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 Moon In The Gutter (1983)
6/10
Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
Starring: Nastassja Kinski, Gerard Depardieu, Victoria Abril
Following his American success with 'Diva', much was expected of Beineix, and his 'Moon in the Gutter' was generally panned. But this elegantly shot r... Read more
The Mystery Of Henri Pick (2019)
6.7/10
Director: Remi Bezancon
Starring: Fabrice Luchini, Alice Isaaz
An editor discovers a novel that she considers to be a masterpiece, in a library whose particularity is to collect the manuscripts refused by the publ... Read more
The Names of Love (2010)
7.2/10
Director: Michel Leclerc
Starring: Zinedine Soualem, Jacques Gamblin, Jacques Boudet, Sara Forestier
Michel Leclerc's delightful, sexy and audacious crowd-pleaser about a forty-something Jewish scientist who falls in love with a flamboyant Algerian be... Read more
The Necessities of Life (2008)
7.5/10
Director: Benoit Pilon
Starring: Eveline Gelinas, Natar Ungalaaq, Paul-Andre Brasseur
The 1950s-era tuberculosis epidemic in the Far North forced many Inuit to go to various Canadian cities for treatment. Tivii (Natar Ungalaaq) is taken... Read more
The Nest (2002)
6.8/10
Director: Florent Emilio Siri
Starring: Samy Naceri, Benoit Magimel, Nadia Fares, Pascal Greggory, Sami Bouajila
Laborie (Nadia Fares), a high-flying officer in the French Special Forces, is tasked with escorting the godfather of the Albanian mafia to stand trial... Read more
The Night Is Young ( Mauvais Sang ) (1986)
5.7/10
Director: Leos Carax
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Denis Lavant, Michel Piccoli
'Mauvais Sang'. This exhilarating, affecting, romantic film mixes music and visuals to amazing effect and follows the exploits of Alex, a young card-t... Read more
The Odyssey (2016)
6.7/10
Director: Jerome Salle
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Audrey Tautou, Pierre Niney
Summer, 1946. The Cousteau family - Jacques, his wife Simone and their two children Philippe and Jean-Michel - live in their beautiful house by the Me... Read more
The Ordeal ( aka Calvaire ) (2004)
Director: Fabrice Du Welz
Starring: Laurent Lucas, Jackie Berroyer, Philippe Nahon
This demented Belgian slasher thriller starts innocently enough with cabaret singer Marc (Laurent Lucas) having van trouble in the middle of nowhere.... Read more
The Origin Of Evil (2022)
6.6/10
Starring: Laure Calamy, Dominique Blanc, Jacques Weber, Suzanne Clement
A woman on the verge of financial collapse attempts to impersonate her imprisoned lover and con her wealthy, estranged father and his new family. Read more
The Other Son (2012)
7.4/10
Director: Lorraine Levy
Starring: Emmanuelle Devos, Jules Sitruk, Khalifa Natour, Pascal Elbe, Mehdi Dehbi, Areen...
As he is preparing to join the Israeli army for his national service, Joseph (Jules Sitruk) discovers he is not his parents' biological son, and that... Read more