Tag Archives: French Film

Ten Classic French Films to Watch

Since the early days of film and pioneering works like Georges Méliès’s Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon, 1902), the French have excelled at filmmaking. Considered in France as the 7th art form, a number of French filmmakers have left their mark on cinema history with their chef d’oeuvres. Here are some of the top classic French films made up to 1970 to add to your film list.

La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game, 1939), Jean Renoir

Although it was a commercial and critical flop at the time of its released just before the outbreak of WWII, after a reconstruction in 1959 La Règle du Jeu went on to be deemed one of the greatest films in cinema history. Mainly set in a country house outside Paris, the satirical comedy-drama criticizes the relationship the French haut bourgeoisie had with their servants.

Les Enfants du paradis (Children of Paradise, 1945), Marcel Carné

Set in the world of Parisian theatre of the 1830s, this film shot by Carné during WWII was voted “Best Film of the Century” by leading French film critics. Although the word paradis often refers to Heaven in French, it also is used to describe the second balcony or gallery in a theatre, which is its significance in Carné’s cinematographic masterpiece. The story revolves around a courtesan, played by legendary French actress Arletty, and four suitors, a mime, an actor, a well-known criminal and an aristocrat, all of whom attempt to woo her in different ways.

French Classic films - Film Master's in Paris

Les Diaboliques (Diabolique, 1955), Henri-Georges Clouzot

This psychological thriller film, starring Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse and Charles Vanel was based on the novel She Who Was No More (Celle qui n’était plus) by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. The Hitchcockian plot revolves around a woman and her husband’s mistress who conspire to murder him.

Hiroshima mon amour (Hiroshima My Love, 1959), Alain Resnais

In his first feature-length film, Alain Resnais helped draw attention to the French Nouvelle Vague with his innovative use of flashbacks to create a non-lineal timeline. The film traces the relationship of a French woman, Emmanuelle Riva, and Japanese man, Eiji Okada, in the wake of the Hiroshima bombings. It received a number of accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for its screenwriter Marguerite Duras. 

French classic films - film studies in Paris

Les quatre cents coups (The 400 Blows, 1959), François Truffaut

The directorial debut of iconic filmmaker François Truffaut, this was a seminal film of the French New Wave Movement. The film also marked a long collaboration between Truffaut and actor Jean-Pierre Léaud, often referred to as the filmmaker’s onscreen alter ego. The film follows troubled teen Antoine Doinel as he rebels against his teachers and parents. The film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival at which Truffaut won the Award for Best Director.

À bout de souffle (Breathless, 1960), Jean-Luc Godard

An international hit when it was released, Jean-Luc Godard’s first feature film helped put the spotlight on the Nouvelle Vague. Considered one of the best films of all time, it stars Jean-Paul Belmondo, a wandering criminal, and Jean Seberg, a young American in Paris. A mix between romance and drama, Godard used a bold visual style and innovative jump cuts.

Cléo de 5 à 7 (Cléo from 5 to 7, 1962), Agnès Varda

One of the leading filmmakers of the French New Wave, this film launched Agnès Varda’s career and formed her artistic practice. The story followers a young singer, Florence “Cléo” Victoire, as she awaits test results for a possible diagnosis of cancer. Unfolding in real time, Varda plays with this through her editing. The film explores themes of existentialism, popularized at the time by philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

La Grande Vadrouille (Don’t Look Now… We’re Being Shot At!, 1966), Gérard Oury

For something a little more lighthearted, the French love comedies and this classic is high on the list of all-time favourites. Set in 1942, two French civilians, played by Louis de Funès and André Bourville, try to assist the crew of a Royal Air Force bomber shot down over Paris reach unoccupied France. Hilarious misadventures ensue.

Le Samouraï  (The Samurai or The Godson, 1967), Jean-Pierre Melville

For those for a penchant for crime films, this is one of the best by French expert director of the genre Jean-Pierre Melville. Alain Delon plays a professional hitman who is seen by witnesses and then digs himself into a deeper hole trying to secure an alibi. Melville shows off his skills at creating suspense and ambiance.

Ma nuit chez Maud (My Night With Maud, 1969), Eric Rohmer

The last of the New Wave directors, this clever film raised Rohmer to the Pantheon of French filmmakers.  The third film in his series of Six Moral Tales, the movie features features Jean-Louis Trintignant as a Catholic engineer who has a case of love at first sight with Françoise, a woman he meets by chance at Mass. He becomes determined to marry her, nevertheless, gets tempted by Maud, an alluring divorcée.

Interested in delving further into French Film? Learn more about our Master’s in Film in Paris at this link. The above films are often screen at these top Art House Cinemas in Paris.

A New Wave of French Filmmakers

France has played an vital role in evolution of film, from its early days with the likes of the Lumière brothers and Georges Méliès and via the Nouvelle Vague period and beyond. However, after studying the history of this art form, whether your taking our Master’s in Film in Paris or are simply a film fan, it is then worthwhile to discover what French filmmakers are doing today. In fact, over the last decade, the industry has been regenerated thanks to a wave of new filmmakers, representing the diversity of the country and examining the real France of the 21st century. Here are some noteworthy up and coming French directors to watch.

Ladj Ly

Born to Malian parents and raised in the Parisian suburbs, this director’s work generally revolves around social issues and the conditions of the marginalised residents of the Parisian suburbs. He first got involved in film by making documentaries and collaborated on various projects with Romain Gavras (the son of Costa-Gavras), street artist JR and hip hop artist Oxmo Puccino. He made international headways in 2019 with his first feature film, Les Misérables, a modern-day take on Victor Hugo classic novel of the same name. It won a Jury Prize at Cannes, the Best Film at the Césars (the French Film Awards) and was nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the Academy Awards.

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Céline Sciamma. Photo: George Biard / CC

Céline Sciamma

A graduated of the prestigious La Fémis, the French National Film School, this screenwriter and director’s films often explores gender fluidity and sexual identity. She is also a founding member of the French branch of the Colléctif 50/50, a movement advocating for gender equality and diversity in the film industry. Her debut film, Naissance des Pieuvres (Water Lilies, 2007), made at the age of 28, was selected for Cannes’s Un certain regard section and was nominated for three César Awards. Written in only a few months and shot in less than three weeks, her 2011 film Tomboy was an official selection at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival. Her work continued to garner more and more international recognition, with her 2014 film Bande de Filles (Girlhood) screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section of Cannes and at Sundance and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Her next feature film, Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), won the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay at Cannes in 2019. Her latest film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2021 and is likely to receive its own share of accolades.

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Houda Benyamina. Photo: Georges Biard / CC

Houda Benyamina

Also from the Parisian suburbs, this director and screenwriter of Moroccan origins began a career as an actress before shifting to behind the camera. She started off by making a series of short films, social satires on life in the suburbs, which were screened on major French TV channels. Her first feature film, Divines (2016), which she also co-wrote, was a powerful look at life in the suburbs and the prospects for its youth. It was selected for Quinzaine des réalisateurs at Cannes, for which she won a Caméra d’Or. It was also awarded the César for Best Film and was screened at TIFF. She is also involved in social activism and is the founder of 1000 Visages, an association which aims to make the film industry more accessible for suburban youth.

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Xavier Legrand. Photo: Vandamna / CC

Xavier Legrand

Another actor-turned-director, after a successful start on stage and in front of the camera, in 2013 Xavier Legrand made his first short film, Avant que de tout perdre (Just Before Losing Everything). It received a number of accolades including the 2014 César for a Short Film and a nomination in the same category at the Academy Awards. His first feature film, Jusqu’à la garde (Custody), released in 2017, was equally praised. It received two prizes at the Venice film festival, the Lion of the Future for Best Debut film and the Silver Lion for Best Director as well as five Césars including Best Film.

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Alice Diop. Photo: Chris93 / CC

Alice Diop

Another creative from the Parisian suburbs, this writer and director of Senegalese parents is establishing herself on France’s documentary scene. Diop’s youth spent in the infamous 3000 housing project led her to make her first film, La Tour du monde (The Tower of the World), in 2005. After producing several other documentaries and a short film, her 2015 documentary Vers la tendresse (Towards Tenderness) won the César for Best Short Film. Her latest film, Nous (Us) won the Best Film in the Encounters section of the Berlin International Film Festival 2021, but is yet to have a commercial release. She is also active in the Colléctif 50/50.

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Justine Triet. Photo: George Biard / CC

Justine Triet

After originally studying fine art, Justine Triet shifted to filmmaking and screenwriting. Well-crafted screenplays, her films revolve around modern relationships. The spotlight was cast on Triet in 2013 with the release of her first feature film, La Bataille de Solférino (Age of Panic). It was screened at Cannes in the Sélection ACID (Association of the distribution of independent film) and she was featured in the influential Cahiers du cinéma magazine as an up-and-coming talent to watch. Her second, Victoria (In Bed With Victoria), was the opening film in the Semaine de la critiques section at Cannes in 2016 and was nominated for five Césars. Her third film, Sibyl, was selected for the official competition at Cannes in 2019. She too is a member of the collectif 50/50.