Login

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!

The Ring Finger ( L'annulaire ) (2005)

6.2/10
Director: Diane Bertrand
Starring: Olga Kurylenko, Stipe Erceg, Marc Barbe, Edith Scob

Yoko Ogawa's cult novel serves as the inspiration for director Diane Bertrand's haunting erotic drama starring Olga Kurylenko ('Quantum of Solace'). A... Read more

The Romance of Astrea and Celadon (2007)

6.4/10
Director: Eric Rohmer
Starring: Cecile Cassel, Andy Gillet, Veronique Reymond, Stephanie Crayencour

Veteran auteur Eric Rohmer's magical and extraordinary final film is a pastoral fantasy set in 5th century Gaul, based on a 17th century novel by Hono... Read more

The Rose Maker (2020)

6.2/10
Director: Pierre Pinaud
Starring: Catherine Frot

Eve Vernet was the largest rose grower. It is now on the verge of bankruptcy, on the verge of being bought out by a powerful competitor. In addition,... Read more

The Round Up (2011)

Director: Rose Bosch
Starring: Jean Reno, Melanie Laurent, Gad Elmaleh

Throws a powerful light on one of the most disturbing episodes in recent French history - the few weeks in July 1942 when the French police, at the di... Read more

The Rules of the Game (La Regle du Jeu) (1939)

8.1/10
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Jean Renoir, Mila Parely

AKA 'La Regle du Jeu'. One of the greatest films of all time, a satirical anatomy of polite bourgeois society, with a mixture of farce and black comed... Read more

The Secret of the Grain (2007)

7.4/10
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Starring: Alice Houri, Hafsia Herzi, Abdelhamid Aktouche, Habib Boufares, Faridah Benkheta...

Aka 'Couscous'. The winner of four Cesar awards, including Best Picture and Director, Abdellatif Kechiche's 'The Secret of the Grain' is a stirring dr... Read more

The Separation (1994)

7.5/10
Director: Christian Vincent
Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Isabelle Huppert, Jerome Deschamps

Isabelle Huppert and Daniel Auteuil are spellbinding in their roles as lovers who endure the darkest hours of a relationship-the separation. Internati... Read more

The Singer (2006)

6.5/10
Director: Xavier Giannoli
Starring: Gerard Depardieu, Cecile De France, Mathieu Amalric, Christine Citti, Patrick Pi...

Gereard Depardieu stars as a fading singing star whose libido is reignited by a young woman who moves to town. Marian (Cecile de France) is an outwar... Read more

The Soft Skin (1964)

7.6/10
Director: Francois Truffaut
Starring: Jean Desailly, Francoise Dorleac

A.k.a. 'Silken Skin', 'La Peau Douce'. This carefully balanced mixture of comedy and melodrama has a middle-aged married man leaving his wife for an a... Read more

The Spanish Apartment ( L'Auberge Espagnole ) (2002)

7.3/10
Director: Cedric Klapisch
Starring: Romain Duris, Cecile De France, Judith Godreche, Audrey Tautou

Aka "Pot Luck". From the director of "When the Cat's Away" comes this frothy romantic comedy in which Xavier, a French college senior, signs up for a... Read more