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!
In his last film, legendary writer/artist/filmmaker Jean Cocteau portrays an 18th-century poet who travels through time on a quest for divine wisdom.... Read more
An intense study of the clash between medical ideals and methods in postwar psychiatric care. A young man is committed to a psychiatric ward and must... Read more
Charles (Gerard Blain) is a naive provincial with bourgeois aspirations. He moves to Paris and stays with his urbane and decadent cousin (Jean-Claude... Read more
This comedy-mystery was another vehicle for Brigitte Bardot who repeats her sex-kitten persona with ease. Temporarily separated from his new, delecta... Read more
Robert Bresson's incomparable tale of crime and redemption follows Michel (Martin LaSalle), a young pickpocket who spends his days working the streets... Read more
Alain Resnais has created a magnificent mood piece in his telling of the unique love story of a French cinema actress and a Japanese architect who mee... Read more
Aka 'Les quatre cents coups'. Francois Truffaut's first feature is also his most personal. Told through the eyes of Truffaut's cinematic counterpart,... Read more
Slapstick prevails again when Jacques Tatis eccentric, old- fashioned hero, Monsieur Hulot, is set loose in Villa Arpel, the geometric, oppressively... Read more
The first film from French critic-turned-director Claude Chabrol sees ailing city-dweller Francois (Jean-Claude Brialy) make a therapeutic trip back t... Read more
The first film from French critic-turned-director Claude Chabrol sees ailing city-dweller Francois (Jean-Claude Brialy) make a therapeutic trip back t... Read more