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!
Just a Sigh (2013)
6.5/10
Director: Jerome Bonnell
Starring: Emmanuelle Devos, Gabriel Byrne
Aka "Le temps de l'aventure". Running through the city in her flowered skirt, with debit card troubles and interrupted artistic desires, Alix Aubane (... Read more
Just to Be Sure (Ôtez-moi d'un doute) (2017)
6.7/10
Director: Carine Tardieu
Starring: Francois Damiens, Cecile De France, Guy Marchand, Andre Wilms
A middle-aged bomb disposal expert faces a different kind of explosive situation when he learns that the man who raised him is not his biological fath... Read more
Kaena: The Prophecy (2003)
6.1/10
Director: Pascal Pinon, Chris Delaporte
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Richard Harris, Anjelica Huston
A visually stunning animated epic from France. Axis, a gigantic coiling plant, stretches high above the clouds and protects a village in its centre. T... Read more
King of Hearts (1967)
7.5/10
Director: Philippe De Broca
Starring: Alan Bates, Francoise Christophe, Genevieve Bujold, Pierre Brasseur
A Scottish World War I explosive expert (Alan Bates) is sent to a French town abandoned by everyone except the escaped inmates from an asylum. This ra... Read more
Kings and Queen (2004)
Director: Arnaud Desplechin
Starring: Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric, Catherine Deneuve
Art gallery owner Nora (Emmanuelle Devos) and her ex-lover Ismael (Mathieu Amalric) live parallel lives of personal struggle, as Nora attempts to care... Read more
Kompromat (2022)
6.3/10
Director: Jerome Salle
Starring: Gilles Lellouche, Joanna Kulig, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Elisa Lasowski, Daniil...
Based on incredible true events, Jérome Salle's gripping new espionage thriller depicts the remarkable story of a French public servant who unwittingl... Read more
L'Age d'Or (1930)
7.3/10
Director: Luis Bunuel
A surrealist tale of a man and a woman who are passionately in love with each other, but their attempts to consummate that passion are constantly thwa... Read more
L'argent ( Money ) (1983)
7.5/10
Director: Robert Bresson
Starring: Christian Patey, Vincent Risterucci
Aka 'Money'. Bresson's classic film, adapted from a story by Tolstoy, tells of the tragic chain of events which ensue when two schoolboys pass a forge... Read more
L'Atalante (1934)
7.9/10
Director: Jean Vigo
Starring: Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Daste
Naturalism and surrealist fantasy blend beautifully in this restored all-time masterpiece about a young couple who begin their life together sailing d... Read more
L'Enfance Nue ( Naked Childhood ) (1968)
7.6/10
Director: Maurice Pialat
Starring: Raoul Billerey, Michel Terrazon, Linda Gutemberg
The singular French director Maurice Pialat puts his distinctive stamp on the lost-youth film with this devastating portrait of a damaged foster child... Read more