents' biological son, and that... Read more
The Pact of Silence (2002)
Director: Graham Guit
Starring: Gerard Depardieu, Elodie Bouchez, Carmen Maura, Isaac Sharry
Aka "Le Pacte Du Silence". Harbouring a secret from his violent past and having found solace in the church, Dr. Joachim Ferrer (Gerard Depardieu), a J... Read more
The Page Turner (2006)
7.1/10
Director: Denis Dercourt
Starring: Pascal Greggory, Julie Richalet, Catherine Frot, Deborah Francois
A decade after her hopes of becoming a concert pianist were dashed, bitter Melanie hatches a plot to get revenge. Using her considerable wits, she fig... Read more
The Passengers of the Night (Les passagers de la nuit) (2022)
7/10
Director: Mikhaël Hers
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Emmanuelle Beart
Left by her husband, Elisabeth finds herself alone, responsible for the day-to-day care of her two children. She picks up a job on a night-time radio... Read more
The Passion of Augustine / The Olive Tree (2015)
Director: Lea Pool, Iciar Bollain
Starring: Javier Gutierrez
Set contains both The Passion of Augustine (2015) and The Olive Tree (2016) Mother Augustine puts all her energy and musical talent into her studen... Read more
The Past (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Berenice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa
Following a four-year separation, Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) returns to Paris from Tehran in order to finalise a divorce from his estranged French wife, Mari... Read more
The Perfume of Yvonne ( aka Yvonne's Perfume ) (1994)
Director: Patrice Leconte
Starring: Hippolyte Girardot, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Sandra Majani
Intriguing and sensuous, this is the tale of one man's haunting romance during the summer of 1958. In a stately resort hotel on picturesque Lake Genev... Read more