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!
Christine (1958)
6.5/10
Director: Pierre Gaspard-Huit
Starring: Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Jean-Claude Brialy
Based on the novel by Arthur Schnitzler and featuring Romy Schneider as Christine and newcomer Alain Delon in his first lead role. The setting is 19th... Read more
Une Parisienne (1958)
Director: Michel Boisrond
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Charles Boyer, Henri Vidal
Brigitte Bardot is the daughter of the French Premier, and married to Henri Vidal, his chief aide. When Vidal shows signs of infidelity, Bardot fights... Read more
Mon Oncle (1958)
7.9/10
Director: Jacques Tati
Starring: Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie
A masterpiece by the great French comic Jacques Tati which concentrates on young Gerard Arpel and his Uncle Hulot (Jacques Tati) in a house where gadg... Read more
Les Amants ( aka The Lovers ) (1958)
Director: Louis Malle
Starring: Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Marc Bory, Alain Cuny
'The Lovers'. A bored wife (Jeanne Moreau) meets one of her house guests (Jean-Marc Bory) in a moonlit garden and decides to make love with him then a... Read more
Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud ( Lift to the Scaffold ) (1957)
Director: Louis Malle
Starring: Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Amedee , Lino Ventura
Celebrated director Louis Malle's debut film was a post-modern film noir, starring Jeanne Moreau as a woman who plots with her young lover (Maurice Ro... Read more
Elena and Her Men (1956)
6.4/10
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Jean Marais, Mel Ferrer
A lively Technicolor romantic comedy from Jean Renoir starring Ingrid Bergman as a beautiful but impoverished Polish princess in turn-of-the-century P... Read more
A Man Escaped (1956)
8.2/10
Director: Robert Bresson
Starring: Francois Letterier, Charles Le Clainche
Director Robert Bresson totally involves the viewer in the gripping and uplifting true story of the escape of a second World War resistance fighter wh... Read more
Albert Lamorisse's Classic Shorts: The Red Balloon / White Mane (1956)
Director: Albert Lamorisse
Starring: Georges Sellier, Pascal Lamorisse, Laurent Roche, Alain Emery
Two acclaimed, classic shorts by Albert Lamorisse. 'The Red Balloon' (1956) - This exquisite short remains one of the most beloved children's films of... 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
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