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!
The Confessional ( Le Confessionnal ) (1995)
7.5/10
Director: Robert Lepage
Starring: Lothaire Bluteau, Patrick Goyette, Ron Burrage
A man searches for lost relatives and missing pieces of family history, somehow linked to the making of Hitchcock's 'I Confess' in Quebec, 1953; past... Read more
The Connection ( aka La French ) (2015)
7.1/10
Director: Cedric Jimenez
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Celine Sallette, Melanie Doutey, Benoit Magimel
Marseille. 1975. A young magistrate with a wife and children, is transferred to help in the crack-down on organized crime. He takes on French Connecti... Read more
The Count of Monte Cristo (1998)
8/10
Director: Josee Dayan
Starring: Gerard Depardieu, Ornella Muti, Jean Rochefort, Pierre Arditi, Sergio Rubini, Fl...
From the novel by Alexandre Dumas, 'The Count of Monte Cristo' tells the dramatic story of Edmond Dantes, a young French sailor who is falsely denounc... Read more
The Count of Monte Cristo (2025)
7.7/10
Director: Alexandre de La Patelliere, Matthieu Delaporte
Starring: Pierre Niney, Anais Demoustier, Bastien Bouillon, Pierfrancesco Favino
Marseille, 1815. The dreams of principled young sailor Edmon Dantes (Pierre Niney) are about to come true; promoted to ship's captain, he can finally... Read more
The Country Doctor (2016)
6.5/10
Director: Thomas Lilti
Starring: Christophe Odent, Francois Cluzet, Marianne Denicourt
François Cluzet (The Intouchables) is Jean-Pierre, a much-loved doctor in a rural French town. He reassures and cares for his patients day and night,... Read more
The Crimson Rivers (2000)
6.9/10
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Starring: Nadia Fares, Vincent Cassel, Jean Reno
Stylish and atmospheric murder thriller featuring Jean Reno as a legendary Parisian detective investigating the death of a librarian in a beautiful sm... Read more
The Cry of the Owl (1987)
6.5/10
Director: Claude Chabrol
Starring: Christophe Malavoy, Mathilda May, Virginie Thevenet, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Jacques...
Following a divorce that has left him feeling depressed, Robert (Christophe Malavoy) moves into a quiet neighbourhood in the hopes of finding some pea... Read more
The Decline of the American Empire (1986)
7.3/10
Director: Denys Arcand
Starring: Dominque Michel, Dorothee Berryman, Louise Portal
An acclaimed French-Canadian comedy that wittily explores the sexual mores (or lack thereof) of eight Quebec intellectuals brought together for a Sund... Read more
The Detective (1985)
7.1/10
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Claude Brasseur, Nathalie Baye, Johnny Hallyday, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Laurent Terz...
Godard's attempt at a mainstream detective story is still something unique to the influential director. In a Parisian hotel, two detectives are inves... Read more
The Dinner Game (1998)
Director: Francis Veber
Starring: Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret, Daniel Prevost, Alexandra Vandernoot
Laughter is the main course in this acclaimed Gallic farce. Snide publisher Thierry Lhermitte delights in attending dinner parties where he and his so... Read more