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 | Cinema of France
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![play-within-the-movie scene from Marcel Carné's "Les Enfants du Paradis" [1945]](images/ChildrenofParadise-stageplay.jpg "play-within-the-movie scene from Marcel Carné's \"Les Enfants du Paradis\" [1945]")
"The history of French cinema is the history of cinema."
— cinematographer Nestor Almendros
This page covers two kinds of movies relating to France: the first type is cinema created in France by French artists; the second type are the many
movies made in Hollywood & Europe about French subject matter, such as "Gigi", "Dangerous Liaisons", and Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris".
Selected French Films
{ in chronological order }
jump to NEW movies, coming soon
France's films have received 3 early Honorary Oscar Awards and 9 Best Foreign Language Oscar® wins,
among 34 Best Foreign Film nominations.
list of France's submissions for Oscar consideration
Selected films of: Asia
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Canada
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China
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Germany
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India
Italy
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Japan
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Mexico
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Russia
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Spain
 | "Chacun Son Cinéma (To Each His Own Cinema)" [France May 2007] Subtitle: ".. ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'eteint et que le film commence" {.. or That Small Skip of The Heart When The Lights Go Out and The Film Begins} Produced by & for the Cannes Film Festival; 117-minute collection of short films by 36 directors from 25 countries; French-language (DVDs have English and Chinese subtitles) Deltamac Limited Edition all-region widescreen color DVD [2/2008] out of prodn/used Universal/Studio Canal Region 2 color DVD [5/2007] for €9,99 from Amazon France Universal/Studio Canal Region 2 color DVD [5/2008] 2 disks for €24,99 from Amazon France full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia France |
"Fantômas" silent movie series [Gaumont 1913-14]
Adapted & directed by Louis Feuillade [1873-1925]; starring René Navarre {as Fantômas}, Bréon {as Juve),
Georges Melchior {as Fandor} & Renée Carl {as Lady Beltham} •
Fantômas entry at Wikipedia
 | "Fantômas: The Complete Saga - Five Film Collection" DVD Box Set [2010]
Kino Intl. b&w DVD set [9/2010] 3 disks for $23.93 contains 5 silent feature films, restored in 1998 by Gaumont: "In The Shadow of The Guillotine (Fantômas: À l'Ombre de la Guillotine)" (May 1913) {IMDb}; "Juve Against Fantomas (Juve contre Fantômas)" [Sept 1913] {IMDb}; "The Dead Man Who Killed (Le Mort Qui Tue)" [Nov 1913) {IMDb}; "Fantomas Against Fantomas (Fantômas contre Fantômas)" [March 1914] {IMDb}; "The False Magistrate (Le Faux Magistrat)" [May 1914] {IMDb}; extras include commentary, image gallery, and 3 bonus films, including Louis Feuillade bio short |
"Les Vampires" silent serial [Gaumont Nov 1915]
 | A vast gang of crooks who call themselves 'The Vampires' is undone by an intrepid reporter and a reformed member of the gang.Written & directed by Louis Feuillade; starring Musidora {as Irma Vep}, Édouard Mathé, Marcel Lévesque, Jean Aymé, Fernand Herrmann & Stacia Napierkowska
Image Ent. subtitled silent b&w DVD [4/2005] 2 disks for $34.99 full credits from IMDb • serial entry at Wikipedia |
"Judex" 12-chapter silent serial [Gaumont Dec 1916]
 | Following French movie pioneer Louis Feuillade's classic "Les Vampires" [1915], he made another great early serial, 12 chapters about a 'caped crusader' avenging wrongs, a precursor to Batman and The Shadow. Co-written & directed by Louis Feuillade; starring René Cresté {as Judex}, Musidora, René Poyen, Édouard Mathé, Gaston Michel & Yvonne Dario
Flicker Alley subtitled silent b&w DVD [6/2004] 2 disks for $39.95 full credits from IMDb • serial entry at Wikipedia |
"Kiki" silent feature [1926] /tt0017029/
starring Norma Talmadge & Ronald Colman
Abel Gance's "Napoléon"
[France April 1927 silent; M.G.M. USA release Feb 1929]
  | This six-hour masterpiece was Part 1 of Gance's planned six-film life work about Napoleon, but Gance could never get funding for the rest. The film covers Napoleon Bonapart's early years up thru the French Army's triumphant invasion of Italy in 1797, and the final twenty-minute triptych sequence (on three screens) alternates widescreen panoramas of war with complex multiple-image montages projected simultaneously, ending in blue-white-red tinting symbolizing the tricolor flag of France • There was a stereo sound reissue in 1934; the Brownlow-Coppola 235-minute version was exhibited with live orchestras in 1981; the 5-hour re-restoration was completed in 2000. • Written, directed & edited by Abel Gance [1889-1981]; starring Albert Dieudonné & Gina Manès
Region 1 DVD not available in USA (2019) Universal 1981 release b&w/color VHS [3/92] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia color Coppola 1981 re-release 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 "Napoleon" script? [1990] by Abel Gance
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 | "Napoleon: Abel Gance's Classic Film" [1983] by Kevin Brownlow Abel Gance's masterpeice would have been lost had then-teenager Brownlow not discovered 9.5mm snippets in a London shop; the book is a record of the 30-plus years of extraordinary work that resulted in the 4-hour 1981 version and the over-five-hour restoration of 2000. British Film Institute 9x6 pb [1/2008] out of print/used Knopf 9x6 pb [10/83] out of print/many used Jonathan Cape 9x6¼ hardcover [5/83] out of prodn/used |
"À Nous la Liberté" [France Dec 1931]
 | A famous left-wing satirical comedy, considered the inspiration for Chaplin's 'Modern Times'; a tale of two loveable convict pals after release from prison; one works his way up to factory owner, but is blackmailed over his past, so the two reunite and take to the road as tramps • Directed by René Clair; starring Raymond Cordy & Henri Marchand
Home Vision subtitled b&w DVD [8/2002] for $26.99 Timeless Multimedia subtitled b&w VHS [12/94] for $12.99 full credits from IMDb |
"The Grand Illusion"
[France June 1937; USA Sept 1938]
 | Complex, profound and heartbreakingly human look at the illusions inherent in war & heroism, social class & individual character, romantic love, religion – all are trapped in illusion • Co-written & directed by Jean Renoir; starring Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim & Marcel Dalio; Oscar nominated for Best Picture
Criterion b&w DVD w/English subtitles [11/99] for $34.76 TimelessVideo b&w VHS w/English subtitles [8/97] for $14.99 Criterion b&w VHS w/English subtitles [11/99] for $29.95 full credits from IMDb |
"Hotel du Nord" [1938]
Directed by Marcel Carné; starring Arletty
"Rules of The Game"
aka "La Règle du Jeu" [France 1939]
 | Banned in France until 1956, Renoir's second masterpiece views life as both a comedy and a tragedy, showing a frenzied hunting weekend in the country against a background of Europe's pending devastation during World War II. Indescribable: What you are left with is the sense that Life makes no sense whatsoever, which conclusion makes perfect sense • Co-written & directed by & co-starring Jean Renoir; also starring Marcel Dalio, Roland Toutain & Nora Gregor
Criterion b&w DVD w/subtitles [1/2004] 2 disks for $29.96 Home Vision b&w VHS w/English subtitles [7/93] for $29.95 full credits from IMDb |
"All This, and Heaven Too" [July 1940] /tt0032194/
Set in 1840s France; a governess hired by a duke incurs the wrath of his estranged & jealous wife; directed by Anatole Litvak; based on
the novel by Rachel Fields; original music by Max Steiner; starring Bette Davis, Charles Boyer, Barbara O'Neil
"Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du Paradis)" [1945] /tt0037674/
listed on TIME Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (5/2005); directed by Marcel Carné; written by Jacques Prévert;
starring Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur, María Casares, Louis Salou, Marcel Herrand
 | "Monsieur Vincent" [France 1948] Directed by Maurice Cloche |
"An American In Paris" [M.G.M. 1951] /tt0043278/
Directed by Vincente Minnelli; written by Alan Jay Lerner; starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043278/locations
http://www.amazon.com/American-Paris-Blu-ray-Gene-Kelly/dp/B0018KGVA4/
| | "Forbidden Games (Jeux Interdits)" [France 1952] Directed by René Clément |
"Les Diaboliques" [France Jan 1955; USA Nov 1955]
 | Two schoolteachers, the wife & mistress of a sadistic boarding school headmaster, plot to kill him. But after they drown him and dump the body in a swimming pool, the corpse goes missing . . . • Produced, co-written & directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot; based on a novel by Boileau-Narcejac; starring Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel & Michel Serrault
Criterion subtitled b&w DVD [1/99] for $18.97 Homevision subtitled restored b&w VHS [9/2001] for $28.45 Madacy b&w VHS [9/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"The Red Balloon (Le Ballon Rouge)" [France 1956]
  | Written & directed by Albert Lamorisse; starring Pascal Lamorisse; won the Oscar for Best Screenplay even though there is not one word of dialogue in the film; won BAFTA Special Award
Janus Films & Criterion color DVD [4/2008] for $12.49 Home Vision color VHS [3/96] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb children's book by Albert Lamorisse Doubleday YA 12x8¼ pb [8/78] for $9.71 Doubleday YA 12x8¾ hardcover [8/67] for $11.53 1989 stage musical: book & lyrics by Anthony Clark (music by Mark Vibrans) TCG/Oberon 8¼x5 pb [4/2000] for $16.95 Nick Hern Books hardcover [5/97] out of print/used |
"Gigi" [M.G.M. 1958] /tt0051658/
Directed by Vincente Minnelli; written by Alan Jay Lerner, based on the novel by Colette; starring Leslie Caron,
Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold, Eva Gabor, Jacques Bergerac
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"Black Orpheus" aka 'Orfeu Negro' [France 1959]
Directed by Marcel Camus; won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film |
"Hiroshima Mon Amour"
[Pathé France June 1959; U.S.A. May 1960]
Directed by Alain Resnais; written by Marguerite Duras; starring Emmanuelle Riva, Eiji Okada
& Bernard Fresson; Oscar nomination for Best Original Script;
full credits from IMDb
"Breathless (Á Bout de Souffle)"
[France March 1960; US release Feb 1961]
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One of the films that began the French 'Nouvelle Vague' [New Wave] movement, the story of a small-time crook who finds love (maybe) when his life is at its most dangerous point. This triumph of cinema noir reveals the truth behind our truths, thru the lives in the movie that are contaminated by American movies and avant garde posing. The viewer is left uncertain where truth may indeed exist.
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, written by Jean-Luc Godard & François Truffaut; starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg & Jean-Pierre Melville
Timeless Video b&w VHS w/Engl. subtitles [7/94] for $14.99 Fox/Lorber b&w DVD w/Engl. subtitles [11/2001] for $21.49 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Shoot The Piano Player"
aka "Tirez sur Le Pianiste" [France Nov 1960, USA July 1962]
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After his wife's suicide, a virtuoso pianist gives up on life and takes a job playing piano in a bar. When his criminal brother takes refuge in the bar, chased by two gangsters, the piano player and the waitress who loves him are also placed in jeopardy • Co-written & directed by François Truffaut [1932-84]; adapted from a novel by David Goodis; starring Charles Aznavour, Marie Dubois, Richard Kanayan, Claude Mansard, Daniel Boulanger, Nicole Berger, Michèle Mercier & Serge Davri
Fox/Lorber b&w DVD [5/99] out of prodn/used Home Vision widescreen b&w VHS [4/98] out of prodn/used Fox/Lorber widescreen b&w VHS [4/99] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
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"Down There" {aka "Shoot The Piano Player"} [1936] by David Goodis Vintage 8x5¼ pb [10/90] for $9.80 script, with critical text by Peter Brunette [1993] Rutgers Univ Press 9x6 pb [6/93] for $17.00 |
"Le Joli Mai (The Lovely Month of May)" documentary
[France May 1963, Pathé USA June 1966, re-release 2013]
 | After the ceasefire of March 1962 in the French-Algerian War, filmmaker Chris Marker took advantage of the new lightweight, sync-sound movie cameras and shot 55 hours of film asking questions of random people encountered on the streets of Paris (aided by co-director and cameraman Pierre Lhomme). Marker edited the footage down to 165 minutes, and asked two friends to narrate: Yves Montand (French version) and Simone Signoret (English version). The documentary was restored in 2009 and re-released in 2013 by Icarus Films. • Co-written & co-directed by Chris Marker; co-directed by Pierre Lhomme; co-written by Catherine Varlin; original music by Michel Legrand; won Best First Work Award at Venice Film Festival and Golden Dove Award at Leipzig DOK Festival
French-language version not available on Region 1 DVD Icarus Films English-narrated widescreen b&w DVD [11/2013] for $19.18 Icarus Films English-narrated widescreen b&w DVD [11/2013] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"The Pink Panther" [1963]
starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
"A Shot In The Dark" [1964]
starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
more details (synopses, sequels, Broadway musicals, books & ebooks, links, merchandise) on
Magic Lantern's "The Pink Panther" Movies & Cartoons Page
"The Battle of Algiers" [1966]
full credits from IMDb
"Five Directors on The Battle of Algiers" [2004 docufilm]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0768113/
"La Guerre et Fini" [1966]
Directed by Alain Resnais; starring Yves Montand, Ingrid Thulin,
Geneviève Bujold, Jean-François Rémi & Michel Piccoli
"A Man and A Woman" [1966]
Directed by Claude Lelouch
"King of Hearts" [France 1966]
aka "Le Roi de Coeur"
 | The inmates of an insane asylum get loose, but they may be more sane than the outside world. A delightful, surreal, farcical anti-war fairytale. • Co-produced & directed by Philippe de Broca; starring Alan Bates, Geneviève Bujold, Jean-Claude Brialy, Adolfo Celi &
Micheline Presle
MGM/UA letterbox DVD [4/2001] with Eng/Span/Fr subtitles for $16.99 MGM/UA widescreen VHS [11/2001] with English subtitles for $16.99 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Inspector Clouseau" [1968]
starring Alan Arkin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
more details (synopses, sequels, Broadway musicals, books & ebooks, links, merchandise) on
Magic Lantern's "The Pink Panther" Movies & Cartoons Page
"The Sorrow and The Pity" documentary feature
aka "Le Chagrin et La Pitié" [France 1971, USA 1972]
 | This documentary altered the way that France views the historical Vichy government and its collaboration with the Germans during WWII. Part 1 "The Collapse" centers on an interview with Pierre Mendès-France, jailed for anti-Vichy action and later France's Prime Minister; Part 2 "The Choice" centers on interviews with French youths who fought on the eastern front wearing German uniforms. • Co-written & directed by Marcel Ophüls; nominated for Best Documentary Oscar in 1972
Image Ent. b&w subtitled DVD [4/2001] for $44.99 Milestone b&w subtitled VHS [8/00] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"The Discreet Charm of The Bourgeoisie" [France 1972]
Co-written & directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Bulle Ogier & Jean-Pierre Cassel;
won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film; listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (5/2005)
"Last Tango In Paris" [1972] /tt0070849/
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci; starring Marlon Brando & Maria Schneider
"La Décade Prodigieuse" [France Dec 1971]
aka "Ten Days' Wonder" [USA April 1972]
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A young sculptor wakes up in a hotel room, hands bloodied and not knowing how he got there. He recruits a college professor to go with him to his father's country chateau, where they find family intrigue, adultery, and blackmail • Directed by Claude Chabrol; based on the Ellery Queen novel "Ten Days' Wonder" [1948]; starring Orson Welles [1915-85], Michel Piccoli, Anthony Perkins & Marlène Jobert
Pathfinder dubbed color DVD [5/2003] for $17.99 Pathfinder dubbed color VHS [5/2003] for $19.98 Vivendi subtitled color VHS [5/93] for $18.99 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Day For Night" aka "La Nuit Américaine" [France May 1973, U.S.A. Sept 1973]
| | Co-written & directed by François Truffaut; starring Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese, Dani, Alexandra Stewart, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Jean Champion, Jean-Pierre Léaud, François Truffaut, Nike Arrighi & Nathalie Baye; won Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Oscar nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (VC); listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (5/2005); full credits at IMDb |
"The Return of the Pink Panther" [1975]
starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
more details (synopses, sequels, Broadway musicals, books & ebooks, links, merchandise) on
Magic Lantern's "The Pink Panther" Movies & Cartoons Page
"Mon Oncle d'Amérique (My American Uncle)" [Gaumont France May 1980, USA Dec 1980] /tt0081176/
directed by Alain Resnais; written by Jean Gruault, based on writings of Henri Laborit [1914-95]; starring Gérard Depardieu, Nicole Garcia,
Roger Pierre, Nelly Borgeaud, Pierre Arditi, Henri Laborit; listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (5/2005)
"Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles"
[France Jan 1976, New Yorker Films U.S.A. March 1983] /tt0073198/
Written & directed by Chantal Akerman; starring Delphine Seyrig
http://www.amazon.com/Dielman-Commerce-Bruxelles-Criterion-Collection/dp/B002AFX53C/
"The Pink Panther Strikes Again" [1976]
starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
"Revenge of the Pink Panther" [1978]
starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
more details (synopses, sequels, Broadway musicals, books & ebooks, links, merchandise) on
Magic Lantern's "The Pink Panther" Movies & Cartoons Page
"Police" [France 1985]
"Dangerous Liaisons" [1988
"Tous les Matins du Monde (All The Mornings of The World)" [France 1991]
Co-adapted & directed by Alain Corneau; co-adapted by Pascal Quignard, based on his novel;
starring Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Jean-Claude Dreyfus • full credits at IMDb
http://www.amazon.com/Mornings-World-matins-Two-Disc-Edition/dp/B000CSUNRU/
"Vatel" [Gaumont France May 2000, Miramax Films USA Dec 2000]
Co-produced & directed by Roland Joffé; starring Gérard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Timothy
Spall, Julian Glover, Julian Sands, Arielle Dombasle • DVD = /B00005K3OU/ • full credits at IMDb
"The Girl From Paris" [2001] /tt0240149/
aka ( Une hirondelle a fait le printemps ) ( One Swallow Brought Spring )
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Paris-Marc-Berman/dp/B00063MCXO/
"Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain)"
[U.F.D. France April 2001, Miramax USA Sept 2001]
Co-written & directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet; starring Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz & a concrete garden gnome; Oscar noms for Best Foreign Language Film,
Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Set Decoration; won 2 of 9 BAFTA noms; won 4 of 13 César Award nominations in France,
won Prix Méliès, Czech Lion Award, 4 European Film Awards, Golden Screen Award in Germany, Goya Award, Independent Spirit Award,
Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary, 3 Lumiere Awards in France, Sant Jordi Award • full credits from IMDb
 | "Portrait of A Bookstore As An Old Man" documentary film [Sycomore Films March 2003] 52-minute color docufilm about the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris, France, opened by George Whitman in 1951, which he desribes as his 'den of anarchists disguised as a bookstore' • Written & directed by Gonzague Pichelin & Benjamin Sutherland; featuring George Whitman (owner), John Baxter, Gary Brown, Pia Cooper, Robert Cordier, George Davey, Jean-Pierre Faye, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Noël Riley Fitch, Christopher Cook Gilmore, Simon Green, Julia Koch, Suzy Marston, Matthew McWilliams, Jeremy Mercer, Mike Neil, Claude Terre Neuve, Kit Nicholls, Kathleen O'Hara, Karl Orend, Thomas Pancake, Chad Ridgeway, Bertrand Silly, Will Staple, Nanos Valaoritis, Thirza Vallois, Arnie Weiiss, Sylvia Whitman; with archive footage of James Baldwin, Sylvia Beach, Wm. S. Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Durrell, Allen Ginsberg, Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, Richard Wright VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • movie fanblog, 5/2009 • bookstore entry at Wikipedia watch ending segment [7/2008 upload; 6:08] online at YouTube |
"Modigliani" [France Sept 2004, USA May 2005] /tt0367188/
The story of Amedeo Modigliani's bitter rivalry with Pablo Picasso, and his tragic romance with Jeanne Hebuterne; written & directed by Mick Davis;
starring Andy Garcia, Elsa Zylberstein, Omid Djalili {as Picasso}, Hippolyte Girardot, Eva Herzigova, Udo Kier, Miriam Margolyes
"A Very Long Engagement"
aka 'Un long Dimanche de Fiançailles' [Warner France Oct 2004, USA Nov 2004]
Co-written & directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet; based on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot;
starring Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel & Jodie Foster •
DVD •
full credits at IMDb
"The Pink Panther" [2006]
starring Steve Martin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
more details (synopses, sequels, Broadway musicals, books & ebooks, links, merchandise) on
Magic Lantern's "The Pink Panther" Movies & Cartoons Page
"Marie Antoinette" [2006] /tt0422720/
"Fauteuils d'Orchestre" aka "Avenue Montaigne"
[Studio Canal Feb 2006, USA Feb 2007]
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A very, very French film; more importantly, this is a superb French film. A young girl leaves the provinces for Paris, and finds a job as waitress at the bistro across Avenue Montaigne from an art gallery, a concert house, and a legitimate theater on the day before an art auction, a classical piano performance, and the opening night of a Feydeau farce acted by the insecure star of a television soap opera. • Co-written & directed by Danièle Thompson; co-written by & starring Christopher Thompson; also starring Cécile De France, Valérie Lemercier, Albert Dupontel, Laura Morante, Claude Brasseur, Dani, Annelise Hesme, François Rollin & Sydney Pollack
Velocity/ThinkFilm widescreen subtitled color DVD [7/2007] for $20.99 full credits from IMDb |
"La Môme" aka "La Vie en Rose"
[Canal+ France Feb 2007, Picturehouse USA June 2007]
 | "The passionate life of Edith Piaf" • Cabaret & concert singer Édith Piaf [1915-63] was dubbed 'the Little Sparrow'. She rose from poverty to entertainment legend, but her constant companions were alcohol, tragedy and heartache. Co-written & directed by Olivier Dahan; co-written by Isabelle Sobelman; starring Marion Cotillard {as Piaf}, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Emmanuelle Seigner, Jean-Paul Rouve, Gérard Depardieu, Clotilde Courau, Jean-Pierre Martins, Catherine Allégret, Marc Barbé & Caroline Sihol; won Oscar for Best Actress, won 4 BAFTA Awards, 3 Czech Lions, and 5 César Awards & 2 Lumiere Awards & 3 NRJ Ciné Awards & Étoile d'Or Award in France widescreen color Blu-ray [12/2008] out of prodn/used H.B.O. Home Video widescreen color DVD [11/2007] for $20.49 E.M.I. Classics soundtrack CD [5/2007] 27 tracks for $14.99 full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
"Mesrine" [France 2008, USA 2010]
 | The legendary French gangster Jacques Mesrine [1936-79] lived an epic life, generating romanticism, cruelty, flamboyance & tragedy • Co-written & directed by Jean-François Richet; co-written by Abdel Raouf Dafri, adapted from Mesrine's memoir; starring Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Michel Duchaussoy & Myriam Boyer; the combined films won three César Awards (Best Actor, Best Director, Best Sound) along with 7 other noms
official movies site • movies entry at Wikipedia • Jacques Mesrine entry at Wikipedia Part 1 "Mesrine: Killer Instinct" [France Oct 2008, USA Aug 2010] also starring Cécile De France, Gérard Depardieu, Gilles Lellouche, Roy Dupuis & Elena Anaya http://www.amazon.com/Mesrine-Parte-1/dp/B0078YWWRU/ blu-ray http://www.amazon.com/Mesrine-Killer-Instinct-Part-1/dp/B004ED52XE/ full credits at IMDb Part 2 "Mesrine: Public Enemy #1" [France Nov 2008, USA Sept 2010] also starring Mathieu Amalric, Gérard Lanvin, Samuel Le Bihan, Olivier Gourmet & Anne Consigny http://www.amazon.com/Mesrine-Public-Enemy-Part-Blu-ray/dp/B004ITYDSO/ blu-ray http://www.amazon.com/Mesrine-Public-Enemy-Vincent-Cassel/dp/B004ITYDVG/ full credits at IMDb |
"Paris" [Studio Canal France Feb 2008, I.F.C. USA Sept 2009]
 | An all-star cast in a delightful romance, a valentine to the City of Light. While waiting for a heart transplant, a young dancer rediscovers his family; observation of the teeming streets out-side his window gives him hope, and a new sense of how he might spend the time still left to him. • Written & directed by Cedric Klapisch; starring Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris, Mélanie Laurent, Albert Dupontel, Fabrice Luchini, François Cluzet & Karin Viard
M.P.I. Home Video widescreen color Blu-ray [3/2010] for $26.49 M.P.I. Home Video widescreen color DVD [3/2010] for $17.49 101 Distribution soundtrack CD [2/2008] 15 tracks for $29.99 full credits at IMDb • official movie site {in French} |
"Faubourg 36" aka "Paris 36" [Pathé France Sept 2008, USA April 2009]
 | "See it and be charmed" • Filmed in France and in Prague, Czech Republic; a man's long confession to a murder, told in flashbacks; elements are the Chansonia music hall, an unfaithful wife, music hall employees, gangsters, and a new singer who has become a star . . . • Co-written & directed by Christophe Barratier; co-written by Julien Rappeneau & Pierre Philippe, based on an original idea by Frank Thomas, Reinhardt Wagner & Jean-Michel Derenne; music by Reinhardt Wagner; starring Gérard Jugnot, Clovis Cornillac, Kad Merad, Nora Arnezeder, Pierre Richard, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Maxence Perrin, François Morel, Élisabeth Vitali, Christophe Kourotchkine, Éric Naggar, Eric Prat, Julien Courbey, Philippe du Janerand, Marc Citti, Christian Bouillette, Thierry Nenez, Frédéric Papalia, Stéphane Debac, Jean Lescot, Daniel Benoin, Wilfred Benaïche, Reinhardt Wagner, Patrick Ligardes, Franck Ferrari, Gilles San Juan, Manuela Gourary, François Jerosme, Thierry Liagre, Paul Chariéras, Julian Martin, Rudolf Pellar, Bohumil Svarc, Fédélé Papalia, Christian Eustache, Éric Bouvelle, Philippe Scagni, Virginie Bordes, Michel Pilorgé, Violette Barratier, David N. Jahn, Grégoire Clamart, Gérard Robert Gratadour, Sophie Knittl, Eric Laugérias, Pierre Peyrichout
P36: Sony Pictures Home Ent. subtitled widescreen color DVD [8/2009] for $14.95 P36: Sony Pictures Home Ent. subtitled widescreen color DVD [8/2009] for $17.95 F36: Alliance French-language widescreen color DVD [2008] for $6.81 "Paris, Paris": German import soundtrack CD [11/2008] 23 tracks - import/scarce full credits at IMDb • "P36" movie entry at Wikipedia watch official subtitled trailers online at YouTube: 11/2008 U.K. trailer [1:56] • 4/2014 trailer #2 [2:23] |
 | "Faubourg 36: Le Livre du Film (Book of The Film)" [2008] by Christophe Barratier, Photographs by Constantin Aeleinei 154-page book with many illustrations and beautiful on-set photographs Éditions du Seuil 11¾x9 movie tie-in pb [10/2008] import/used Éditions du Seuil 10¾x9¼ pb [10/2008] import/used Éditions du Seuil 27.5 cm x 23.5 cm pb/broché [9/2008] for €8,27 via Amazon.FR |
"The Pink Panther 2" [2009]
starring Steve Martin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
more details (synopses, sequels, Broadway musicals, books & ebooks, links, merchandise) on
Magic Lantern's "The Pink Panther" Movies & Cartoons Page
"Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie" TV series [France 2009-2017]
  | Thirty-four 90-minute-long episodes for French television of Agatha Christie plots reworked for the team of Superintendent Larosière (Antoine Duléry) and hapless young Inspector Lampion (Marius Colucci) in the 1930s or for the team of suave Commissaire Laurence (Samuel Labarthe) and young reporter Alice Avril (Blandine Bellavoir) in the mid-1950s.
The number of episodes is unclear: the IMDb website shows 35 (Prequel in 4 parts, Season 1 = 11 episodes, Season 2 = 20) while Wikipedia shows 33 plus the Prequel; so far 17 episodes and the 4-part prequel are available on Region 1 DVD (2/2018)
series credits at IMDb • series entry at Wikipedia Volume 1 starring Duléry & Colucci Acorn Media widescreen color DVD set [2/2014] 4 disks for $25.99 7 episodes in French with English subtitles: "Les Meurtres A.B.C." (based on 'The ABC Murders'); "Am Stram Gram" (based on 'Ordeal By Innocence'); "La Maison du Péril" (based on 'Peril At End House'); "Le Chat et Les Souris" (based on 'Cat Among The Pigeons'); "Je Ne Suis Pas Coupable" (based on Sad Cypress); "Un Cadavre Sur L’Ureiller" (based on 'The Body In The Library'); and "Jeux de Glaces" (based on 'They Do It With Mirrors') Volume 2 starring Duléry & Colucci MHz Networks widescreen color DVD set [8/2016] 3 disks for $27.99 5 episodes in French with English subtitles: "The Moving Finger" (based on the Miss Marple novel); "Five Little Pigs" (based on the Hercule Poroit novel); "The Ebb and The Flow" (based on the Poirot novel 'Taken At The Flood'); "The Knife On The Neck" (based on the Poirot novel 'Lord Edgeware Dies'); and "Sleeping Murder" (based on the Miss Marple novel) "Agatha Christie's Criminal Games" starring Labarthe & Bellavoir MHz Networks widescreen color DVD set [1/2017] 3 disks for $20.89 5 episodes in French with English subtitles: "Sparkling Cyanide" (based on the Colonel Race novel); "Dumb Witness" (based the novel 'Why Didn't They Ask Evans?'); "Why Not Martin?" (based on the Hercule Poirot novel 'Hallowe'en Party'); "Cards On The Table" (based on the Poirot novel); and "Crime Does Not Pay" (based on the Poirot novel 'The Murder On The Links') "Agatha Christie's Family Murder Party" starring Labarthe & Bellavoir MHz Networks widescreen color DVD set [4/2017] 2 disks for $15.73 4-part prequel in French with English subtitles, based on the novel 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas' |
"Deux de la Vague (Two In The Wave)"
[Lorber Films France 2009, USA May 2010]
 | Godard & Truffaut were friends during the creation of the French New Wave {Nouvelle Vague} cinema of the 1950s and 1960s – after the success of "The 400 Blows", Truffaut gave Godard the script for "Breathless". But they split over France's political changes in 1968; actor Léaud had worked for them both, and was torn between them, much like a child with divorced parents • 91-minute documentary produced & directed by Emmanuel Laurent; written & narrated by Antoine De Baecque; featuring directors Jean-Luc Godard & François Truffaut, and actor Jean-Pierre Léaud
Lorber Films widescreen color DVD [2/2011] for $22.99 full credits at IMDb |
"Les Petits Mouchoirs (Little White Lies)"
[EuropaCorp France Oct 2010, USA Aug 2012]
 | Set box-office records in France; filmed in Paris and around Cap Ferret in Gironde; just before a group of friends leave for their annual beach vacation together, one of them is hospitalized, which triggers unexpected changes in their relationships. Written & directed by Guillaume Canet; starring François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lafitte, Valérie Bonneton, Pascale Arbillot, Anne Marivin, Louise Monot, Joël Dupuch
M.P.I. Home Video French/subtitles? widescreen color Blu-ray [2/2013] for $23.48 M.P.I. Home Video French/subtitles? widescreen color DVD [2/2013] for $19.88 French/subtitles widescreen color DVD [2011] for $20.06 full credits at IMDb • official U.S. movie site • watch official trailer [1:58] at YouTube |
"Midnight In Paris (Minuit à Paris)"
[Sony Pictures Classics May 2011]
 | Cinematic fairy tale, said to be modelled after Luis Buñuel's style; a Hollywood writer in modern Paris, France visits the 1920s and meets a feast of literary & artistic giants: Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Cole Porter, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Djuna Barnes, Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, T.S. Eliot, Joséphine Baker, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin & Edgar Degas • Before the Oscar noms & win, it had become Woody's highest-grossing film ever. Written & directed by Woody Allen; starring Rachel McAdams, Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Kathy Bates, Michael Sheen, Adrien Brody, Nina Arianda, Tom Hiddleston, Corey Stoll, Mimi Kennedy & Kurt Fuller; won A.F.I. Movie of the Year Award, Oscar noms for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, won Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, won W.G.A. Award, nominated for D.G.A. Award, Goya Award, P.G.A. Award Sony Pictures Home Ent. widescreen color Blu-ray [12/2011] for $22.49 Sony Pictures Home Ent. widescreen color DVD [12/2011] for $17.99 full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia English-language trailer • French-language trailer |
"Crazy Horse"
[France Oct 2011, Zipporah Films USA Jan 2012]
 | 134-minute documentary by American filmmaker Frederick Wiseman about the history & venue & nude dancers of the Le Crazy Horse de Paris revue in Paris, France. Co-produced & directed by Frederick Wiseman
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb • distributor's official movie page |
"Nobody Else But You" aka "Poupoupidou"
[France Jan 2011, First Run Features USA June 2012]
 | "A darkly comic mystery that breathes fresh life into the thriller genre" A bestselling crime novelist troubled by writer's block meets a small-town beauty who believes herself to be the incarnation of Marilyn Monroe; the next day she is found dead, and the police declare her a suicide and close the case.
Co-written & directed by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu; starring David Rousseau, Sophie Quinton, Guillaume Gouix, Olivier Rabourdin, Arsinée Khanjian, Eric Ruf, Lyès Salem, Joséphine de Meaux, Antoine Chappey, Nicolas Duvauchelle
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • full credits at IMDb • official movie site watch American trailer [2:19] at YouTube |
"The Past (Le Passé)" [France 2013?] 
 | An Iranian man's marriage to a French woman is failing, so he deserts them to return to Iran; she meets someone and writes to ask for a divorce, so he returns to France, where he sees another man living with his wife & children. • Written & directed by Asghar Farhadi; starring Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet, Sabrina Ouazani, Babak Karimi, Valeria Cavalli
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb |
"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" [France 2013?] /tt1690389/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob6VgKLZKoo
"The Connection" [France 2015]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utGxC6Js0Xk
"Call My Agent !" TV mini-series [France TV2 Nov 2015]
(original title: "Dix Pour Cent (Ten Percent)")
 | Season 1 was 6 episodes, Nov 2015 and Season 2 was 6 episodes, April-May 2017; an important motion picture talent agency in Paris, France goes into crisis when the founder dies suddenly • Co-produced & co-written by Dominique Besnehard; co-written by Fanny Herrero; starring Camille Cottin, Thibault de Montalembert, Grégory Montel, Liliane Rovère, Fanny Sidney, Stéfi Celma, Nicolas Maury, Laure Calamy, François Civil, Ophélia Kolb, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Gabrielle Forest, Isabelle Candelier, Jean-Yves Chatelais; with celebrity guest actors as themselves: Isabelle Adjani, Nathalie Baye, Ramzy Bedia, François Berléand, Juliette Binoche, Cécile de France, Julien Doré, Virginie Efira, Françoise Fabian, Audrey Fleurot, Julie Gayet, Christopher Lambert, Fabrice Luchini, Guy Marchand, Line Renaud, Laura Smet, Joey Starr, Norman Thavaud
Region 1 DVD/Blu-ray not available (2018) F.T.D seasons 1 & 2 French-language color DVD set [9/2017] 4 disks for €21,19 PAL format via Amazon.FR F.T.D staffel 1 German-French color DVD [9/2017] 2 disks - import/used in PAL format F.T.D staffel 1 German-French color DVD [9/2017] 2 disks for €16,98 - PAL format via Amazon.DE full credits at IMDb • series entry at Wikipedia watch official promo videos online at YouTube: 6/2015 season #1 promo [3:40] • 4/2017 season #2 promo [2:03] |
"Fanny's Journey" [France May 2016, USA Nov 2017]
French title: "Le Voyage de Fanny"
 | Three Jewish children were sent from France to Italy for safety during World War II; Italian dictator Mussolini is arrested and Nazi soldiers take over the country and begin rounding up Jews; young Fanny is put in charge of seven other children, who are sent to the border with Switzerland. (Part of the journey is by vintage Italian passenger trains.) • Directed by Lola Doillon; adapted by Anne Peyregne & Lola Doillon from the book by Fanny Ben-Ami; starring Léonie Souchaud, Fantine Harduin, Juliane Lepoureau, Anaïs Meiringer, Ryan Brodie, Lou Lambrecht, Igor van Dessel, Malonn Lévana, Lucien Khoury, Cécile de France, Stéphane De Groodt, Elea Körner, Alice D'Hauwe, Jérémie Petrus; won many awards on the film festival circuit
Menemsha Films {probably French w/English subtitles} color DVD [11/2017] for $29.95 full credits at IMDb • official movie website • movie entry at Wikipedia watch 11/2016 official trailer [1:44] online at YouTube |
 | "Le Journal de Fanny: L'Histoire Vraie d'une Jeune Jille au Destin Hors du Commun" memoir for children ages 9-12 [2011] by Fanny Ben-Ami French-language Kindle Edition from Seuil Jeunesse [6/2016] for €7,49 {via Amazon France} Livres Seuil French-language 8&fracx5½ movie tie-in pb [8/00] import/used Livres Seuil French-language 7x5 pb [10/2011] import/used Livres Seuil French-language 8x5½ pb [10/2011] import/used |
watch documentary short [1/2017 upload; 19:43] online at YouTube
"My Journey Through French Cinema" [Gaumont/Pathé France Oct 2016]
original title "Voyage à Travers le Cinéma Français"
 | 3-hour 10-minute documentary film covering cinema examples that Tavernier enjoyed as a child, that influenced his career, and‑or that he simply admires • Written & directed by Bertrand Tavernier; featuring Bertrand Tavernier, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Thierry Frémaux; with archive footage of Jacques Becker, Marcel Carné, Claude Chabrol, Eddie Constantine, Raoul Coutard, Georges de Beauregard, Michel Deville, Antoine Duhamel, Jean Gabin, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Françoise Giroud, Jean-Luc Godard, Henri Jean-son, Joseph Kosma, Henri Langlois, Jean-Paul Le Chanois, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Tonie Marshall, Jean-Pierre Melville, Michel Piccoli, Jacques Prévert, Jean Renoir, Claude Sautet, Volker Schoendoerffer, René Tavernier, Alexandre Trauner & Lino Ventura
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • full credits at IMDb • watch 6/2017 French-language official trailer [1:41] at YouTube |
"Lost In Paris" [France March 2017]
French title: "Paris Pieds Nus (Paris Barefoot)"
 | Fifty years ago, Fiona bid farewell to her beloved Aunt Martha who moved from Canada to Paris, France; Fiona is now a librarian and she receives an urgent appeal for assistance from her 88 year-old aunt . . . • Co-produced, written & directed by and starring Dominique Abel & Fiona Gordon; also starring Emmanuelle Riva {died before premiere}, Pierre Richard, Emmy Boissard Paumelle, Céline Laur-entie, Charlotte Dubery, David Palatino, Frédéric Meert, Guillaume Delvingt, Philippe Martz, Olivier Parenty, Fabrice Milich, Jean Loison, Annabelle Cocollos, Bruno Romy, Mika Romy Cocollos, Ivan Le Goff, Jessica Hinds, Isabelle de Hertogh, Dominique Pozzetto, Michel Vivier, Alice Véret, Balla Gagny, Brigitte Lucas, Grégory Legeai, Salifou Bangoura, Sarah Bensoussan, Françoise Lauwerie, Roberta Casa Nova, Dominique Prie, Marc Le Gall, Valérie Thoumire, Niryis Pouscoulous, Huguette Accursi, Cyril Colmant
Oscilloscope Pictures widescreen color Blu-ray [11/2017] for $39.99 Oscilloscope Pictures widescreen color DVD [11/2017] for $34.99 full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia watch official trailers online at YouTube: 2/2017 French trailer [1:54] • 6/2017 English trailer with added scene [4:06] |
here on the Cinema of France Pages at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
on page one: French filmmakers
here on page two: top of this page • selected French films
on page three: top of page • books • Cinémathèque Française
French movie studios • French actors & others • links
· ·
back to Foreign Cinema Page • Cinema of Asia Page • Cinema of Canada Page
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