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!
And God Created Woman (1956)
6.3/10
Director: Roger Vadim
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Curt Jurgens, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Christian Marquand
Brigitte Bardot's best known film. She plays a man teasing 18-year-old whose lustful encounters with the irresistible opposite sex are enacted out ami... Read more
Beau Travail (1999)
7.4/10
Director: Claire Denis
Starring: Denis Lavant, Michel Subor, Gregoire Colin, Richard Courcet
Inspired by Herman Melville's 'Billy Budd', Claire Denis' film is a stunning combination of literature, music and dance that explores the near-mythica... 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
Diary of a Country Priest (1950)
8/10
Director: Robert Bresson
Starring: Claude Laydu, Antoine Balpetre, Gaston Severin
A priest (Claude Laydu) arrives in the French country village of Ambricourt to attend to his first parish. The apathetic and hostile rural congregatio... Read more
The Dreamlife of Angels (1998)
7.5/10
Director: Erick Zonca
Starring: Elodie Bouchez, Natacha Regnier, Gregoire Colin
This highly praised debut effort from Erick Zonca focuses on the complex relationship between two young women who meet at a clothing factory in Lille,... Read more
A Pornographic Affair (1999)
Director: Frederic Fonteyne
Starring: Nathalie Baye, Sergi Lopez
Aka 'An Affair of Love'. Nathalie Baye is a Parisian woman who takes out a personal and in a magazine and has a steamy encounter with Spanish-born res... Read more
The Crimson Rivers (2000)
6.9/10
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Starring: Nadia Fares, Vincent Cassel, Jean Reno
Stylish and atmospheric murder thriller featuring Jean Reno as a legendary Parisian detective investigating the death of a librarian in a beautiful sm... Read more
Haute Cuisine (2012)
6.4/10
Director: Christian Vincent
Starring: Hippolyte Girardot, Catherine Frot, Jean d'Ormesson
French comedy drama based on the extraordinary true story of President Francois Mitterand's private cook. Hortense Laborie, a renowned chef from the... Read more
Rififi (1955)
8.2/10
Director: Jules Dassin
Starring: Carl Mohner, Magali Noel, Jules Dassin, Jean Servais, Marie Sabouret, Robert Man...
After helming such American noir classics as 'The Naked City' and 'Brute Force', blacklisted director Jules Dassin moved to Paris and embarked on his... Read more
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
8/10
Director: Louis Malle
Starring: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejto, Francine Racette
'Goodbye, Children'. Louis Malle returns to the days of the German occupation during World War II to recount the story of friendship between two schoo... Read more