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!
Christine (1958)
6.5/10
Director: Pierre Gaspard-Huit
Starring: Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Jean-Claude Brialy
Based on the novel by Arthur Schnitzler and featuring Romy Schneider as Christine and newcomer Alain Delon in his first lead role. The setting is 19th... Read more
Chrysalis (2007)
5.5/10
Director: Julien Leclercq
Starring: Albert Dupontel, Marie Guillard, Marthe Keller, Melanie Thierry, Claude Perron
A sci-fi thriller set in a startlingly realistic, and not-too-distant, future where a hard-boiled cop is only managing to stay on the job in the hope... Read more
Claire Darling (2018)
6.1/10
Director: Julie Bertuccelli
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni, Alice Taglioni
In Verderonne, a small village in the Oise, it's the first day of summer and Claire Darling wakes up convinced to live her last day - She then decides... Read more
Claire's Knee (1970)
7.8/10
Director: Eric Rohmer
Starring: Jean-Claude Brialy, Aurora Cornu, Beatrice Romand
Set in the French mountain lake resort of Annecy, writer/director Eric Rohmer's exquisite tale tells the story of Jerome (Jean-Claude Brialy), who, on... Read more
Clean (2004)
6.9/10
Director: Olivier Assayas
Starring: Jeanne Balibar, Maggie Cheung, Beatrice Dalle, James Johnston, Don McKellar, Nic...
Faded rock star Lee Hauser (played by James Johnston from Nick Cave's Bad Seeds) lives with his wife, former TV host Emily (Maggie Cheung) in a small... Read more
Cleo from 5 to 7 (1961)
8/10
Director: Agnes Varda
Starring: Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dorothee Blanck, Michel Legrand, Anna Kar...
This intimate film chronicles two hours in the life of a French singer who is waiting to hear if she has terminal cancer. The beautiful but spoiled Cl... Read more
Close (2022)
7.8/10
Director: Lukas Dhont
Starring: Emilie Dequenne, Lea Drucker
The intense friendship between two thirteen-year old boys Leo and Remi suddenly gets disrupted. Struggling to understand what has happened, Léo approa... Read more
Coco Avant Chanel ( Coco Before Chanel ) (2009)
6.7/10
Director: Anne Fontaine
Starring: Alessandro Nivola, Emmanuelle Devos, Marie Gillain, Benoit Poelvoorde, Audrey Ta...
Audrey Tautou plays the headstrong, self-sufficient designer Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel who, in pre-First World War France, was one of the first women to... Read more
Coco Avant Chanel ( Coco Before Chanel ) ( Blu-ray ) (2009)
6.7/10
Director: Anne Fontaine
Starring: Alessandro Nivola, Emmanuelle Devos, Marie Gillain, Benoit Poelvoorde, Audrey Ta...
Audrey Tautou plays the headstrong, self-sufficient designer Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel who, in pre-First World War France, was one of the first women to... Read more
Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky (2009)
Director: Jan Kounen
Starring: Anna Mouglalis, Mads Mikkelsen, Elena Morozova, Grigori Manoukov, Natacha Lindin...
Aka "Coco & Igor". Paris 1913. At the Theatre Des Champs-Elysees, Igor Stravinsky premieres "The Rite of Spring." Coco Chanel is mesmerized... But the... Read more