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!
La Marseillaise (1938)
7.2/10
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Jean Gabin, Erich Von Stroheim
An incredible spectacle that lavishly documents the French Revolution from the summer of 1789 to the final collapse of Louis XVI's monarchy. This vivi... Read more
The Woman Next Door (1981)
7.4/10
Director: Francois Truffaut
Starring: Gerard Depardieu, Fanny Ardant, Henri Garcin
Fanny Ardant and Gerard Depardieu are swept up in a tumultuous affair in Truffaut's penetrating drama about a compulsive love-hate relationship. Truff... Read more
Naughty Girl (1956)
5.9/10
Director: Michel Boisrond
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Jean Bretonniere, Francoise Fabian
Nymphet Brigitte Bardot is cast here as a wide-eyed innocent, who, while her father hides out from the police, is protected by nightclub singer Jean... Read more
Heat Wave (2015)
6.1/10
Director: Raphael Jacoulot
Starring: Karim Leklou, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Carole Franck, Gregory Gadebois
Aka 'Coup de chaud'.Heat kills. Just ask Camuss Meursault. Its not great for crops either. An unseasonable warm spell will set in motion a chain of... Read more
Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)
7.8/10
Director: Jacques Rivette
Starring: Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier
An accomplished dreamlike mood piece with reverberations of 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Orpheus' as two girls change the outcome of a drama played dail... Read more
Coeur Fidele (Blu-ray) (1923)
8.1/10
Director: Jean Epstein
Marie wants to escape from her job and also from her lover, Paul, an unemployed drunk. She dreams of going off with Jean, a dockworker. The two men qu... Read more
Anna (2019)
6.6/10
Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Sasha Luss, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, Helen Mirren
Beneath a woman's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the most feared assassins on the p... Read more
My Days of Glory (2019)
5.6/10
Starring: Vincent Lacoste, Emmanuelle Devos, Christopher Lambert
An actor who enjoyed success in his youth finds his career and life in a downward spiral as he gets older. Read more
Plein Soleil ( Purple Noon ) (Blu-ray) (1960)
7.6/10
Director: Rene Clement
Starring: Alain Delon, Marie Laforet, Maurice Ronet
Based on the critically acclaimed novel 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' by Patricia Highsmith, this is a susenseful edge-of-your-seat thriller! A handsome,... Read more
Brother And Sister (2022)
5.6/10
Director: Arnaud Desplechin
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Melvil Poupaud, Golshifteh Farahani
Alice and Louis are estranged siblings who have been avoiding each other for over twenty years and are forced to reunite after a tragedy. Read more