In the late 19th century, during the early years of cinema, France produced several important pioneers. Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the cinématographe and their screening of L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de la Ciotat in Paris in 1895 is marked by many historians as the official birth of cinema. During the next few years, filmmakers all over the world started experimenting with this new medium, and France's Georges Méliès was influential. He invented many of the techniques now common in the cinematic language, and made the first ever science fiction film A Trip to the Moon
(Le Voyage dans la Lune, 1902).

The French film developed independently of the theater, although both media employed many of the same actors. Only a few men enjoyed great eminence on both stage and screen — Jean Cocteau, who directed several highly imaginative films; Louis Jouvet, who was a leading actor; Marcel Pagnol, who directed for the screen some of his own plays of humble life in Marseille, and in 1935, renowned playwright and actor Sacha Guitry directed his first film. He made more than 30 films that are seen as the precursor to the new wave era.

Other fathers of French film making are Abel Gance, best remembered for his epic Napoléon (1925); Jean Vigo, who died young after making the brilliant experiments Zéro de conduite (1932) and L'Atalante (1934), and René Clair, the director of some unforgettable comedies early in his career. In 1937 Jean Renoir, the son of famous painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, directed what many see as his first masterpiece, La Grande Illusion (The Grand Illusion) followed by La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) in 1939. Several movie critics have cited this film as one of the greatest of all-time. Attention must also be paid to Jacques Tati, a great clown; Henri-Georges Clouzot, an exponent of pitiless naturalism in Le Salaire de la peur (1953); and Robert Bresson, whose Le Journal d'un curé de campagne (1951) is considered a film classic. Marcel Carné's Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise) was filmed during World War II and released in 1945. The three hour film was extremely difficult to make due to the conditions during the Nazi occupation. Set in Paris in 1828, the film was voted "Best French Film of the Century" in a poll of 600 French critics and professionals in the late 1990s.

Post-World War II

In the film magazine Cahiers du cinéma founded by André Bazin, critics and lovers of film discussed films and the making of them and thus, modern film theory was born. The "New Wave" (La nouvelle vague) in French cinema began in 1958, when the young film critic, Claude Chabrol, directed Le Beau Serge , a study of two young men in a provincial town. Two friends of Chabrol's, also film critics, followed him into film-making the following year — Jean-Luc Godard, with A Bout de souffle, reminiscent of American gangster films in its treatment of a French criminal; and François Truffaut, with Les 400 coups, about a schoolboy in trouble. While Godard was the most prolific, it is probably Truffaut who accomplished most, with his lively films Tirez sur le pianiste (1960) and Jules et Jim (1961). Other new wave directors include Alain Resnais (Hiroshima, mon amour, 1959), Agnès Varda (Cléo de 5 à 7, 1962), and Louis Malle (Vie privée, 1962). French film stars who attained international acclaim during this period include Jean Gabin (picture 1), , Gérard Philipe, Brigitte Bardot (2), Jean-Paul Belmondo (3), Jeanne Moreau (4), Yves Montand (5), Simone Signoret (6), Jean-Louis Trintignant (7), Catherine Deneuve (8), and Arletty (9).

In the 70s the new wave had lost its experimental edge, although many of the directors continued to produce fine films, such as Truffaut's Le Dernier métro (1980), La femme d'à côté (The Woman Next Door, 1981), and Vivement dimanche (Confidentially Yours, 1983), the last two both with Fanny Ardant. Also among the foremost filmmakers of this period were Eric Rohmer and the Greek-born Costa-Gavras.

New directors emerged and began to attract world attention, including Jean-Jacques Beineix (Diva, 1981; Betty Blue, 1986), Luc Besson (Subway, 1985; The Big Blue, 1988; La Femme Nikita, 1990), Claude Berri (Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, both 1986), Régis Wargnier (La Femme de ma vie, 1986; Indochine, 1992), and Léos Carax (Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, 1991). The stars introduced by these films are Beatrice Dalle, Christopher Lambert, Thierry Lhermitte, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Tcheky Karyo, and Anne Parrilaud. The most successful actor of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s has been Gérard Depardieu, who can make as many as five films in a year and is often credited for keeping the French cinema viable on the world market despite strong competition from the American film industry.

In 1991, Jean-Pierre Jeunet made Delicatessen, followed by the 1995 The City of Lost Children (La Cité des enfants perdus). Both films featured a distinctly fantastic style. In the mid-1990s, Krzysztof Kieslowski released his Three colors trilogy: Blue, White, and Red. Mathieu Kassovitz's film Hate (La Haine, 1995) made Vincent Cassel into a star and Claude Chabrol directed Isabelle Huppert in La cérémonie, earning her a César award.

In 2001 after a brief stint in Hollywood with the fourth Alien film (Alien: Resurrection ), Jeunet returned to France with Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) starring Audrey Tautou and Kassovitz followed by Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement) in 2004. The biggest blockbuster that year was the oscar-nominated Les choristes (Chorus) by Christophe Barratier.
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The Cannes Film Festival, begun in 1946, is one of the premier film events worldwide, and the Palme d'Or award at Cannes is one of the most sought-after achievements in cinema. In 1976 the French film industry first awarded the Césars, the country's equivalent of Hollywood's Academy Awards.

As the advent of television threatened the life of cinema itself, countries were faced with the problem of reviving cinema-going. French cinema has been encouraged by generous state subsidies, and the vigorous industry was producing some 140 films each year by the early 1990s, even in the face of overwhelming box office competition from the United States. However, the French-speaking market is much smaller than the English-speaking area, one reason being that some major markets such as the United States are fairly reluctant to import foreign movies. As a consequence, French films have to be amortized on a relatively small market and thus generally have budgets far lower than their American counterparts, ruling out expensive settings and special effects. The French government has therefore implemented various measures aimed at supporting local film production and movie theaters, including:

• the Canal Plus TV channel has a broadcast license imposing that it should support the production of movies;
• some taxes are levied on movies and TV channels for use as subsidies for movie production;
• some tax breaks are given for investment in movie productions;
• the sale of DVDs and videocassettes of movies shown in theaters is prohibited for six months after the showing in theaters, so as to ensure some revenue for movie theaters.

In Paris, cinema-goers enjoy a wealth of choices, with over 300 films showing every week. Some art cinemas and cinémathèques show retrospective series of films devoted to particular directors, actors, countries or periods in the history of the cinema.
Sources: Wikipedia; http://www.discoverfrance.net/France; http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0834213.html
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Selection of French Films 1990-2011

2011 Films

Copie conforme / Certified Copy
Renowned Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami serves up an elegant rumination about art and love in this story about British writer James Miller (William Shimell), who meets an art dealer named Elle (Juliette Binoche) in Tuscany and begins -- or possibly continues -- a romance with her. As James and Elle wander through a small town, their playful conversations reveal an intimacy that leads locals to suspect that they are actually longtime spouses. Not released yet on DVD.

Des hommes et des dieux / Of Gods and Men

2010 Films

2009 Films

Coco avant Chanel / Coco Before Chanel
Audrey Tautou stars as legendary French designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in this lively biopic that explores the fashion icon's storied ascension from orphan to seamstress and cabaret singer and ultimately, the queen of Parisian haute couture. Alessandro Nivola plays Arthur "Boy" Capel, Chanel's lover and influential business investor who makes a lifelong impact on the young woman. Anne Fontaine directs. In theaters right now. Not released on DVD yet.

Paris
As Pierre (Romain Duris), a young cabaret dancer sidelined by a heart condition, awaits a risky transplant surgery, he and his sister, Élise (Juliette Binoche), closely watch the streets of Paris, their lives gradually intersecting with a diverse array of strangers. Written and directed by Cédric Klapisch, this visually striking tribute to the City of Lights co-stars Fabrice Luchini, Albert Dupontel and François Cluzet. Not released on DVD yet.

2008 Films

Un Conte de Noel / A Christmas Tale
Arnaud Desplechin directs this artfully unconventional tale about members of a dysfunctional family who come together for a strained and animosity-filled Christmas reunion. The all-star ensemble cast includes Jean-Paul Roussillon, Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Hippolyte Girardot, Emmanuelle Devos, and Deneuve's real-life daughter, Chiara Mastroianni. The film received a nod for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or award.

Entre les murs / The Class
In an inventive adaptation of his novel about his experiences working in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Paris, François Bégaudeau stars as a replica of himself -- a passionate French teacher who presides over a classroom of diverse young minds. Not your standard drama or documentary but something in between, this Oscar-nominated film used three cameras during a largely improvisational shoot and features real students rather than actors.

La fille de Monaco / The Girl from Monaco
Middle-aged lawyer Bertrand (Fabrice Luchini) chafes at the presence of Christophe (Roschdy Zem), a bodyguard assigned to protect him during a dangerous case. Things worsen when Bertrand catches the eye of free-spirited weather girl Audrey (Louise Bourgoin), Christophe's old flame. Audrey brings out long-dormant feelings in the counselor, who finds himself competing against his guardian for her affections in this charming romantic comedy.

Il y a longtemps que je t'aime / I've Loved You So Long
After more than a decade apart, estranged sisters Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Lea (Elsa Zylberstein) try to rebuild their fractured relationship. But the task is hardly easy, considering Juliette's past: She's been in jail for 15 years -- for killing someone. As she settles into small-town life with Lea's family, the locals can't help but talk. Writer-director Philippe Claudel's feature film debut garnered him a Golden Globe nomination.

Le roi des Belges / JCVD
Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this comic action film. While visiting his family at home in Belgium, Van Damme is caught in the middle of a robbery, and the cops think the aging star has snapped and pulled the job himself. Now, on top of dealing with financial problems, a nasty custody battle and a waning career, he has to make like a real-life action hero and find his way out of a very tense situation.

Faubourg 36 / Paris 36
When a neighborhood music hall closes down, a trio of unemployed friends (Gérard Jugnot, Clovis Cornillac and Kad Merad) vow to bring the business back from the dead by staging a musical they hope will be a hit. If their gamble pays off, they'll have the money to buy the theater for themselves -- and the power to control their own destinies. Christophe Barratier directs this Berlin Film Festival selection set in 1930s Paris.

Ne le dis à personne / Tell No One
Eight years ago, respected pediatrician Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) was the prime suspect in his wife's murder. He's put all that behind him, but now, two dead bodies have been found near his home -- and once again, he's the suspect. The case takes an unexpected turn when he receives an anonymous email showing his wife alive … and eight years older. Kristin Scott Thomas and Nathalie Baye co-star in Guillaume Canet's powerhouse thriller.

2007 Films

La vie en rose / La Môme
Marion Cotillard stars as beloved Parisian singer Edith Piaf, whose passion for her music saw her through a life filled with tragedy. From her forlorn childhood in a brothel to her big break at Louis Leplée's (Gérard Depardieu) nightclub and her premature death at the age of 47, director Olivier Dahan creates a loving portrait of the legendary chanteuse. Sylvie Testud and Pascal Greggory co-star in this critically acclaimed biopic.

Deux jours à Paris / 2 Days in Paris
On their way home from an ill-fated Venice vacation, Marion (Julie Delpy, who also directs) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) stop in Paris to visit Marion's parents. But their sojourn in the City of Lights turns out to be just as disastrous as their "romantic" trip to Italy. Culture shock, run-ins with Marion's myriad ex-lovers and uncomfortable encounters with her belligerent parents conspire to make Jack feel even more estranged from his worldly paramour.

Angel-A
Deep in debt, small-time hoodlum Andre (Jamel Debbouze) decides to end his life on his own terms before his unsavory creditors come a-calling. But as he's poised to dive off a bridge, he meets the mysterious Angel-A (Rie Rasmussen), who seems just as desperate, and the event changes his entire outlook. The two discover that companionship can make even the most difficult life worthwhile in this inspiring film from French director Luc Besson.

Le Fils de l'épicier / The Grocer's Son
When his father suffers a stroke, Antoine (Nicolas Cazale) reluctantly returns home from the big city to his small mountain village to help out with the family business, a grocery that makes daily rounds to the town's elderly inhabitants. But when Antoine's poor manners rub the villagers the wrong way, can the lovely young Claire (Clotilde Hesme) help smooth things over? French director Eric Guirado helms this charmingly low-key film.

Paris, je t'aime
A collection of five-minute films about the City of Lights brings Paris to life with a unique patchwork of 20 stories. Numerous writers, directors and actors lend their distinctive vision to the project, employing a wide variety of styles and subject matter. Participants include Gérard Depardieu, Gus Van Sant, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Wes Craven, Marianne Faithfull, Steve Buscemi, Juliette Binoche, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gena Rowlands and many others.

Le Scaphandre et le papillon / The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
In 1995, author and Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke that put him in a coma; he awakened mute and completely paralyzed. Mathieu Amalric stars in this adaptation of Bauby's autobiography, which he dictated by blinking. Director Julian Schnabel's poignant film about the strength of the human spirit won the Best Director and Technical Grand Prize awards at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Avenue Montaigne
Director: Danielle Thompson. Jessica's just a waitress at the local café, but her regulars need her for a lot more than coffee. Art collector Jacques anguishes over the sale of his prized collection. TV star Catherine longs to be in movies. And famous pianist Jean just wants to be left alone. Can one waitress fill such a big order? Cécile De France, Valérie Lemercier, Albert Dupontel, Laura Morante, Claude Brasseur and Sydney Pollack star.

Combien tu m'aimes? / How Much Do You Love Me?
Director: Bertrand Blier. After winning the lottery, lowly clerk François (Bernard Campan) asks a gorgeous prostitute to live with him until his money runs out. François's life greatly improves when Daniela (Monica Bellucci) moves in -- that is, until her pimp, Charly (Gérard Depardieu), shows up. Director Bertrand Blier's sexy comedy co-stars Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Edouard Baer.

Molière
Released from prison, French actor-playwright Molière (Romain Duris) learns his freedom was secured by the wealthy but talentless Jourdain (Fabrice Luchini), who wants his help in putting on a play to seduce a comely young widow he fancies. Molière agrees but must pose as a priest to hide his benefactor's secret motives from the household females -- including Jourdain's wife. Laura Morante co-stars in this period comedy set in 17th-century Paris.

Mon meilleur ami / My Best Friend
So single-minded is antique dealer François Coste (Daniel Auteuil) in his pursuit of the deal that he's failed to make a single personal friend over the years -- a point his business partner (Julie Gayet) is willing to bet on. Forced to cough up a best pal in 10 days -- or pay up -- François turns to a gregarious taxi driver (Dany Boon) to teach him how to make friends in this buddy movie (without the buddy) from Patrice Leconte.

La Tourneuse de Pages / The Page Turner
As a child, pianist Melanie's (Déborah François) dream of studying at a prestigious musical conservatory is shattered when the chairwoman of the jury (Catherine Frot) distracts her during an audition. Years later, a coincidence leads to Melanie's employment in the woman's household, and she finds herself in the perfect position for revenge. Directed by Denis Dercourt, this stylish psychological drama co-stars Pascal Greggory.

Persepolis
Marjane (voiced by Chiara Mastroianni) just wants to be an ordinary kid, but that isn't easy in 1978 Iran. This profound animated film follows Marjane's childhood in a repressive society, her adolescence in France and her return to Tehran as an adult. Based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, this Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature Film also features the vocal talents of Catherine Deneuve and Simon Abkarian.

Un secret / A Secret
Claude Miller directs this engrossing drama about a Jewish boy in post-World War II Paris who stumbles upon a mysterious toy in the attic, exposing his family's secret dark past and how it survived Nazi atrocities. Can the child grasp the devastating truth, or will it drive him deeper into his personal fantasy world? Cécile De France, Julie Depardieu, Ludivine Sagnier, Patrick Bruel and Mathieu Amalric star.

Les Témoins / The Witnesses
This compelling drama from André Téchiné looks back at a time when the AIDS epidemic was just becoming a reality. It's 1984, and the people of Paris have no idea how much their lives are about to change when an unnamed disease is discovered. Written by Téchiné, Laurent Guyot and Viviane Zingg, this gripping tale stars Michel Blanc, Emmanuelle Béart, Sami Bouajila, Johan Libéreau and Julie Depardieu.

2006 Films

Blame it on Fidel
Nina Kervel-Bey stars as 9-year-old Anna, a privileged young Parisian girl whose orderly, structured life is thrown into turmoil when her parents are drawn into Paris's turbulent and radical 1970s political scene. Julie Gavras (daughter of famed French filmmaker Costa-Gavras) directs this 2007 Sundance Film Festival competition entry.

Changing Times
Gerard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve reunite on-screen for Andre Techine's hopeful drama about lasting love despite the changing times. Antoine (Depardieu) has longed for his first love, Cecile (Deneuve), for 30 years. He leaves France to take on work in Morocco, the real motive being to chase her trail. When he finally finds his beloved, the fact that she has a family will not stop his resolute pursuit to win her back.

Hors de prix / Priceless
Irène (Audrey Tautou), who makes a fortune sweet-talking rich men, puts the moves on klutzy Jean (Gad Elmaleh), unaware that he's just a hotel bartender. But by the time Irène realizes her mistake, Jean is hopelessly smitten with her. Letting men down easy has never been Irène's strong suit, but she finds a way to mend Jean's broken heart that ensures he'll never have to mix cocktails again. Vernon Dobtcheff co-stars in this wacky French farce.

Nue propriété / Private Property
A divorcée and her sons engage in a battle that threatens to destroy the family in this riveting drama. Pascale (Isabelle Huppert) lives with her adult twins, aimless François (Yannick Renier) and headstrong Thierry (Jeremie Renier), in a renovated Belgian farmhouse. When Pascale considers selling it to open a bed and breakfast, her children, who want to preserve the status quo, raise objections with disastrous results.

Private Fears in Public Places
Alain Resnais, one of the cinema's living legends, directs this story of intersecting lives amid a curious Paris snowstorm. Based on the popular stage drama by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, the ensemble film revolves around several couples as they cope with their relationships and other entanglements. No stranger to Ayckbourn's work, Resnais crafted his 1993 film Smoking/No Smoking from another group of Ayckbourn plays.

Indigènes / Days of Glory
Rachid Bouchareb's powerful pedagogical film chronicles the journey of four North African soldiers who join the French army to help liberate France from Nazi occupation during World War II. Re-creating a chapter largely erased from the pages of history, the film -- which got an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language Film and won the 2006 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award for its ensemble cast -- pays overdue tribute to the heroism of these forgotten troops.

La doublure / The Valet
Director: Francis Veber. When a photo of billionaire businessman Pierre Levasseur (Daniel Auteuil) and his supermodel mistress, Elena (Alice Taglioni), makes the papers, he gets in dutch with his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas). To trick her and save his marriage, Pierre tracks down an unassuming valet (Gad Elmaleh) who was inadvertently part of the picture and pays him to feign a romance with Elena. But unintended consequences ensue in this merry comedy.

Prête-moi ta main / How to Get Married and Stay Single
Director: Eric Lartigau. Successful perfume executive Luis (Alain Chabat) is happily single, but his mother and sisters want him to settle down. After they arrange a string of disastrous blind dates, Luis concocts a crazy scheme that will make his family happy without his getting married. All he needs to do is hire a girl to act as his fiancée and then dump him at the altar. But when Luis meets Emmanuelle, the plan takes a turn he never anticipated in this French comedy. With Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Les poupées russes / Russian Dolls
Director: Cedric Klapisch. Although he hates the way his life has turned out, would-be writer Xavier (Romain Duris) has no one to blame but himself. So when an opportunity comes along that could change his luck, he knows he'd better not blow it. Audrey Tautou, Kelly Reilly, Cecile De France, Kevin Bishop, Evguenya Obraztsova, Irene Montale and Gary Love round out the ensemble cast in Cedric Klapisch's sequel to his romantic comedy "L'Auberge Espagnole."

2005 Films

Lemming
Director: Dominik Moll. Since they don't know a soul in Toulouse, Bénédicte and Alain Getty (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Laurent Lucas) try forging a friendship with Alain's new boss (Andre Dussollier) and his wife (Charlotte Rampling) -- but soon enough, they end up regretting it. For one thing, on the day the Gettys invite the couple over for dinner, Alain finds a half-dead lemming stuck in his sink, an ominous incident that doesn't bode well for the events to come.

Caché / Hidden
Director: Michael Haneke. Winner of the Cannes Best Director Award, Michael Haneke's psychological thriller centers on wealthy French couple Georges (Daniel Auteuil) and Anne (Juliette Binoche), who begin receiving threatening videotapes and phone calls. Eventually, Georges realizes who the perpetrator is but refuses to tell Anne, causing a rift. Flashbacks of George's childhood reveal the mystery, a story that illuminates France's damaged relations with Algeria.

La marche de l'empereur / The March of the Pinguins
Award-winning photographer Luc Jacquet takes documentary film to new heights -- and depths -- with his first feature film, a stunning insider's look at the life of the emperor penguin. The product of more than a year of filming in the brutal Antarctic ice, this Oscar-winning Best Documentary (in 2006) presents never-before-captured footage of the penguins' underwater life and explores their steadfast quest for monogamous mates.

Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants / Happily Ever After
Writer, director and actor Yvan Attal trains his lens on the vicissitudes of love, marriage and monogamy in this crisp romantic comedy. Married with children, Vincent (Attal) is cheating on his wife, Gabrielle (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who's having thoughts of infidelity herself. Meanwhile, Georges (Alain Chabat) dreams of release from his constrictive marriage, and bachelor playboy Fred (Alain Cohen) longs for a committed relationship.

C.R.A.Z.Y.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee. There are five boys in the Beaulieu family -- Christian, Raymond, Antoine, Zachary and Yvan. But Zac (played by Emile Vallee and Marc-Andre Grondin) is the only one who's gay. That's why growing up in Montreal alongside his heterosexual brothers and his strict, emotionally distant father (Michel Cote) proves especially challenging for the blossoming outsider, who finds solace in the music of Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie.

Joyeux Noël / Merry Christmas
Director: Christian Carion. This French/German/UK co-production is based on the true story of the World War I Christmas Eve truce in 1914 and tells how "the Germans, French, and Scottish try to make peace, so they bury their dead and play football." A French director, a Belgian cameraman (Walther van den Ende), and acting talents from Scotland, France, and Germany have come together to make a truly European film in French, German, English, and Latin that was the French candidate for best foreign language film at the Academy Awards 2006.

Crustacés et coquillages / Côte d'Azur
Director: Olivier Ducastel. For summer vacation, Marc (Melki) and Béatrix (Tedeschi) take their two kids to the seaside house of Marc's youth, where their daughter takes up with a biker and their son roams the beach with his best friend, who is in love with him. Comedy.

Après vous / After You
Director: Pierre Salvadori. A man's life changes forever with one selfless act in this romantic comedy. After stopping Louis (Jose Garcia) from committing suicide, well-meaning waiter Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) begins to feel responsible for the depressed man. Continuing to play Good Samaritan, Antoine decides to help Louis win back his ex-girlfriend, Blanche (Sandrine Kiberlain). But the do-gooder doesn't foresee the earth-shattering effect that Blanche will have on him.

The Accidental Hero
Acclaimed filmmaker Laurent Jaoui paints a deeply affecting portrait of a teenage boy's search for happiness despite encountering great sorrow. Teenager Tom Maillard finds it difficult to get along with his mother, Valerie, who's growing concerned at her son's instability and ennui. But a horrific accident leaves Valerie in a coma from which she awakes with no memory, leaving her despondent child as her only tether to her old life.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped / De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté
Director: Jacques Audiard. Tom (Romain Duris) seems destined to follow in his father's footsteps as a Parisian property shark until a chance encounter with his late mother's music agent leads him to believe that he can become a concert pianist. With the help of a beautiful Chinese virtuoso, he starts preparing for a critical audition and making positive changes in his life. But secrets from his past threaten to destroy his plans for the future.

Rois et reine / Kings and Queen
Director Arnaud Desplechin deftly mixes comedy and tragedy in this tale that traces the intersecting lives of Nora (Emmanuelle Devos), a professionally successful single mom, and her ex-husband, Ismaël (Mathieu Amalric), a neurotic musician who's mistakenly been committed to a mental hospital. Ismaël's comic antics in the asylum are juxtaposed against Nora's anguish upon learning that her father is dying and that her future's uncertain.

Director: François Ozon. Marion (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) and Gilles (Stephane Freiss) are married, but their life is far from a bed of roses. This nonlinear film tracks the couple backward from their divorce proceedings to a strained dinner party, the birth of their child, their wedding and, finally, the day the couple met. It's a fascinating study in tension, dissatisfaction and the moment where things went horribly awry.

2004 Films

Les choristes / Chorus
In this gentle French drama from first-time director Christophe Barratier, music teacher Clement Mathieu (Gerard Jugnot) lands a job at a boys' boarding school populated by delinquents and orphans -- and run by a martinet headmaster (Francois Berleand). Sensing potential in the rambunctious ruffians, Mathieu forms a choir to rein in his charges through the transforming power of song … even at the probable cost of his career.

Un long dimanche de fiançailles / A Very Long Engagement
From the director and star of Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Audrey Tautou) comes a very different love story, based on the acclaimed novel by Sebastien Japrisot. The film is set in France near the end of World War I in the deadly trenches of the Somme, in the gilded Parisian halls of power, and in the modest home of an indomitable provincial girl. It tells the story of this young woman's relentless, moving and sometimes comic search for her fiancée, who has disappeared. He is one of five French soldiers believed to have been court-martialed under mysterious circumstances and pushed out of an allied trench into an almost-certain death in no-man's land. What follows is an investigation into the arbitrary nature of secrecy, the absurdity of war, and the enduring passion, intuition and tenacity of the human heart.

Les égarés / Strayed
Director: André Techine. It's 1940, and Odile (Emmanuelle Béart) is a new widow struggling to survive as the Germans begin to occupy France. On the way out of Paris with her children (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet and Clémence Meyer), Odile's car is hit by a German bomb, sending the trio into the woods for shelter. There, they meet 17-year-old Yvan (Gaspard Ulliel) and the four find a deserted house to live in, setting off a series of life-changing events.

Confidences trop intimes / Intimate Strangers
Seeking psychiatric help, Anna (Sandrine Bonnaire) mistakes the office of her doctor for that of tax attorney William (Fabrice Luchini). Before William can clear up the mistake, Anna's confided in him -- greatly! -- about her personal life. Mutually committed to continuing the charade now that they've shared secrets, Anna and William carry on with their "therapy" sessions. Patrice Leconte (The Man on the Train, The Widow of Saint-Pierre) directs.
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2003 Films

Monsieur Ibrahim / Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran
1960s Paris serves as the backdrop for Francois Dupeyron's heartwarming drama. Momo (Pierre Boulanger), a teenage orphan, lives in a working-class neighborhood and has very few friends -- save for the kindly local prostitutes, who adore him. Momo soon befriends the older and wiser shopkeeper Ibrahim (Omar Sharif), who soon becomes a father figure for Momo and takes him on a journey of self-discovery that will change both of their lives.

The Barbarian Invasions / Les invasions barbares
In this Oscar-winning drama, fifty-ish Remy (Remy Girard) is divorced and hospitalized in Montreal. His ex-wife, Louise, asks their estranged son, Sebastien, to come home from London (where he now lives) as a show of support for his father. As soon as he arrives, Sebastien makes the impossible happen, using his contacts and disrupting the health care system in every way possible. The sequel to Denys Arcand's Decline of the American Empire.

2002 Films

Huit femmes / Eight Women
A family Christmas gathering is disturbed by the father's murder in director Francois Ozon's comedic crime mystery. High-society matron Gaby (Catherine Deneuve), her mother-in-law, Mamy (Danielle Darrieux), sister Augustine (Isabelle Huppert) and others are among the eight women trapped in the snow-bound house and suspected of the murder. This musical whodunit explores each woman's motive for the crime while they try to uncover the killer.

L'auberge espagnole
Director: Cédric Klapisch. Xavier (Romain Duris), a wayward 25-year-old French guy, is encouraged by his father's friend to study Spanish and Economics--these skills will ensure his lucrative future, and since Xavier doesn't have much keeping him in Paris, other than his hippie mother and possessive girlfriend (Audrey Tautou), he flies to Barcelona to participate in a study abroad program. Set in the magnificence of Barcelona, the film is a nostalgic travelogue through Xavier's youthful and anxious wanderings. Politically, the film explores issues of ethnicity and international stereotypes, but for the most part its story is shot through a comedic lens.

Jet Lag
Director: Danièle Thompson. French title: Décalage horaire. At Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, a beautician (Juliette Binoche) on her way to a new job in Mexico accidentally meets a cook (Jean Reno) who is on his way back from America. Labor strikes, bad weather, and pure luck cause the two of them to share a room overnight at the airport Hilton hotel. Will their initial mutual indifference and downright hostility turn into something more?

Une femme de ménage
Director: Claude Berri. English title: The Housekeeper. In this romance, Jacques (Jean-Pierre Bacri) has been left by his wife of fifteen years. Depressed, he lets his apartment fall into a state of utter disrepair. He hires a housekeeper, Laura, an irrepressible young woman with two-toned hair and housing issues of her own (rising young star Émilie Dequenne, who won Best Actress at Cannes for "Rosetta.") Jacques is reluctant when his housekeeper makes overtures towards his bed, but not very. Humans are weak, lonely creatures: who can resist pleasure when it is offered so freely and with such kindness?

Hop
Director: Dominique Standaert. All young Justin (Kalomba Mbuyi) and his father want to do is sit down and enjoy watching a soccer game together. When this simple act sparks a chain of events leading to Justin running from the law, the boy must now embark on a thrilling adventure to reunite with his father. In order to fight the system, however, he must enlist the help of a former anarchist, and together they'll need to apply the secret of … the Hop.

Man on the Train / L'homme du train
A weathered old gangster (Johnny Hallyday) arrives by train at a small French town to rob the local bank. But he soon discovers there's no room at the local inn in which he'd hoped to stay while he plans his crime. Taking up the kind offer of an elderly teacher (Jean Rochefort) to stay in his mansion, the two men soon discover that they each might have been better suited for the other man's way of life.

Pauline et Paulette
Director : Lieven Debrauwer. Pauline (Belgian actress Dora van der Groen) is mildly retarded and lives with her sister Martha (Julienne De Bruyn) in a Flemish village. Pauline's other sister, Paulette (Ann Petersen), the owner of an upscale boutique, sees Pauline as disruptive to the orderliness of her shop -- and her life. Things come to a head when Paulette forces the issue of which sister will care for Pauline.

Être et avoir / To Be and to Have
The once-acclaimed French school system is under siege, with overcrowding making it impossible for children to receive the education they deserve. But there's one place that's trying to buck the tide. This documentary by Nicolas Philibert visits a one-room schoolhouse in rural Saint-Etienne Sur Usson, where Georges Lopez teaches his 13 students, ranging in age between 3 and 10, the old-fashioned way ... with effort, attention and encouragement.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not / A la Folie... Pas du Tout
Director: Laetitia Colombani. With the romance-infused streets of Paris as backdrop, this thriller paints a picture of love gone awry. Angelique (Audrey Tautou), an artist and student, is in love and claims that her paramour, Luic, a cardiologist (Samuel Le Bihan), is just as enamored of her. But is he? He's married, for one, and he and his wife are expecting a baby. Brokenhearted, Angelique decides her love should conquer all.

The Piano Teacher / La pianiste
Director: Michael Haneke. Isabelle Huppert stars as Erika, an emotionally repressed piano teacher still tied to her obsessive mother (Annie Girardot) and fast approaching spinsterhood. When an attractive student (Benoit Magimel) in her class becomes smitten with her, Erika sees him as a potential player in her dark sexual fantasies. Huppert is fascinating to watch in this disturbing character study based on Nobel Literature Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek's novel.

The Son
Olivier (played by Olivier Gourmet, who won the 2002 Best Actor Award at Cannes for his role) is a divorced man who teaches carpentry at a vocational training center. When a psychologically damaged teenager named Francis turns up in class, Olivier becomes obsessed with the boy. But when Olivier's ex-wife, Magali (Isabella Soupart), learns of the boy, she's horrified, which adds another cryptic layer onto this complex drama.

Amen
How the Nazi Party concocted its "Final Solution," how much other countries really knew about the burgeoning disaster and the role the Vatican may have played during Hitler's heinous reign in Europe are the subjects, among others, of this film based on the play "The Representative" and directed by Costa-Gavras. Mathieu Kassovitz stars as Riccardo Fontana, a Jesuit priest fighting Nazism. In English.

Laisser-passer / Safe Conduct
By Bertrand Tavernier. This epic film tells the true story of French filmmakers living in World War II Paris during the German occupation -- in particular, Jean Devaivre (Jacques Gamblin), an assistant director with a family, and Jean Aurenche (Denis Podalydes), a womanizing and freethinking screenwriter. Conflict arises as a rift forms between those who collaborate with the German production companies and those who strive to find their own ways to rebel and survive.
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2001 Films

Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet. English title: Amelie. Bursting with imagination and having seen her share of tragedy and fantasy, Amelie is not like the other girls. When she grows up she becomes a waitress in a Montmartre bar run by a former dancer. Amelie enjoys simple pleasures until she discovers that her goal in life is to help others. To that end, she invents all sorts of tricks that allow her to intervene incognito into other people's lives, including an imbibing concierge and her hypochondriac neighbor. But Amelie's most difficult case turns out to be Nino Quicampoix, a lonely sex shop employee who collects photos abandoned at coin-operated photobooths. This film was nominated for 5 Oscars and won 49 awards world-wide.

The Closet
Director: Francis Veber. French title: Le placard. With Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu. François Pignon, a very bland sort of man who works as an accountant in a rubber factory, is about to be fired. His new neighbour comes up with an idea to prevent such a thing to happen: he spreads the rumor that he's gay so that the factory management might be afraid they'll be sued for sexual discrimination. Of course, nothing happens as it should, but the changes in François Pignon's life -and other people's too- is drastic! Funny!

Winged Migration / Le peuple migrateur
Amazing cinematography and gorgeous music fill this documentary-adventure created by French filmmakers Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debat and Jacques Perrin. Presented with almost no narration and filmed primarily from a bird's perspective, this study of the lives and habits of migrating birds re-creates as nearly as possible the experiences of the birds themselves.

Read My Lips / Sur mes lèvres
Director: Jacques Audiard. Still waters run deep -- and so do silent ones, as this French thriller proves. Unappreciated secretary Carla (Emmanuelle Devos), who's deaf, is tired of being treated like a serf at work. Her solution? Enlist the aid of good-looking thief Paul (Vincent Cassel); he may be clueless, but he's her ticket to justice and revenge. As they plot out their scheme, each learns more from the other than they ever expected.

Hirondelle a fait le printemps / The Girl from Paris
Director: Christian Carion. Fed up with city life, Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner) decides to leave Paris and live out her dream of becoming a farmer. It's love at first sight when she comes across a farmstead on the Vercors plateau, which she takes over from the cantankerous farming veteran Adrien (Michel Serrault). Sandrine is as confident she can run the farm by herself as Adrien is skeptical; the trials of the oncoming winter will prove them both wrong.

Inch' Allah Dimanche
French-Algerian director Yamina Benguigi brings us the passionate story of an immigrant struggling against old world traditions. Zouina (Fjeria Deliba) leaves her homeland with her three children to join her husband in France, where he's been living for the past 10 years. In a land and culture foreign to her, Zouina struggles against her mother-in-law's tyrannical hand and her husband's distrustful bitterness as she adjusts to her life in exile.

Brief Crossing / Brève traversée
A most unusual, short-lived romance unfolds in this touching film directed by Catherine Breillat about a seemingly knowing French teenager (Gilles Guillan) and an older, apparently embittered British woman, Alice (Sarah Pratt), who meet on a ferry. The two start out as curious strangers who attempt to find common ground through idle conversation, but are quickly enveloped in a teasing push-pull that reeks of sexual tension and power shifts.

My Wife is an Actress / Ma femme est une actrice
Struggling sportswriter Yvan (Yvan Attal, who also wrote and directed the film) anguishes over a failing career and a life that hasn't turned out as he planned. His wife, Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg), is a famous actress whose successful career dwarfs any strides made by Yvan. Trouble brews in this romantic comedy when Yvan's jealousy over his wife's new co-star (Terence Stamp) boils over.

2000 Films

Under the Sand / Sous le sable
Director: Francois Ozon. A long-married Parisian couple (Charlotte Rampling and Bruno Cremer) takes a vacation at the beach. But Rampling's life is suddenly thrown into turmoil when Cremer goes for a swim and never returns. A penetrating character study into the nature of denial, Under the Sand showcases Rampling at her very best in a role that most comparable American actresses would kill for in Hollywood.

La fille seule / A Single Girl
This sparkling, slice-of-life tale from French director Benoit Jacquot takes place in real time as 19-year-old Parisian Valerie (Virginie Ledoyen, in a solid performance) spends her first day on a new job in a chic hotel. As Valerie moves through her schedule, she muses about her future and her byzantine life -- which just became more complicated after revealing to her sullen, unemployed boyfriend (Benoit Magimel) that she's four weeks pregnant.

The Widow of Saint-Pierre
Director: Patrice Leconte. French title: La veuve de Saint-Pierre. With Juliette Binoche and Daniel Auteuil. 1849, on the cod islands of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, two drunk men commit a senseless murder. One is sentenced to death and must wait in the custody of the captain of the island's guard until a guillotine can arrive from Martinique. During the months of waiting, the convict Neel Auguste becomes the protégé of the captain's wife, Madame La. As she guides Neel to redemption through good works, sobriety, and study, the men of the small French elite who govern the islands criticize the captain for the latitude he gives his wife. He offends them further through his extraordinary love for her, his abrupt manner, and his growing defense of Neel. What will he do when the guillotine arrives?

Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien
Director: Dominik Moll. English title: With a Friend Like Harry. On a hot day in a highway gas station men's room, a man Michel doesn't recognize says they went to school together. He's Harry. He suggests they have a drink, so he and his girlfriend follow Michel and his family to their summer place. Michel is amazed when Harry quotes from memory a poem Michel wrote in school. Harry thinks Michel is a great writer, and he's distressed that Michel hasn't written in years. Harry stays awhile (since his father's death, he's a man of leisure) and sets out to eliminate distractions that might keep Michel from writing. First he buys Michel a car (with air conditioning) and then suspicious things happen. Michel picks up a pen, Harry is gratified, but he's not finished being Michel's self-appointed patron.

The Gleaners and I / Les glaneurs et la glaneuse
Agnes Varda's no-holds-barred documentary about scavengers and recyclers is an insouciant treat from beginning to end. Inspired by Jean-François Millet's famous painting "Les Glaneuses," Varda strikes out with just a hand-held digital camera in search of the modern equivalent of Millet's grain field gleaners. She finds her quarry at dumpsters, outdoor markets and roadsides across France. A unique film with an unexpectedly obtuse perspective.

The Crimson Rivers / Les rivières pourpres
Two French cops (Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel) investigating separate murders in the French Alps find a link between the killings -- both of which involve mutilated corpses with severed hands. As more murders occur, the two policemen uncover an increasing number of horrific details behind the crimes. French director Mathieu Kassovitz filmed the psychological thriller on location in the Alps, offering a beautiful backdrop to a frightening film.

Happenstance / Le battement d'aile du papillon
It's six degrees of separation with a twist in Happenstance, French director Laurent Firode's first film, starring Amélie's Audrey Tautou. When Irene (Tautou), a hopelessly romantic sales clerk, exchanges glances with a young restaurateur on the Metro, it's love at first sight. But fate keeps them from meeting, and we follow these two through the rest of their day as they continually intersect people who continually intersect each other.

Va Savoir / Go Figure
Director: Jacques Rivette. Camille, a young French actress, precipitously left Paris to start a new life. When her popularity propells her to fame, she begins touring in Paris, acting in a series of performances. But Camille is quickly confronted with the past she fled... and her new lover begins searching for the truth.
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1999 Films

La bûche
Director: Danièle Thompson. With Sabine Azéma, Emmanuelle Béart, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Christmas, family, and infidelity. Yvette's husband has died, and her grown daughters join her at the grave: Sonia, wealthy, bourgeois, and generous; Louba, living with their dad Stanislas, singing at a Russian restaurant, penniless, the mistress for the past 12 years of a man who will never leave his wife; Milla, the youngest, acerbic, lonesome. Christmas was when they learned their parents were divorcing 25 years ago. Over the next few days, yuletide depression, Louba's pregnancy, Sonia's crumbling marriage, Stanislas's overtures to Yvette, and Milla's attraction to the man who's her father's rent-free lodger lead each one to re-examine self, family, and hopes. Is renewal possible?

The Taste of Others / Le goût des autres
Sometimes, great actresses don't get the breaks, hash-dealing barmaids can find love, and the desire to become culturally enlightened just isn't enough. An ensemble cast -- including Anne Alvaro, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Alain Chabat, Agnes Jaoui and Brigitte Catillon -- plays out the extraordinary dreams of ordinary people in this humorously poignant film from first-time French director Agnes Jaoui.

Balzac: A Life of Passion
Cast partly because of his resemblance to Rodin's sculpture of the writer, Gérard Depardieu plays French literary genius Honoré de Balzac in this miniseries made for French TV. The program focuses on Balzac's troubled relationships with women and how those relationships inspired his greatest works. Jeanne Moreau plays Balzac's cold and overcritical mother; Virna Lisa is his high-society lover; and Fanny Ardent is Countess Eve Hanska, the married noblewoman for whom he pined.

Venus Beauty Institute / Vénus Beauté
Director: Tonie Marshall. Unable or unwilling to find a long-term romance, aging hair stylist Angèle (Nathalie Baye) settles for the salon's distaff camaraderie and for living by proxy through her co-workers. But her life gets upended when a stranger -- a shaggy-haired, bohemian stud named Antoine (Samuel Le Bihan) -- abruptly declares his love for her. The guarded Angèle faces a dilemma: Should she take a chance on intimacy, or remain inside her protective shell?

An Affair of Love
A nameless woman (Nathalie Baye) places an ad searching for "a pornographic affair." A nameless man (Sergi Lopez) answers. They correspond, meet and begin an affair as mysterious as their hidden desires. After the liaison ends, the two confess their feelings to an interviewer. Director Frédéric Fonteyne's touching drama offers a fascinating look at how sex without love can still evoke powerful emotions and alter lives.

Un pont entre deux rives / The Bridge
In 1960s France, housewife Mina (Carole Bouquet) is looking for an escape from her mundane existence. She finds solace by going to the movies with her 15-year-old son (Stanislas Crevillén). But when she meets the handsome Matthias (Charles Berling) -- and her husband, Georges (Gérard Depardieu), is sent out of town for work -- Mina finds herself torn between her family and newfound passion. Depardieu also directs this touching drama.

Children of the Century / Les enfants du siècle
Director: Diane Kyris. The true story of the 2-year romance between burgeoning French author George Sand (Juliette Binoche) and a much younger poet, Alfred de Musset (Benoit Magimel), whom she meets when she flees to Paris in the early 1830s after leaving her husband. Sand's affair with Musset and her pre-feminist behavior make her the scandal of the city, as she develops the personality that would later make her one of the century's most famous literary figures.

My Father, My Mother, My Brothers and My Sisters / Mon Père, Ma Mère, Mes Frères et Mes Soeurs
Holidays tend to bring families together … sometimes with disastrous results! This quirky, feel-good family adventure tells the story of Anne (Victoria Abril), a young, vivacious woman who has three children by three different men. The children don't know who their fathers are, and the fathers don't know they've had children with Anne. When they all check into the same hotel on the coast of Mexico, it's holiday mayhem!

1998 Films

The Dinner Game / Le dîner de cons
Director: Francis Veber. A group of French intellectuals gather each Wednesday for the dinner game, where the challenge is to bring along the most idiotic guest each can find. Pierre (Thierry Lhermitte) thinks he's found a ringer in François (Jacques Villeret), a civil servant whose passion is making architectural models out of matchsticks. But Pierre gets more than he bargained for when François becomes his houseguest -- and nursemaid! Excellent comedy!

Un air de famille
Director: Cédric Klapisch. A sharp and biting comic drama about a dysfunctional family. An upper middle-class French family celebrates a birthday in a restaurant. In one evening and during one meal, family history, tensions, collective and separate grudges, delights, and memories both clash and coalesce.

Artemisia
The 17th century is no place for a budding female artist -- even for Artemisia Gentileschi (Valentina Cervi), the teenage daughter of one of the most revered Italian painters. Barred from fully practicing her art, she finds a tutor -- and a lover -- in painter Agostino Tassi (Miki Manojlovic), who was later tried for her rape. Based on actual events, the film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Dreamlife of Angels / La Vie Rêvée Des Anges
Optimistic wanderer "Isa" (Élodie Bouchez) lands a job at a dress factory where she befriends the pessimistic, rebellious Marie (Natacha Régnier). Gradually, a close friendship forms and the two become roommates, but when Marie falls into a passionate affair with a cocky young man, the relationship deteriorates. Bouchez and Régnier both garnered Best Actress honors at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for their roles in this powerful drama.

The Ice Rink
Bruce Campbell stars in this airy French comedy as an American actor who arrives in France to appear in a film, only to find that the director (Novembre) has decided to shoot the entire film on an ice rink. Unfortunately, the crew can't skate, the leading lady (Chaplin) is a wannabe diva, the Lithuanian Hockey Team forgot to bring a puck, and the rink director is using this as an opportunity to relive his glory days as a skater. A madcap romantic comedy.
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1997 Films

Ma vie en rose
Director: Alain Berliner. Seven-year-old Ludovic (Georges Du Fresne) is convinced he's a girl trapped in a boy's body in this whimsical Belgian film. His expressions of sexual identity, which include wearing dresses and starring in a classroom performance of "Snow White," put a strain on his family and elicit teasing and intolerance from his schoolmates and neighbors. Ma vie en rose was an international film festival smash and received a Best Foreign Film Golden Globe.

1996 Films

Ponette
Director: Jacques Doillon. When her mother dies in a car accident, 4-year-old Ponette (Victoire Thivisol) is left physically and emotionally scarred and in the care of her grief-stricken father. Sent to live with family for a while, Ponette sullenly navigates a world made up mostly of children's faces and slowly comes to terms with her loss. Thivisol's powerful, haunting performance earned her a Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival in 1996.

Ridicule
Director: Patrice Leconte. In the periwigged and opulent France of Louis XVI, an unwitting nobleman soon discovers that survival at court demands both a razor wit and an acid tongue.

La promesse / The Promise
A young man is born into a world of crime in this Belgian drama. Roger (Olivier Gourmet) is a businessman who protects illegal aliens if they agree to work for his company. His son, Igor (Jeremie Renier), has learned his father's corrupt ways and becomes entangled in a web of deceit; eventually, he must choose between his father and the affection of a young widow. Named Best Foreign Language Film by America's National Society of Film Critics.

Conte d'été / A Summer's Tale
Aspiring musician Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud) spends the summer at the beach, waiting for his girlfriend, Lena (Aurelia Nolin), to arrive. But he ends up finding love again -- and again. First, it's with brainy waitress Margot (Amanda Langlet), and then with boldly sexy Solene (Gwenaelle Simon). When Lena finally arrives, he must choose between several alluring options. The film is the third in French director Eric Rohmer's "Four Seasons" series.

1995 Films

La cérémonie
Director: Claude Chabrol. With Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Bonnaire. Sophie, a quiet and shy maid working for the upper-class family Lelievre, hides her illiteracy under the cloak of a perfect household and obedience. She finds a friend in the energetic and uncompromising postmaster Jeanne, who encourages her to stand up against her bourgeois employers. Things start to escalate as the Lelievres find out that Sophie can't read and has brought Jeanne into their house against their wish.

Les Misérables
Director: Claude Lelouch. This brilliant film manages to reinterpret the story of Victor Hugo's classic novel, critique it, and investigate the nature of art and life on top of that--all in three hours that zip past, fueled by the dynamic performance of French icon Jean-Paul Belmondo. In 1900, Henri Fortin (Belmondo) is wrongfully imprisoned for murder; his loyal wife is forced into menial labor and prostitution; then in the beginning of World War II, Fortin's son (Belmondo again) helps a Jewish family elude the Nazis, setting in motion his own imprisonment, escape, and adventures as a criminal.

The Horseman on the Roof
Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau. French title: Le hussard sur le toit. Olivier Martinez ( Unfaithful , The Chambermaid ) plays Angelo, an exceptionally gallant, Italian soldier-in-exile hiding out from his Austrian enemies in rural France, where a cholera epidemic is sweeping the countryside. Helped in a tough spot by a countess (Juliette Binoche), Angelo swears his unyielding protection to her as she searches for her missing husband. The nobler virtues hold sway as Martinez suppresses his own deepening love and desire for the lady, an admirable posture that has ironic consequences when the countess herself becomes deathly ill.

The City of Lost Children / La cité des enfants perdus
Nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, this sci-fi fairy tale features stunning visuals from directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. With mad scientist Krank kidnapping children to steal their dreams, only brave young Miette (Judith Vittet) and a kindhearted circus strongman (Ron Perlman) can save them. Part fantastic vision, part nightmare, this production used more special effects than any other French film to date.

Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud
Director: Claude Sautet. A cerebral attraction blossoms between a dignified, plutocratic former magistrate and the dynamic young woman he hires to record his memoirs. A subdued yet poignant love story from the director of Un coeur en hiver .

French Twist
Laurent (Alain Chabat) thought he knew his wife, Loli (Victoria Abril), quite well. Chronically unfaithful, Laurent believes Loli is happy and will be hurt by news of his infidelities. But when a truck breaks down in front of their home and its owner, a female plumber (Josiane Balasko, who also directed this French film), asks to use the phone, Laurent discovers he and his wife have something in common: a sexual attraction to women.

Hate / La haine
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz. Injured by a police inspector during an interrogation, Abdel is at a hospital, almost dead. In the suburbs where he lives, some riots happened during the night, and one policeman lost his gun. One of Abdel's friends, Vinz, finds it. Vinz and his two pals, Said and Hubert, have nothing to do so they try to kill time. Vinz swears that if Abdel dies, he will shoot a policeman...
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1994 Films

La reine Margot
Director: Patrice Chéreau. With Isabelle Adjani and Daniel Auteuil. The night of August 24, 1572, is known as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. In France a religious war is raging. In order to impose peace a forced wedding is arranged between Margot de Valois, sister of the immature Catholic King Charles IX, and the Hugenot King Henri of Navarre. Catherine of Medici maintains her behind-the-scenes power by ordering assaults, poisonings, and instigations to incest.

White / Trois couleurs: Blanc
Julie Delpy stars in Krzysztof Kieslowski's dark comedy (the middle segment in his "three colors" trilogy) about the price of passion. Polish immigrant Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) is humiliated in a public courtroom by his wife (Delpy) during their divorce proceedings. Shamed and brokenhearted, he finds an ally in a fellow countryman. The two concoct a way back to post-Communist Poland, where Karol sets about rebuilding his life.

Red / Trois couleurs: Rouge
Krzysztof Kieslowski strikes again with Red, the final film in his "three colors" trilogy. In this meditation on the need for passion and human connection, an accident brings together two very different people -- Valentine (Irene Jacob), a model, and Joseph (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a retired judge. Since love chooses to pair people at random, theirs becomes a fated, deeply improbable, but true romance.

Revenge of the Musketeers
Director: Bertrand Tavernier. Eloise (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of D'Artagnan, was raised in a nunnery and has dedicated herself to helping the less fortunate. But when she discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king of France, she enlists the aid of her father and his retired Musketeer cohorts to stop the conspirators. Pulse-pounding sword fights and tons of treachery follow as Eloise and the Musketeers fight for their lives and the honor of their king.

La séparation
After several years together raising a young child, married couple Pierre (Daniel Auteuil) and Anne (Isabelle Huppert) realize their passion for one another is fading. But when Anne reveals that she's in love with someone else after a party one night, the news doesn't necessarily mean the relationship is over. Based on a novel by Dan Franck, the film follows the couple's journey through Pierre's sad eyes.

Café au lait
Three's a crowd, especially when it comes to love. Actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz's bold film epitomizes this mystery as it tells the story of Lola (Julie Mauduech), a West Indian woman who's torn between two very different lovers: witty Jewish messenger Felix (Kassovitz) and the rich and reserved Jamal (Hubert Kounde). But there's an additional wrinkle: Lola's pregnant, and she has no idea which of the men is the father.

1993 Films

Un coeur en hiver
Director: Claude Sautet. English title: A Heart in Winter. Daniel Auteuil plays Stephane, the curiously diffident coowner of an exclusive violin brokerage and repair shop. A brilliant technician, Stephane can make any instrument live up to its promise, yet he is emotionally remote himself, disconnected from passionate experience. His partner, Maxime (André Dussollier), lacks Stephane's gifts but is rich in personality and desire. When Maxime's new lover, a violinist named Camille (Emmanuelle Béart), is drawn to Stephane's still waters, the latter is briefly moved, thus destroying the fragile, symbiotic relationship between all three individuals.

Blue / Trois couleurs: Bleu
The first installment of Polish cinematic genius Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy, Blue stands for liberty (in the French national motto) and is the first color of the French flag. A young Frenchwoman (Juliette Binoche) tries to uncover her famous composer husband's secret life after he dies mysteriously. Each step takes her both closer to and further from the truth as she journeys on a path ultimately leading to self-discovery.

The Visitors / Les visiteurs
A senile sorcerer accidentally transports a medieval nobleman (Jean Reno) and his squire (Christian Clavier) to contemporary times. Afraid of getting stuck in the future for good, the nobleman enlists the aid of his descendant to find a way to send him back to the 12th century; meanwhile, he tries to cope with the technological and cultural changes of the 20th century. An all-out assault on his former castle -- now a luxury hotel -- soon follows.
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1992 Films

Indochine
A wealthy plantation owner (Catherine Deneuve) and her adopted daughter (Linh Dan Pham) are living in French Indochina when civil war erupts. When both women fall for the same French naval officer, their relationship becomes tumultuous. Directed by Régis Wargnier, this lavish, elegant film won both the Oscar and Golden Globe awards for Best Foreign Language Film as well as numerous French Academy of Cinema awards.

The Lover / L'amant
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud. Set in French Colonial Vietnam in 1929, this Oscar-nominated film explores the erotic charge of forbidden love. A 15-year-old French girl is sent to a Saigon boarding school, where she meets a 32-year-old Chinese aristocrat. Love at first sight leads to a liaison where the lovers revel in a variety of sexual encounters. They both realize that their love is doomed, however, as neither of their families will approve of the interracial coupling.

1991 Films

My Father's Glory
Director: Yves Robert. French title: La gloire de mon père. A young boy's life in turn-of-the-century France. Marcel, witnesses the success of his teacher father, as well as the success of his arrogant Uncle Jules. Marcel and family spend their summer vacation in a cottage in Provence, and Marcel befriends a local boy who teaches him the secrets of the hills in Provence.

My Mother's Castle
Director: Yves Robert. French title: Le château de ma mère. Every holiday Marcel and his family go to their cottage in the Provence (France). He likes the hills in this region. Before they arrive at the cottage they have to walk about 5 miles. With the co-operation of an ex-pupil of Marcels father, who's a teacher, they only have to walk 1 mile, since they can take a shortcut along a canal, through the backyards of some excentric people. During one of these holidays he meets Isabelle, a pretty but conceited girl.

La belle noiseuse / The Beautiful Troublemaker
Director: Jacques Rivette. An embittered French painter named Frenhofer (Michel Piccoli) hasn't painted in years, but he's inspired when he meets the lovely girlfriend of a guest in his chateau. Following his muse, Frenhofer decides to finish work on his long-neglected masterpiece, "La Belle Noiseuse." And his young model will do all she can to keep him focused.

Les amants de Pont-Neuf / The Lovers On the Bridge
Directed by Leos Carax, this cult hit stars Denis Lavant as Alex, a homeless, fire-eating addict living on the Pont Neuf, an abandoned bridge in Paris that's under renovation for the bicentennial celebration of the French Revolution. When Alex meets Michele (Juliette Binoche), a starving artist who's losing her only asset -- her vision -- these two lost souls come together to become whole again in a most unexpected way.

Delicatessen
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet. In a post-apocalyptic world, the residents of an apartment above the butcher shop receive an occasional delicacy of meat, something that is in low supply. A young man new in town falls in love with the butcher's daughter, which causes conflicts in her family, who need the young man for other business-related purposes.

Madame Bovary
Director Claude Chabrol's masterful adaptation of the classic Gustave Flaubert novel. When crude country girl Emma (Isabelle Huppert) meets meek wealthy doctor Charles Bovary (Jean-François Balmer), she sees a ticket out of her meager existence. But Emma soon finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage and, possessed by a burning hunger for life and love, pursues scandalous affairs that threaten to destroy the lives of those around her.

1990 Films

Cyrano de Bergerac
Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau. A dashing officer of the guard and romantic poet, Cyrano de Bergerac (Gérard Depardieu) falls in love with his cousin Roxane (Anne Brochet) without her knowing. His one fault in his life, he feels, is his large nose and although it may have been a forming influence in his rapier-sharp wit, he believes that Roxane will reject him. He resorts to writing letters to her on behalf of one of his cadets, Christian, who is also in love with Roxane but just doesn't know how to tell her. She falls for the poetic charm of the letters but believes that they were written by Christian.

La femme Nikita
Internationally acclaimed director Luc Besson delivers the action-packed story of Nikita (Anne Parillaud), a ruthless street junkie whose killer instincts could make her the perfect weapon. Recruited against her will into a secret government organization, Nikita is broken and transformed into a sexy, sophisticated "lethal weapon." Later remade in the United States as Point of No Return , starring Bridget Fonda.
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Selection of Films before 1990

Une affaire de femmes / Story of Women (1989)
Director: Claude Chabrol. This drama is based on the true story of Marie-Louise Girard (Isabelle Huppert), a French woman put to death for performing unlawful abortions -- an occupation she stumbles into when a friend asks for her assistance in ending a pregnancy. More a sensible businesswoman than a champion of women's rights, Girard finds this practicality extends to the bedroom as well, as she sleeps with a colleague to gain some sexual satisfaction of her own.

Camille Claudel (1989)
Director: Bruno Nuytten. With Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu. Biography of Camille Claudel. Sister of writer Paul Claudel, her enthusiasm impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and for Rodin. She also becomes his mistress. But after a while, she would like to get out of his shadow...

Trop belle pour toi / Too Beautiful For You (1989)
Director: Bertrand Blier. Handsome car salesman Bernard Barthélémy is the envy of all his friends. He seemingly has it all: a steady job, nice house and a beautiful wife. But what they don't know is that Bernard is utterly unfulfilled by all of these things. He begins an affair with Colette, his somewhat frumpy temporary secretary -- and falls hopelessly in love. It's the most satisfying relationship of his life, but it just might cost him everything he has.

36 Fillette (1988)
While vacationing with her family, 14-year-old Lili (Delphine Zentout) vows to lose her virginity. She attracts the attention of a good-looking, middle-aged playboy (Jean-Pierre Léaud) and seduces him with the skill of an adult and the naiveté of a child. But another chance encounter with a musician furthers her journey toward sexual awakening in this film based on the popular novel by writer-director Catherine Breillat.

Chocolat (1988)
Based on director Claire Denis's childhood memories, Chocolat examines the devastating effect of French colonialism through the eyes of a young girl coming of age in 1950s West Africa. When a plane makes an emergency landing in the isolated colonial post where 8-year-old France (Cecile Ducasse) lives, a diverse group of whites and Africans is stranded and must stay with France's family, forcing sexual, social and class tensions to arise.

Le grand bleu / The Big Blue (1988)
Director: Luc Besson. Jacques (Jean-Marc Barr) and Enzo (Jean Reno) are childhood friends who grow into fierce rivals in the deadly sport of deep-water diving. Jacques is more dolphin than man -- but that's not enough to keep insurance investigator Johanna (Rosanna Arquette) from falling head over heels for him. But can she keep him from risking it all to defeat Enzo and set a new world record?

Jean de Florette (1987)
Director: Claude Berri. With Gérard Depardieu, Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil. In a rural French village an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, so are dismayed to hear the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts they think only of getting the water.

Manon des sources / Manon of the Spring (1987)
Director: Claude Berri. In this sequel to Jean de Florette , Manon (Emmanuelle Béart) has grown into a beautiful young shepherdess living in the idyllic Provencal countryside. She determines to take revenge upon the men responsible for the death of her father in the first film.

Au revoir les enfants (1987)
Director: Louis Malle. During WWII, in a Catholic boarding school in the French countryside, two boys become friends. One is a French boy, Julien Quintin, and the other is a Jewish boy, Jean Bonnet, who is being hidden from the Nazis by the friars who run the school. Louis Malle directed this film based on what actually happened when he was at a boarding school himself during the war. This film was nominated for two Oscars and won 21 awards around the world.

The Decline of the American Empire / Le Déclin de l'Empire Américain (1986)
Nine friends gather for dinner, but the evening deteriorates when they start talking about their sexual activities -- some with people gathered at the table. Canadian director Denys Arcand deftly explores the subjects of infidelity, marriage and sex in this ribald yet rueful Oscar-nominated movie. Stars Remy Girard, Dorothee Berryman, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Rioux, Louise Portal, Gabriel Arcand, Yves Jacques, Dominique Michel and Daniel Briere.

Betty Blue / 37°2 le matin (1986)
Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix. Betty Blue (Beatrice Dalle) suffers from mental problems and is inclined to irrational bouts of passionate fury when she begins a steamy sexual relationship with Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a handyman and writer. Eventually, Betty's mental issues catch up to her -- will she and Zorg be able to start their life anew, or does Betty's instability mark the end of their relationship?
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Trois hommes et un couffin / Three Men and a Cradle (1986)
Director: Coline Serreau. Bachelors Pierre (Roland Giraud), Michel (Michel Boujenah) and Jacques (Andre Dussollier) have their lives turned upside down when an infant houseguest is dropped at their doorstep, apparently the product of one of Jacques's flings. Caring for the baby until her mother (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) returns, the first-time fathers get a crash course in parenting. This French comedy inspired the Hollywood hit Three Men and a Baby.

L'effrontée (1985)
Director Claude Miller explores the bliss and pain so twinned in first loves. A young woman, Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg), befriends Clara (Bernadette Lafont), a pianist, and they instantly make a connection. Through Clara, Charlotte meets the much older Jean (Jean-Claude Brialy), a man who works in a piano factory, and promptly falls in love. But she soon realizes she cares for both Clara and Jean in surprisingly similar ways.

Subway (1985)
Director: Luc Besson. Fleeing the corporate world, a safecracker named Fred (Christopher Lambert) decides to start a new life in the tunnels of the Paris Metro. Once underground, Fred meets a gang of eccentrics who call the subway home. Together, they form a rock band. Meanwhile, Fred is simultaneously seducing and blackmailing the wife (Isabelle Adjani) of his former boss -- the man whose safe he just robbed. Soon, Fred is trying to outrun both sides of the law.

Les compères (1984)
Director: Francis Veber. With Depardieu and Pierre Richard. Unable to find her runaway son, a woman deceives two of her ex-lovers from her youth, a mild-mannered teacher and a tough journalist, that each is the real father in order to obtain their help. Comedy.

Pauline at the Beach / Pauline à la plage (1983)
This seemingly simple French comedy about a seaside romance boasts strong performances and unexpected depth. Continuing his "Comedies et Proverbes" series, director Eric Rohmer explores how two cousins, the inexperienced Pauline and the advice-ready Marion, juggle their summertime beaus. While Pauline learns some important lessons in love, Marion is the one who doesn't end up the wiser.

Diva (1981)
Action, arias and assassins all collide in Diva, a romantic thriller directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix. When 18-year-old Jules secretly tapes the concert of a superstar diva who refuses to be recorded, he accidentally winds up with another tape that identifies a top mobster involved in an international sex and drug ring. Suddenly, Jules is being chased through the streets of Paris by blackmailers, hit men and the police!

La femme d'à côté (1981)
Director: François Truffaut. English title: The Woman Next Door. With Fanny Ardant and Gérard Depardieu. Madame Jouve, the narrator, tells the tragedy of Bernard and Mathilde. Bernard was living happily with his wife Arlette and his son Thomas. One day, a couple, Philippe and Mathilde Bauchard, moves into the next house. This is the accidental reunion of Bernard and Mathilde, who had a passionate love affair years ago. The relationship revives... A somber study of human feelings.

La cage aux folles (1979)
Director: Edouard Molinaro. After son Laurent (Rémi Laurent) turns up and announces his impending nuptials, transvestite-nightclub owner Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and his drag-queen star attraction, Albin (Michel Serrault), agree to keep their gay lifestyle under wraps for the benefit of the bride-to-be's ultraconservative parents. When the prospective in-laws come to dinner, Renato and Albin masquerade as a straight, married couple -- with farcical results.

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs / Préparez vos mouchoirs (1978)
Bertrand Blier's unconventional, sophisticated French comedy follows two men -- Raoul (Gerard Depardieu) and Stephane (Patrick Dewaere) -- who try everything to make the insatiable Solange (Carole Laure) happy. But their efforts fail when they lose her to a precocious 13-year-old boy. Winner of the 1979 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

The Story of Adèle H. (1975)
Director: François Truffaut. French title: L'histoire d'Adèle H. With Isabelle Adjani. Halifax, 1863. A young woman, miss Lewly, comes to Halifax to search for Lt Pinson, whom she is madly in love with. Actually, she is Adele Hugo, the second daughter of the great French poet. The Lt Pinson does not answer to her love and made her understand it is hopeless. But Adele is obsessed by him and keeps chasing and harassing him. This film about passionnate and obesseive love, and self-destruction, has been written from real Adele Hugo's diary.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie / Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972)
In Luis Bunuel's deliciously satiric, Oscar-winning masterpiece, an upper-class sextet sits down to dinner but never eats, their attempts continually thwarted by a vaudevillian mixture of events both actual and imagined. Perhaps his greatest film, Bunuel's absurdist view of the upper class is a timeless satire about consumerism and class privilege in a late capitalist world.
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L'amour l'après-midi / Chloe in the Afternoon (1972)
Director: Eric Rohmer. Though happily married, Frederic (Bernard Verley) can't seem to stop himself from eyeing every beautiful woman who passes him on the street. Feeling trapped by the shackles of commitment, he seeks out an ex-lover (Zouzou), who's returned to Paris with a man she doesn't really love. What begins as an occasional -- and innocent -- afternoon rendezvous between old friends soon turns into a mutual attraction that neither can fight.

Le souffle au coeur (1971)
Director: Louis Malle. This is a jolly coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy named Laurent Chevalier who is growing up in bourgeois surroundings in Dijon, France. This is France in the mid-1950s rather than America in the 1990s. Thus, Laurent is unharmed by events which would irreparably shatter the self-esteem of a modern American adolescent: he gets drunk, he smokes, he has sex (including incestuous sex), he is smothered by his mother, he is ignored by his father, a priest makes a pass at him, he gets rheumatoid fever, etc. There's enough scandalous behavior in this film to make 100 made-for-TV movies, and yet this is a very happy and oddly innocent tale.

Le genou de Claire / Claire's Knee (1970)
Director Eric Rohmer likes his erotica spiced with talky foreplay, and Claire's Knee is no exception. The fifth in Rohmer's "Six Moral Tales" series tells the story of Jerome (Jean-Claude Brialy), a cultural attaché enjoying his last holiday before getting married. He grows obsessed with teenager Claire, but fights his urges by permitting himself the singular pleasure of touching her knee.

Belle de jour (1967)
Director: Luis Buñuel. Severine (Catherine Deneuve) is a beautiful young woman married to a doctor. She loves her husband dearly, but cannot bring herself to be physically intimate with him. She indulges instead in vivid, kinky, erotic fantasies to entertain her sexual desires. Eventually she becomes a prostitute, working in a brothel in the afternoons while remaining chaste in her marriage. A classic.

Vie privée (1962)
Director: Louis Malle. English title: A Very Private Affair. With Brigitte Bardot and Marcello Mastroianni. When Jill becomes a movie star, she soon discovers that her private life is destroyed by persistent fans that won't leave her alone. Her mothers ex-lover, Fabio, tries to protect her.

A bout de souffle (1961)
Director: Jean-Luc Godard. English title: Breathless. Michel (Belmondo) is a young thug who romantically models himself on Humphrey Bogart. While driving a stolen car, Michel shoots the policeman pursuing him. Penniless and on the run from the police, he turns to his American girlfriend Patricia (Jean Seberg), a student and aspiring journalist. Michel tries to persuade Patricia to run away to Italy with him in order to evade the police. As Michel continues to roam round Paris the police net tightens. Partricia does not agree to go the Italy with him but instead causes his tragic end.

Jules et Jim (1961)
Director: François Truffaut. With Jeanne Moreau. In Paris, 1900, two friends, Jules (Austrian) and Jim (French) fall in love with the same woman, Catherine. But Catherine loves and marries Jules. After WWI, when they meet again in Germany, Catherine starts to love Jim. This is the story of three people in love, a love which does not affect their friendship, and about how their relationship envolves with the years.

Cléo de 5 à 7 (1961)
Director: Agnès Varda. This movie shows us Cléo, a French singer, who is afraid of getting the result of a doctor. She is of the opinion, that she has cancer, and believes that she will die of it. So we follow her for two hours trough Paris. At the end she meets a soldier who is going to war (Algier) the next day.

Tirez sur le pianiste (1960)
Director: François Truffaut. With Charles Aznavour. Charlie Kohler is a piano player in a bar. The waitress Lena is in love with him. One of Charlie's brother, Chico, a crook, takes refuge in the bar because he is chased by two gangsters, Momo and Ernest. We will discover that Charlie's real name is Edouard Saroyan, once a virtuose who gives up after his wife's suicide. Charlie now has to deal wih Chico, Ernest, Momo, Fido (his youngest brother who lives with him), and Lena.

Zazie dans le métro (1960)
Director: Louis Malle. This merry farce depicts a satirical view of the French society: Twelve year old Zazie has to stay two days with her relatives in Paris, so that her mother can spend some time with her lover. However Zazie escapes her uncle's custody and sets out to explore Paris on her own.
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Hiroshima mon amour (1959)
Director: Alain Resnais. A young French woman has spent the night with a Japanese man, at Hiroshima, where she went for the shooting of a film about peace. He reminds her of the first man she loved. It was during World War II, and he was a German soldier. The main themes of this film are memory and oblivion. This is an excellent film!

Le beau Serge (1958)
Director: Claude Chabrol. Often considered the real beginning of the French New Wave movement, this 1958 film, the first feature by Claude Chabrol, is also--strangely--underrated on its own terms. The story of a theology student (Jean-Claude Brialy) who returns to his provincial home town for convalescence and reunites with his unhappy childhood friend (Gerard Blain), the film introduces many of Chabrol's pet themes and interests, particularly the Hitchcockian relationship between two characters who transfer or implicitly share a private experience or fate. Chabrol's consideration of that idea would naturally deepen and become more complex over the years (brilliantly in 1969's La Femme Infidèle and Le Boucher ), but at this career flashpoint it is a little overstated and obvious in religious allusions. Still, Le Beau Serge is an engrossing film with no shortage of dramatic momentum. The final act, driven by the main character's efforts at self-sacrifice, is as affecting as ever.

Les 400 coups (1958)
Director: François Truffaut. English title: The 400 Blows. Antoine Doinel is a 12 year old Parisian. His parents do not show much interest in him. He skips school to go to the movies and play with his friends. He discovers his mother has a lover. Antoine steals a typewriter, which leads to his suspension from school.

Mon oncle / My Uncle (1958)
Jacques Tati (who also directs the film) plays Monsieur Hulot, a self-absorbed chucklehead wrestling with neoteric gadgetry -- and losing -- in this satirical masterpiece that makes sport of mechanization, class distinctions and modernity. While visiting his sister's surreal, ultra-trendy home, Hulot finds himself incessantly at odds with newfangled contraptions that get the better of him. The tongue-in-cheek French comedy garnered a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Diabolique / Les diaboliques (1955)
Henri-Georges Clouzot helmed this icy masterwork of homicide and Grand Guignol suspense. Clouzot's real-life wife, Véra, portrays Christina Delasalle, ailing spouse of the sadistic headmaster (Paul Meurisse) of a moldering private boarding school, and sexy Simone Signoret plays his manhandled mistress. Together, the women mastermind and execute his murder, but their plan goes haywire when the corpse vanishes.

Le salaire de la peur (1953)
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot. English title: The Wages of Fear. With Yves Montand. In the South American jungle supplies of nitroglycerene are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivallry develops between the two sets of drivers and on the rough remote roads the slightest jolt can result in death.

Le journal d'un curé de campagne (1951)
Director: Robert Bresson. In Ambricourt, a young Priest (Claude Laydu) arrives to be the local parish priest. The community of the small town does not accept him, and although having a serious disease in the stomach, the inexperienced and frail priest tries to help the dwellers, and has a situation with the wealthy family of the location.

Les enfants du paradis (1945)
Director: Marcel Carné. This tragic tale centers around the ill-fated love between Baptiste, a theater mime, and Claire Reine, an actress and otherwise woman-about-town who calls herself Garance. Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: Frederick, a pretentious actor; Lacenaire, a conniving thief; and Count Eduard of Monteray. The story is further complicated by Nathalie, an actress who is in love with Baptiste.
1995 was the centennial of the invention of movies. In Stockholm the event was celebrated, inter alia, by showing 'Les enfants du paradis' free of charge on the French National Day. It was presented as the best French movie ever made.

La règle du jeu (1939)
Director: Jean Renoir. The Rules of the Game must be the nearest thing in cinema to an undisputed masterpiece, a movie universally cherished by critics and film-lovers, central to the work of film theorists, and revered by filmmakers. But on its first release in 1939 it was a disaster with the public and it won few defenders in the press. Renoir had planned his new film as a comedy of manners in a popular French tradition. This entertainment, showcasing French ensemble performance at its finest, was designed to accommodate Renoir's darker purpose--"a precise description of today's bourgeoisie" at a time when there seemed to be no check on the triumph of Nazism. The depth and subtlety of Renoir's achievement was acclaimed at last in 1956, when a restored version was unveiled--the first ever release of a "Director's Cut."

La grande illusion (1937)
Director: Jean Renoir. During 1st WW, two French officers are captured. Captain De Boeldieu is an aristocrat while Lieutenant Marechal was a mechanic in civilian life. They meet other prisoners from various backgrounds, as Rosenthal, son of wealthy Jewish bankers. They are separated from Rosenthal before managing to escape. A few months later, they meet again in a fortress commanded by the aristocrat Van Rauffenstein. De Boeldieu strikes up a friendship with him but Marechal and Rosenthal still want to escape.

L'Atalante (1934)
Director: Jean Vigo. When Juliette marries Jean, she comes to live on his ship, on board of which are, besides the two of them, only a cabin boy and the strange old second mate Pere Jules. Soon bored by life on the river, she slips off to see the nightlife when they come to Paris. Angered by this, Jean sets off, leaving Juliette behind. Overcome by grief and longing for his wife, Jean falls into a depression and Pere Jules goes and tries to find Juliette.

Zéro de conduite (1932/1947)
Director: Jean Vigo. It's hard to believe that this fantastical tale of a schoolboy rebellion was banned in its native France for 12 years following its initial 1933 release (for supposed anti-French sentiment). Perhaps the French authorities were remembering director Jean Vigo's father, a famous French anarchist who died in prison, or just concerned that Vigo was revealing too much of his own unhappy youth spent in boarding schools. They needn't have worried. Zero in Conduct is much more a childhood fantasy than a social critique, focusing on three particularly naughty boys who are constantly being threatened with a "zero in conduct" for their bad behavior. The rebellion in question is no armed revolt but a raucous pillow fight and a few stones thrown from a roof, all to the chant "Down with teachers, down with school." Filmed in magical black and white by Boris Kaufman--winner of the Academy Award for cinematography in 1954 for On the Waterfront (and brother of filmmakers Mikhail Kaufman and Dziga Vertov)-- Zero in Conduct is a film for film lovers. Jean Vigo died in 1935, when he was 29 years old, leaving behind only three films. But his influence, strongly evident here in the surrealism and fascinating early special effects (including a drawing that springs to life on the page), long outlives him. Each year a filmmaker with "independence of spirit and quality of directing" is honored with the French award in his name.

Un Chien Andalou (1928)
Artist Salvador Dali and novice (at the time) director Luis Buñuel came together to craft this unique film consisting of a jarring collage of absurd and deplorable images aimed at raising more than a few eyebrows. Images include a razor slicing a woman's eye; a man hauling a giant piano; ants circling a hole in a man's hand; and more, including assorted detached body parts and futile murders. Originally a silent film; a score was later added.

Napoléon (1927)
Director: Abel Gance. This masterpiece is absolutely indispensable for silent-film buffs or anyone interested in classic world cinema. From the future emperor's first strategic victory, a schoolyard snowball fight, to the climactic invasion of Italy, Napoleon truly rules! This is no static, antiquated relic. Among Gance's innovations was to free the camera (for one battle scene, he had it mounted on horseback!). The film's justly celebrated climax features a triptych of synchronized images that anticipates by more than 30 years Cinerama and widescreen. But more than a triumph of filmmaking, Napoleon is a triumph of film restoration and was a boon to the vital cause of film preservation. Gance's movie was long thought lost. But historian Kevin Brownlow, with the cooperation of film archives from around the world, spent more than a decade painstakingly reassembling it. Francis Ford Coppola's name (not to mention a reported quarter of a million of his dollars) helped find Napoléon the audience this film so richly deserves.

Sources: Amazon; Netflix; IMDb (International Movie Database)

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