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 Story of My Life (2004)
6.8/10
Director: Laurent Tirard
Starring: Edouard Baer, Marie-Josee Croze, Clovis Cornillac, Alice Taglioni, Eric Berger
A thoroughly engaging romantic comedy with successful ghost writer Raphael having a head-on collision with his past as he is assigned the 'autobiograp... Read more
The Story of O (1975)
5.4/10
Director: Just Jaeckin
Starring: Udo Kier, Anthony Steel, Christiane Minazzoli, Corinne Clery
Banned in New Zealand for 25 years! O (Corinne Clery) is taken by her boyfriend Rene (Udo Kier) to a mysterious club where a group of submissive women... Read more
The Story of Richard O (2007)
4.8/10
Director: Damien Odoul
Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Rhizlaine El Cohen, Stephane Terpereau, Alexandra Sollogoub
Driven by lust and determined to explore his erotic obsessions, Richard O. (Mathieu Amalric) wanders the sun-soaked streets of Paris, indulging in eve... Read more
The Sucker (1965)
7.5/10
Director: Gerard Oury
Starring: Andre Bourvil, Louis De Funes
A clever fellow proves himself smarter than the gangsters who would exploit him. The trouble begins in Paris when the vacationing hero accidentally ge... Read more
The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe / The Return of the Tall Blond Man (1972)
Director: Yves Robert
Starring: Pierre Richard, Bernard Blier, Jean Rochefort
The original French comedy and its successful sequel: 'The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe' - Bernard Milan covets Louis Toulouse's job in the secr... Read more
The Thief of Paris (1967)
6.9/10
Director: Louis Malle
Starring: Genevieve Bujold, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Marie Dubois, Francoise Fabian
Set in turn-of-the-century Paris, Georges Randal (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is shocked to learn that the uncle who raised him has not only squandered the yo... Read more
The Things of Life (1969)
7.8/10
Director: Claude Sautet
Starring: Romy Schneider, Michel Piccoli
AKA 'Les Choses de la Vie'. Pierre is involved in a terrible car accident. Fatally injured, he sees his life pass before his eyes. Only now he realize... Read more
The Tiger Brigades (2006)
5.9/10
Director: Jerome Cornuau, Francois Cornuau
Starring: Clovis Cornillac, Diane Kruger, Edouard Baer, Olivier Gourmet, Stefano Accorsi
This film (and the popular television series it sprang from) has earned the nickname 'the French Untouchables' for its gritty story of an elite force... Read more
The Town is Quiet (2000)
7.4/10
Director: Robert Guediguian
Starring: Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gerard Meylan
A.k.a. "La Ville est Tranquille". "The Town is Quiet" exposes a complex mosaic of intersecting characters and subplots reminiscent of the critically a... Read more
The Translators (Les Traducteurs) (2019)
6.5/10
Director: Regis Roinsard
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Olga Kurylenko, Riccardo Scamarcio, Alex Lawther
Nine translators, hired to translate the eagerly awaited final book of a bestselling trilogy, are confined in a luxurious bunker. When the first ten p... Read more