# Favorite French Film(s)



## Vox Impopuli (Sep 18, 2010)

I've been looking around a lot for good French movies (in french). I've watched a few and loved most of them. Any suggestions? What are your favorites?


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## PupSchoonagliffen (Sep 20, 2011)

Maybe "Delicatessen"? It's a post-apocalyptic movie about people who eat other people... it's quite special...
I would've posted a link to it, but PerC wouldn't let me, so you'll have to IMDB it yourself, if you're interested .


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## Werewolfen (Sep 1, 2009)

Vidocq (2001) , with Gerard Depardieu. If you like mysteries.


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## Adrift (Apr 5, 2011)

I enjoyed Jean De Florette starring Gerard Depardieu and Le Maitre de Musique (The Music Teacher).


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## chocolatlover16 (Jan 23, 2012)

If you're into kind of experimental, new-wave French film, you've _got_ to watch _Breathless_ (Au Bout de Souffle)
_Mon Oncle_ is another new-wave one, but a lot "lighter" than Breathless
_Belle du Jour_ is considered a classic, but it's definitely NOT for everybody. 
If you're into period pieces/historical drama-comedy, try _Moliere_-- it imagines the beginning of Moliere's career and where he got the inspiration for his play _Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme_
Also _A Very Long Engagement-- _one of my personal favorites, also a period piece 
_La Reine Margot_ (Queen Margot) is kind of bloody and risqué, but it's another period piece, based on a book by Alexandre Dumas 
_The Bride Wore Black_ is good French film noir. 
_La Femme Nikita _(the original, came before the American film version and the TV series)-- a spy/assassin thriller movie

...if I can ever find the syllabus from the French film class I took, I'll post some more.


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## Soleil (Jan 15, 2011)

Amelie! It's my all time favorite movie.


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## Vox Impopuli (Sep 18, 2010)

chocolatlover16 said:


> If you're into kind of experimental, new-wave French film, you've _got_ to watch _Breathless_ (Au Bout de Souffle)
> _Mon Oncle_ is another new-wave one, but a lot "lighter" than Breathless
> _Belle du Jour_ is considered a classic, but it's definitely NOT for everybody.
> If you're into period pieces/historical drama-comedy, try _Moliere_-- it imagines the beginning of Moliere's career and where he got the inspiration for his play _Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme_
> ...


Brilliant suggestions! Just what I'm looking for )


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## thetruehell (Oct 31, 2011)

Try (Le nom des gens) (Indigènes)


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## Killjoy (Aug 5, 2010)

_Diary of a Country Priest_, _Last Year at Marienbad _and pretty much anything by Jean Pierre Melville.


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## Aurora Fire (Oct 13, 2008)

May I recommend Le Huitième Jour (although unfortunately it is very difficult to find), The Beat That My Heart Skipped, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Le Diner De Cons, La Question Humaine (I think the English title is Heartbeat Detector), anything by Jacques Tati, The City Of Lost Children (directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet) and Au Revoir Les Enfants. Un Coeur En Hiver is also worth a look.


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## SweetDreams (Feb 11, 2012)

400 blows
band of outsiders
and god created woman


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## Plaxico (Dec 11, 2010)

Only ones I've seen are Amelie and Effoyable Jardins.


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## FaveteLinguis (Mar 5, 2010)

Luc Besson's Angel-a might spark some interest.


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## OrdinarinessIsAFWTD (Jun 28, 2011)

Kieslowski's _Blue_ and _Red_ are both essential.

Also: _Rififi_ is a good choice if you like caper films.


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## Only_Forward (Sep 27, 2011)

My personal favourites, La Haine, Un Prophete, Russian Dolls and Mesrine.


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## Fizipop (Jan 30, 2012)

I absolutely loved Amelie-- great humor in that one.


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## Sily (Oct 24, 2008)

Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr. Hulot's Holiday) (1953)

He reminds me (his build) so much of Hunter Thompson. Even the white shoes and hat.


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## rycbar (Aug 2, 2011)

Leu Feu Follet
400 Blows
Contempt
A Woman Is a Woman

To name a few...


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## Senter (Nov 21, 2011)

the page turner
love songs 
pari je'taime

haven't seen all that many though. soooo yea.


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## HippoHunter94 (Jan 19, 2012)

Persepolis, but I loved The Artist quite a lot.


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## leafling (Dec 15, 2011)

What sort of French movies have you seen/enjoyed? That can help us with the suggestions.
Mentioned before that I also recommend: A Very Long Engagement, Amélie, The Beat That My Heart Skipped.

L'Auberge Espagnole and its sequel Russian Dolls are pretty funny, I really enjoyed them. 

If you like musicals, try Les Chansons d'Amour. I really love it. 

I've been meaning to watch Persepolis forever, I hear it's very good!


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## Marie Claire (Aug 12, 2011)

I recently saw Monsieur Lazhar, a French Canadian movie. I really enjoyed it.

Another really good movie is La grande séduction.


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## Ubbo (Apr 22, 2011)

Le cercle rouge by Jean-Pierre Melville.


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## she_sells_seashells (Nov 13, 2010)

À la folie... pas du tout (He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not), this movie is a little bit of a mindfuck. I rewatched in 3 times in a day to see why I didn't clue in initially. 
Ensemble, c'est tout (Hunting and Gathering) 
Les Chansons d'amour (Love Songs), with Louis Garrel who I think is kind of foxy. It sort of controversial I guess but I thought it was romantic for the most part. 
Jeux d'enfants (Love Me If You Dare) is absolutely adorable, plus Marion Cotillard and Guillame Canet are just an amazing couple in real life anyway. 
La troisième partie du monde, with Clémence Poésy and Gaspard Ulliel who are ridiculously good looking. Gaspard Ulliel is probably one of the sexiest men alive, hands down. 
Le dernier jour (The Last Day), also with Gaspard Ulliel. Its kind of a sad movie though.
Les Amours imaginaires (Heartbeats)
J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother)
C.R.A.Z.Y.
The Red Violin features some French but also German and Chinese but its such a great film. Its also Canadian. 
I'll think of more later. I used to love French movies.


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## Vox Impopuli (Sep 18, 2010)

Holden Irianu Martinson said:


> Persepolis, but I loved The Artist quite a lot.


Persepolis was a great film indeed.


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## Vox Impopuli (Sep 18, 2010)

leafstone said:


> What sort of French movies have you seen/enjoyed? That can help us with the suggestions.
> Mentioned before that I also recommend: A Very Long Engagement, Amélie, The Beat That My Heart Skipped.
> 
> L'Auberge Espagnole and its sequel Russian Dolls are pretty funny, I really enjoyed them.
> ...


I don't like restricting myself to genres, although musicals are not for me - I hated Moulin Rouge :l
Persepolis was brilliant. I could relate to the main character in many uncanny ways. You should watch it! As was Amelie- I kept tearing up. I watched Peirrot le fou, and although I liked the film, I think I may not have understood it's undertones.
I have A very long engagement on DVD, but haven't watched it as the subtitles are out os sync and my French comprehension is still pretty mediocre.


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## Misha (Dec 18, 2011)

Try _The Piano Teacher_ (aka La Pianiste) by Hanake. It's quite a provocative film.







This film deals with a very powerful and delicate issue: how dangerous it is to reveal your innermost fantasies to the one (you think) you love. We tend to think our own sexual fantasies must be as exciting to others as they are to ourselves, which may turn out to be a huge, embarrassing and sometimes tragic mistake. Here, the protagonist learns the lesson in the most painful and humiliating of ways.

I thought it was a deeply moving film, very disturbing and thought-provoking, with a handful of unforgettable scenes, and that's just all I ask of movies.

FYI, if you think this adapted film is too disturbing, wait till you read the book. Elfriede Jellinek is one of the best-known and praised authors in Austria and Europe (a nobel prize winner).


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## BeauGarcon (May 11, 2011)

The French are great at making light-comedies, psychological romance and unique dramas. I loved the movie 'Un Coeur En Hiver', very good movie albeit too short in my opinion (had an empty feeling at the end, I wanted more). 

It was great to see beautiful music being played and to not be synchronized with the image (I would have given the actress a week more to improve her musical instrument play imitation)


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## Fiamma (Jan 4, 2012)

I suggest :
. Stella -> Stella (2008) - IMDb
. Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain -> Amélie (2001) - IMDb
. C.R.A.Z.Y -> C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) - IMDb


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## Alice_Morgan (Dec 14, 2011)

Amelie. Granted, it's the _only_ French film I've ever seen, but it's still very good.


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## blueandviolet (Feb 13, 2012)

Jeux d'enfants (American title: Love Me If You Dare)

A story of two children who bond over a never ending dare game. Follows them through to adulthood. A romance, full of whimsy.

One of my favorite movies of all time, really.


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## kindaconfused (Apr 30, 2010)

chocolatlover16 said:


> Also _A Very Long Engagement-- _one of my personal favorites, also a period piece


That movie made me cry like a baby.


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## Shahada (Apr 26, 2010)

Misha said:


> Try _The Piano Teacher_ (aka La Pianiste) by Hanake. It's quite a provocative film.


I just saw this about a week ago and I'll second the recommendation - I'm a huge Haneke fan and this was definitely up to par with his other work. Definitely not an easy or cheery watch but a powerful one.

I've seen a few people recommend Melville but I don't know if anyone's recommended Army of Shadows yet, so I'll toss that one in as well. I'd recommend also watching The Battle of Algiers, as its a great accompaniment to that film in the sense that they are both "French" war films, but from different perspectives: Army of Shadows follows the French resistance against the WWII Nazi occupation, while Battle of Algiers is almost a docudrama about the independence war in Algeria, where native Algerians were pitted against French colonial troops. It's probably one of the best war films I've ever seen, it examines both sides of the conflict in detail and doesn't shy away from the ugly realities of war on either side. However after looking it up I just remembered it's actually technically Italian (Italian director, producer, studio etc) despite being in French and Arabic, but it's still a great film and a great companion piece to Army of Shadows.

I did see someone recommend Diary of a Country Priest, which I haven't seen, but I'll throw in another Bresson recommendation with Au Hasard Balthazar. I really need to see more of the guy's stuff, his style is mesmerizing.


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## mathis94 (Feb 17, 2012)

For a recent great French movie, I can advice you "Intouchable"


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## Seeker99 (Jan 13, 2010)

Quite possibly my favourite film of all time, absolutely recommend it: L'Hérison (The Hedgehog). So beautiful, so moving. I just have no words.

Les Mains En L'Air
Brodeuses
Notre Dame de Paris
La Boum (so cheesy, so great)
LOL
Jean de Florette

And of course, you can't go past Amélie.


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## Ventricity (Mar 30, 2009)

hiroshima mon amour
the samurai


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## mathis94 (Feb 17, 2012)

Ventricity said:


> hiroshima mon amour


oh I really think its a very weir movie


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## Ventricity (Mar 30, 2009)

mathis94 said:


> oh I really think its a very weir movie


i suppose. it's not a movie that is classically made only for entertainment. it has a very loose structure and is made like a poem in parts. it is probably the deepest move ever made, in that it is about more that love; it takes it to a much larger context; humanity. but it can be difficult to fully understand unless you know alot about post ww2 discourses, like racism, fear of the bomb, women's liberation, the treatment of females that had affairs with german soldiers, forgiveness etc.
on top of that it is extremely well made artistically, and set the standard for the french new wave.


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## chimeric (Oct 15, 2011)

Shahada said:


> I'll throw in another Bresson recommendation with Au Hasard Balthazar. I really need to see more of the guy's stuff, his style is mesmerizing.


Yes. Absolutely beautiful film.


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## Cool Breeze (Sep 4, 2011)

Amelie
Battle of Algiers
Cyrano de Bergerac
La Femme Nikita
Le Pact des Loups
Le Samourai


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## L'Empereur (Jun 7, 2010)

Amelie is the only French movie I've seen, so yeah...


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## jdmn (Feb 5, 2010)

Kieslowski's Three Colors Trilogy. It's actually a French-Polish production but still counts.


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## eburian (Feb 21, 2011)

* Paris Jetaime-> weird but really cute film!

* Water Lillies-> awesome coming of age film!


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

*Love Me If You Dare* (Original Title : Jeux d'enfant ; Litterally : _Child's play_)




*Amelie *(Original Title : Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain ; Litterally :_ The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain_)




*It Boy* ( Original Title : 20 ans d'écart ; Litterally : _20 years gap_)




*Serial (bad) Wedding* (Original Title : Qu'est-ce qu'on as fait au bon dieu ? ; Litterally : _What did we do to the good Lord?_)




*Love is In the Air* ( Original Title : Amour et Turbulences ; Litterally : _Love and turbulences_ )


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

For all those who loved Amelie : ( careful, both are less light and fun - I just feel the same quirkiness)
*The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec* ( Original Title : Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec)




*A Very Long Engagement* ( Original Title : Un long dimanche de fiançaille)




Those are teen-movies :
*Tamara *:




*LOL*:




*La première fois* (Literally : _The First Time_) - I don't have subtitle for this one...
Twenty-year-old Zachary is somber and independent. He racks up girlfriends and setbacks at college. Sarah is eighteen and top in her class. A fragile young woman, she fills her emotional emptiness by the total control with which she organizes her life. They have nothing in common, and yet, during a six-month period in their Baccalaureat year, they'll fall in love and nothing will be able to tear them apart. It's the way the first time can be, that searing love that leaves its mark on you for the rest of your life.


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

Action Movies :
*Tell No One* ( Original Title : Ne le dis à Personne)




*La Femme Nikita* ( Original Title : Nikita)




*L'assaut* (Litteraly : _The Assault_)




*Banlieue 13* (Litteraly : _District/Suburb 13_)


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

French Humour - Family Movies - Comedy - De Funès - Bourvil :
*La Grande Vadrouille :*




*Les Aventure de Rabbi Jacob :*




*The Cabbage Soup *(Original Title : La Soupe Aux Choux)




*Les Visiteurs :*





Not as known as the previous but I found it super touchy and tenderly fun. To watch on christmas !
Its about a burglar dressed like Santa on Christmas night and a little boy who believe he is really Santa...
*Santa Claus!* (Original Title :Le Père Noël)


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## Praimfaya (May 25, 2017)

Hands down my favorite French film and one of my favorite films, in general: _Irréversible_


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## ai.tran.75 (Feb 26, 2014)

Une femme est une femme (A Woman is a woman )
Breathless 

Les Parapluies De (Cherbourg Umbrella of Cherbourg )
Jeux D'enfant (Love me if you Dare )
Horse man on the roof 
preta-moi ta main (I Do )
The artist 
La prophet 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

*Special Forces* (Original Title : Forces Spéciales)




*Jappeloup :*




*Contre - Enquête* ( Litterally : _Counter-inquiry_ )




*Delicacy* (Original Title : La Délicatesse)




*Blind Date *(Original Title : Un peu, beaucoup, aveuglément ; Litteraly : _A little, alot, blindly_ )


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## Lakigigar (Jan 4, 2016)

1. Respire (2014)






2. Le Trou (1960)
3. Un Condamné à Mort S'est Échappé ou Le Vent Souffle Où Il Veut (1956)

4. Intouchables (2012)






5. De Rouille et d'Os (2012)






6. La vie d'Adèle (2013)






7. Jeux d'enfants (2003)
8. Naissance des Pieuvres (2007)
9. Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (2008)






10. Elle (2016)


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

*Un plus une*




*Marius * - *Fanny*




*Romantics Anonymous *(Original Title : Les Émotifs anonymes)




*Daddy or Mommy* (Original Title : Papa ou maman)




*Up for Love* (Original Title : Un homme à la hauteur )


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

Those two I did not watch them, but just in case it interests someone :
This is is kind of the french version of The Danish Girl :
*The New Girlfriend* (Original Title : Une nouvelle amie):




This is kind of the french version of Carol :
*Summertime* (Original Title : La Belle Saison):


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

*Big is Beautiful* (Original Title : Mince alors !) No Subtitles, sorry
Nina is young, pretty and plump. Unfortunately her husband Gaspard only likes very slender women. To try to seduce Gaspar once again, Nina reluctantly accepts her new gift: a slimming treatment at Brides-les-Bains spa - the last resort for fat folk who have tried everything else.
At the spa, Nina gets to know Sophie, a beautiful Marseilles lawyer who wants to control everything, from her body to her heart.
She also befriends Emilie, a well-covered mom who proclaims loudly that "Big is beautiful," when her love life has stalled and her weight is beginning to cause her serious health problems. The encounter of these three personalities will unleash a tidal wave.


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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

*Pour une femme* (Litteraly : _For a woman_)


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## pertracto (Sep 4, 2015)

Grave, Julia Ducournau.
A masterpiece for me, but not something for everyone. I'd classify it as a horror movie.





La princesse de Montpensier, Bertrand Tavernier.
Something completely different, historical romance. Quite accurate on the reality of noble women's situation back in the days. 





La fille du puisatier, Daniel Auteuil.
A fresh and touching adaptation of one of Marcel Pagnol's books. 





Tomboy, Céline Sciamma.
One of those movies that are real af.





Vilaine, Jean-Patrick Benes & Allan Mauduit 
If you just want to pass a good time, emptying your mind to french comedy, that would be the movie to watch.


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## Praimfaya (May 25, 2017)




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## CoeurGrenadine (Jun 1, 2017)

For those who loved the american film "Erin Brokovich". That movie is a true story, it's a biopic.


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## SilverFalcon (Dec 18, 2014)

Unfortunetly did not find the uncolorized B&W original trailer.


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## koalamort (Dec 21, 2012)

François Truffaut’s _Small Change_/_Pocket Money_/_L’argent de poche_. It’s set in a small French town and follows the lives of schoolchildren as they learn new things and grow up. Very one shot and light but also comforting. 
From him I also like the Antoine Doinel series, starting with _The 400 Blows_/_Les Quatre-Cent Coups_.


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