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!
Golden Marie ( Casque d'or ) (1952)
7.8/10
Director: Jacques Becker
Starring: Serge Reggiani, Simone Signoret, Claude Dauphin
Jacques Becker lovingly evokes the belle epoque Parisian demimonde in this classic tale of doomed romance. When gangster's moll Marie (Simone Signoret... Read more
Love (Blu-ray) (2015)
6.1/10
Director: Gaspar Noe
Starring: Karl Glusman, Aomi Muyock, Klara Kristin
Murphy is an American living in Paris who enters a highly sexually and emotionally charged relationship with the unstable Electra. Unaware of the effe... Read more
Mouchette (Blu-ray) (1967)
7.9/10
Director: Robert Bresson
Starring: Nadine Nortier, Jean-Claude Guilbert
Adapted from the novel by George Barnanos, Mouchette tells the story of the alienated teenage girl of the title. Neglected by her terminally ill mothe... Read more
Couscous (2009)
8.3/10
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Starring: Habib Boufares, Hafsia Herzi, Alice Houri, Bruno Lochet
In southern France, a Franco-Arabic shipyard worker along with his partner's daughter pursues his dream of opening a restaurant. 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
Notre-Dame On Fire (2022)
6.5/10
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
A film relating from the inside the Notre-Dame de Paris fire of April 2019. Read more
Skies Of Lebanon (2020)
6.7/10
Starring: Alba Rohrwacher
In the 1950s, Alice leaves her Swiss homeland for Lebanon, a sunny and exuberant country where she enjoys the best years of her life. In the 1970s, ci... Read more
They Came Back ( aka Les Revenants ) (2004)
5.9/10
Director: Robin Campillo
Starring: Geraldine Pailhas, Jonathan Zaccai, Frederic Pierrot, Catherine Samie, Victor Ga...
One morning, a small French city wakes up to discover thousands of recently dead people walking into town. The reason why is a mystery and there is no... Read more
Belle et Sebastien: Series 1 ( Belle and Sebastian ) (1967)
7.6/10
Director: Jean Guillaume
Starring: Edmond Beauchamp, Jean-Michel Audin, Medhi , Dominique Blondeau
The French Alps provides the setting for this enduring and beloved thirteen part serial in which the friendship between Sebastien, an eight year old b... Read more
The Big Blue: Extended Version (1988)
6.8/10
Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Rosanna Arquette, Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno
Luc Besson ('Nikita', 'Subway') delves into the watery mysteries of the deep in this salute to the legendary free diver Jacques Mayol who has plunged... Read more