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!
Paris, 13th District (2021)
7/10
Director: Jacques Audiard
Émilie meets Camille who is attracted to Nora, who crosses paths with Amber. Three girls and a boy - they're friends, sometimes lovers and often both. Read more
Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky (2009)
Director: Jan Kounen
Starring: Anna Mouglalis, Mads Mikkelsen, Elena Morozova, Grigori Manoukov, Natacha Lindin...
Aka "Coco & Igor". Paris 1913. At the Theatre Des Champs-Elysees, Igor Stravinsky premieres "The Rite of Spring." Coco Chanel is mesmerized... But the... Read more
JCVD (Blu-ray) (2008)
7.1/10
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Francois Damiens, Zinedine Soualem
Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this unique, existential heist thriller with a dark comic streak. Down and out, with only straight-to-DVD title... Read more
A Prophet (Blu ray) (2009)
7.8/10
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Niels Arestrup, Tahar Rahim
Acclaimed as one of the best films of 2009, 'A Prophet' ('Un prophete') details the gritty prison career of nineteen-year-old French-Arab Malik (Tahar... Read more
Beginning (2020)
6.6/10
Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
In a sleepy provincial town, a Jehovah's Witness community is attacked by an extremist group. In the midst of this conflict, the familiar world of Yan... Read more
The Man In The Basement (2021)
5.6/10
Director: Philippe Le Guay
Starring: Francois Cluzet, Jeremie Renier, Berenice Bejo, Jonathan Zaccai, Patrick Descamp...
Simon and Helen live in Paris together, they decide to sell a basement in their building. The man who buys it has a troubled past and the couple's lif... Read more
Betty Blue (Blu-ray) (1986)
7.4/10
Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
Starring: Beatrice Dalle, Gerard Darmon, Jean-Hugues Anglade
Jean-Jacques Beineix has restored 62 minutes to his romantic masterpiece ('Version Integrale') expanding the adventures of Betty and Zorg. There are s... Read more
Locked-in Syndrome (1997)
8/10
Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
A 1995 stroke left French writer/magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby unable to move any part of his body except one eyelid. Despite his condition, he... Read more
Les hommes de l'ombre: Season 1 ( aka The Shadow Men, aka Spin ) (2012)
Starring: Nathalie Baye, Gregory Fitoussi, Bruno Wolkowitch
The French President is assassinated in an explosion that appears to be a terrorist attack.Simon Kapita, the president's spin doctor and best friend s... Read more
That Obscure Object of Desire (Blu-ray) (1977)
7.9/10
Director: Luis Bunuel
Starring: Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Angela Molina
Luis Bunuel's final film explodes with eroticism, bringing full circle the director's lifelong preoccupation with the darker side of desire. Bunuel re... Read more