Please recommend some really good French films?

Question

I've seen Amelie, but any other suggestions most welcome!

Many thanks.

Answer 1

Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise)

La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game)

Answer 2

If you liked Amelie, you'd probably enjoy Le Huitieme Jour (The Eighth Day) which is another poignant comedy.

I have a particular fondness for French comedy, starting with La Cage Au Folles, Le Pere Noel Est Un Ordure and Les Visiteurs. All these have been remade (badly) by Hollywood.

France is also famous for its action films, notably "Nikita" and "Metro" (aka "Subway") (again, both remade badly by Hollywood), and Le Salaire de la Peur (The Wages of Fear).

Drama, my favorites include "Betty Blue", "Diva", "Au Revoir, Les Enfants", "Trop Belle Pour Toi" and "La Reine Margot".

Answer 3

My 3 favourites are
The umbrellas of Cherbourg. A sad and touching love story
and with a beautiful score by Michel Legrand.

La ronde. A farce about a woman who changes
lovers like most people change clothes!
and

Paper Wedding. A French Canadian film about
an immigrant to Canada who marries a Canadian
citizen to get a green card, but then falls in love
with his new bride.

Answer 4

You could try La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast), it's an old b/w movies by Jean Cocteau or a film called Le Grand Meaulnes (translates as The Lost Domain for some reason). Went to see it as a school trip out. It's very strange and interesting, especially the ballroom scene.

Answer 5

I wish I could help you with this, but the last French film I saw was a series starring Madame-something that sounds like "Beetledough" only I know its not but is probably spelled "Biledeaughxkgghhhh" or something like that. The film was for teaching difficult (in MY case, impossible) middle school kids french and went on and on about how she (Madame Beetledough) had ten pages ("dix pauges") of homework to do. I was being a twit ("le merde head") and hurling spitballs ("le balles de le spitteir") and covering the screen and Madame Beetledough's movie face with blobs of chewed up toilet paper ("le papier acne"). I had the enthusiastic help of of a couple of my fellow impossible pals ("le companie de le jerques") in the back of the room. We actually learned some french words from our teacher immediately before being exiled to the hallway ("le place fer de dunces") for the duration, but most of the words we learned ("le flaming french verbagiation") were not repeatable in polite company, of which I am not. Hope this is either of help or somewhat entertaining!

Answer 6

Try Jule et Jim a real classic from 1962 about two guys who fall for the same woman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_and_Jim

Also Les Visiteurs, a time travelling comedy with Jean Reno and Christian Clavier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Visiteurs

Finally La Cage Aux Folles; very gay, very funny
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles_%28film%29

Answer 7

I really like Ma Vie en Rose, Le Placard, and La Cage aux Folles. Just as a warning though: these films are all LGBT related (though all ungraphic with--if memory serves--nothing more than a kiss in all of them).

Answer 8

La Vie en Rose--From the streets of Paris to the limelight of New York's glamorous concert halls, Edith Piaf's (Marion Cotillard) life was a constant battle for love and survival. Her passionate romances and friendships with such luminaries as Yves Montand, Jean Cocteau, Charles Aznavour and Marlene Deitrich made her as famous as she was for her beautiful renditions of songs like "La Vie en Rose." But in trying to alter her tragic destiny, the "Little Sparrow"—as she was nicknamed—flew so high that she could not fail to burn her wings. Co-starring Sylvie Testud and Gérard Depardieu. Directed and co-written by Olivier Dahan (La Vie Promise).

Belle de Jour--Severine is a beautiful young woman married to a doctor. She loves her husband dearly, but cannot bring herself to be physically intimate with him. She indulges instead in vivid, kinky, erotic fantasies to entertain her sexual desires. Eventually she becomes a prostitute, working in a brothel in the afternoons while remaining chaste in her marriage.

Un Homme et Une Femme--A man and a woman meet by accident on a Sunday evening at their childrens' boarding school. Slowly they reveal themselves to each other, finding that each is a widow/widower. Each is slow to reveal anything personal so that each revelation is hidden by a misperception. They become friends, then close friends, and then she reveals that she can't have a lover because, for her, her husband's memory is still too strong. Much of the film is told wordlessly in action, or through hearing one of their thoughts as they go about their day.

Le Diner de Cons--Each week, Pierre and his friends organize what is called as "un dîner de cons". Everyone brings the dumbest guy he could find as a guest. Pierre thinks his champ -François Pignon- will steal the show.

Le Vie en Rose is actually in theaters now, but the other ones can be bought or rented. Hope you like!

Jane Marie

Answer 9

Jean de la florette and the follow up film, Manon de la source (not 100% sure on spelling) and an oldie, Wages of Fear

Answer 10

"The Officers Club," it's a cracking film about soldiers who suffer facial disfigurements as a result of injuries incurred during the First World War.