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!
L'Atalante (1934)
7.9/10
Director: Jean Vigo
Starring: Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Daste
Naturalism and surrealist fantasy blend beautifully in this restored all-time masterpiece about a young couple who begin their life together sailing d... Read more
Boudu Saved from Drowning (1931)
7.5/10
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Michel Simon, Charles Granval, Marcelle Hainia
A light comedy as well as a satire on bourgeois lifestyle in France. Michel Simon is Boudu, a scruffy tramp who is saved from his suicide attempt by a... Read more
Le Million (1931)
7.6/10
Director: Rene Clair
Starring: Annabella , Rene Lefevre
A totally charming musical comedy about two penniless artists who win the lottery and become millionaires. But the lottery tickets are in a coat that... Read more
L'Age d'Or (1930)
7.3/10
Director: Luis Bunuel
A surrealist tale of a man and a woman who are passionately in love with each other, but their attempts to consummate that passion are constantly thwa... Read more
Un Chien Andalou / Land Without Bread ( Las Hurdes ) (1929)
Director: Luis Bunuel
Luis Bunuel's first film, the surrealistic masterpiece "Un Chien Andalou" ("An Andalusian Dog"), was based after an exchange of dreams with co-writer... Read more
Coeur Fidele (Blu-ray) (1923)
8.1/10
Director: Jean Epstein
Marie wants to escape from her job and also from her lover, Paul, an unemployed drunk. She dreams of going off with Jean, a dockworker. The two men qu... Read more
Les Vampires (1915)
6.9/10
Director: Louis Feuillade
Starring: Musidora , Edouard Mathe
Ten-part silent serial from French pioneer Louis Feuillade. Made at a time when France was in the grip of fear and suspicion due to WWI, this hugely p... Read more