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!
Shall We Kiss? (2007)
6.8/10
Director: Emmanuel Mouret
Starring: Virginie Ledoyen, Emmanuel Mouret, Julie Gayet, Michael Cohen, Stefano Accorsi
A wryly observant and very contemporary meditation on the many implications of a simple kiss. Gabriel and Emilie meet by chance, they spend the evenin... Read more
Sheitan (2006)
5.7/10
Director: Kim Chapiron
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Roxane Mesquida, Olivier Barthelemy, Nico Le Phat Tan, Ladj Ly,...
A madcap French frightener featuring a suitably demented Vincent Cassel as Joseph, a rural, satan-worshipping handyman/caretaker! When Eve, the daugh... Read more
Shoot the Piano Player ( aka Shoot the Pianist ) (1960)
7.6/10
Director: Francois Truffaut
Starring: Charles Aznavour, Marie Dubois, Nicole Berger
This early Truffaut gem pays homage to the Hollywood gangster thrillers, combining the style of American film noir with all the mood, twists, visual j... Read more
Shoot the Piano Player ( aka Shoot the Pianist ) (Blu-ray) (1960)
7.5/10
Director: Francois Truffaut
Starring: Charles Aznavour, Marie Dubois, Nicole Berger
This early Truffaut gem pays homage to the Hollywood gangster thrillers, combining the style of American film noir with all the mood, twists, visual j... Read more
Sidonie in Japan (2023)
Director: Élise Girard
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Tsuyoshi Ihara, August Diehl
Sidonie Perceval, an established French writer, is mourning her deceased husband. Invited to Japan for the reedition of her first book, she is welcome... Read more
Since Otar Left (2003)
7.6/10
Director: Julie Bertuccelli
Starring: Ester Gorintin, Nino Khomassouridze, Dinara Droukarova
Three generations of women share a crowded apartment in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi. Strong-willed, elderly matriarch Eka lives for letters a... Read more
Sink or Swim (2018)
7/10
Director: Gilles Lellouche
Starring: Guillaume Canet, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, Leila Bekhti, Benoit Poelvoord...
Several 40-something guys, all on the verge of a mid-life crisis, decide to form their local pool's first synchronized swimming team -- for men. Read more
Sister (2012)
7.1/10
Director: Ursula Meier
Starring: Gillian Anderson, Martin Compston, Lea Seydoux, Kacey Mottet Klein
Simon (Kacey Mottet Klein) lives with his older sister, Louise (Lea Seydoux), in a housing complex below a luxury Swiss ski resort. With his sister dr... Read more
Skies Of Lebanon (2020)
6.7/10
Starring: Alba Rohrwacher
In the 1950s, Alice leaves her Swiss homeland for Lebanon, a sunny and exuberant country where she enjoys the best years of her life. In the 1970s, ci... Read more
Skylab (2011)
6.4/10
Director: Julie Delpy
Starring: Bernadette Lafont, Emmanuele Riva, Julie Delpy, Karin Viard, Aure Atika, Jean-Lo...
July 1979. In Brittany, an extended family gathers to celebrate the grandmother's birthday. There's a hint of tension in the air, as the Skylab is rum... Read more