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!
Une Parisienne (1958)
Director: Michel Boisrond
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Charles Boyer, Henri Vidal
Brigitte Bardot is the daughter of the French Premier, and married to Henri Vidal, his chief aide. When Vidal shows signs of infidelity, Bardot fights... Read more
Une Partie de Campagne ( A Day in the Country ) (1936)
7.8/10
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Sylvia Bataille, Georges D'Arnoux
A short and semisweet romantic vignette based on a story by Guy de Maupassant. A group of family members spend a day away from the city in the French... Read more
Up for Love (2016)
6.3/10
Director: Laurent Tirard
Starring: Cedric Kahn, Jean Dujardin, Virginie Efira
A lawyer dating a dashing, wealthy architect four and a half feet tall gets ribbed by her family, employees and jealous ex about his stature. Read more
Va Savoir (2001)
7/10
Director: Jacques Rivette
Starring: Jeanne Balibar, Sergio Castellitto, Marianne Basler
Aka ' Who Knows?'. Jacques Rivette's delightfully bittersweet and highly entertaining comedy follows the romantic escapades of Camille (Jeanne Balibar... Read more
Venus Beauty Institute (1999)
Director: Tonie Marshall
Starring: Nathalie Baye, Samuel Le Bihan, Bulle Ogier, Jacques Bonnaffe, Mathilde Seigner,...
Aka "Venus Beauty". The Venus Beauty Salon is the local beauty shop run by Nadine, a glamorous businesswoman, who in turn, employs three beauticians.... Read more
Venus in Fur (2013)
7.2/10
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric
Welcome to Roman Polanskis hall of mirrors. David Ive's play Venus in Fur is a two-hander, set in a theatre, about a director auditioning an actress... Read more
Viva Maria! (1965)
6.4/10
Director: Louis Malle
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, George Hamilton
Who doesn't want to see Jeanne Moreau and Brigitte Bardot costarring as turn-of-the-century vaudevillians who get mixed up with Mexican revolutionarie... Read more
Waiting For Happiness (2002)
6.8/10
Director: Abderrahmane Sissako
Starring: Khatra Ould Adder Kader, Nana Diakite
Foregoing complex plotting for spell-binding mood and provocative symbolism, this French/Mauritanian drama set in the northern African country traces... Read more
War Witch ( Rebelle ) (2012)
7.1/10
Director: Kim Nguyen
Starring: Rachel Mwanza, Alain Bastien, Serge Kanyinda, Ralph Prosper, Mizinga Mwinga
A.k.a. "Rebelle". Komona (Rachel Mwanza) is only 12 years old when she is kidnapped by rebel soldiers and enslaved to a life of guerrilla warfare in t... Read more
Wasabi (2001)
6.7/10
Director: Gerard Krawczyk
Starring: Jean Reno, Michel Muller, Ryoko Hirosue, Carole Bouquet
Hubert (Jean Reno) is a tough French cop who isn't afraid of letting his fists do the talking... or of letting little things like correct procedure ge... Read more