French film Q's.

[Valentino]

Hey everyone, I've recently developed quite an interest in French cinema and was wondering if someone could possibly recommend some really good French movies? I really don't care if they're considered new age or classic or whatever, just as long as the story line is solid and it's spoken in French w/ English subtitles. I know Damien had quite an extensive learning of French and I thought I'd get my feet wet by creating the same process I used when first learning English. But I'll be honest, this is moreso for entertainment purposes rather than studying. Au revoir!

[paulbaptiste]

Amelie, which is an easy pick, something you've probably seen, and if not , should see

[Valentino]

Oh I definitely agree on Amelie, great film. I saw it a few months ago and tonight I'm renting one called "The Dinner Game". Apparently it's about a group of friends who see who can invite the dullest dinner guest. It's received some really high ratings but I'll see for myself. Thanks for the tip Paul. Peace.

[paulbaptiste]

Amelie is an amazing film, if not just for the imagery, but the message displayed behind it, I'd have better luck naming Itallian films, but i try to get "indie" and "foriegn" films all the time, and consistently fail, most recent good deal i got was pan's labrinyth, which was totally amazing, but again, most the time i fail

[Valentino]

Okay it's official...The Dinner Game (aka Le Dîner de cons) is damn funny! I just got done watching it and was thoroughly pleased. Mr. Baptiste, I'm just like you when it comes to finding foreign films but this one's a definite keeper. I rented it from my local video store but don't give up if the one near you doesn't have it. I had to search a about 3 different stores in order to find it and I'm glad I did. Anyone else know of some good French films?

[Wheels]

Jean de Floret
Manon de Source (sequel to Jean de Floret)

The Three Colours trilogy... red, white and blue

Swimming Pool (only partly french)

The Dreamers (partly french)

[mariaoran]

Originally Posted by Valentino

Okay it's official...The Dinner Game (aka Le Dîner de cons) is damn funny! I just got done watching it and was thoroughly pleased. Mr. Baptiste, I'm just like you when it comes to finding foreign films but this one's a definite keeper. I rented it from my local video store but don't give up if the one near you doesn't have it. I had to search a about 3 different stores in order to find it and I'm glad I did. Anyone else know of some good French films?

I'm glad you got to see "Le Dinner de cons" its a super funny movie (seen it so many times)... I recently saw "Le placard", which was kind of funny and good for those of us who don't speak french since birth, very easy to understand!
Definately watch "Amelie".... awesome movie also.

I would recommend.... well any movie with Vincent Cassel, "Les Riveres Pourpres," "Agent Secrets" are good action suspense movie. "Pas sur La bouche", I also enjoyed and its with Audrey Tautou.
And i'm going to recommend a movie i saw i long time ago "Cyrano de Bergerac" I really liked it, granted i was 13 or 14 years old, buy its kind of funny.

Hope that helps... and in my experience try to see every movie you can, the french have a thing for films, you'll find that you'll enjoy most of them.


Cheers!

[melodie]

Originally Posted by Valentino

Okay it's official...The Dinner Game (aka Le Dîner de cons) is damn funny! I just got done watching it and was thoroughly pleased. Mr. Baptiste, I'm just like you when it comes to finding foreign films but this one's a definite keeper. I rented it from my local video store but don't give up if the one near you doesn't have it. I had to search a about 3 different stores in order to find it and I'm glad I did. Anyone else know of some good French films?

that's the one i was going to recommend, it's pure genius.

''ma fille, mon ange'' is a french canadian film, it's not amazing but it's pretty entertaining.

[soda]

ma vie en rose
girl on the bridge

[hazey]

Jean-Luc Godard

*Le Mépris
*Vivre Sa Vie
*Pierrot Le Fou
*Weekend
*Alphaville

And 8673929 other films he made.


Jacques Rivette

*Céline et Julie Vont En Bateau


Robert Bresson

*Mouchette
*Pickpocket
*Au Hasard Balthazar
*L'Argent


Jean-Pierre Melville

*Le Samouraï
*Le Cercle Rouge
*Bob Le Flambeur


Louis Malle

*Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (Miles Davis score)


Francois Truffaut

*Les 400 Coups
*Jules et Jim
*Tirez Sur Le Pianiste


Eric Rohmer

*Ma Nuit Chez Maud
*La Rayon Vert


Luis Buñuel's surreal works. Not necessarily a Frenchman, but he made films in France with French actors.

And what Wheels said: Trois Couleurs is a must. Also a fine Kieslowski film shot partly in France: La Double Vie De Véronique.

[Valentino]

Oh my Gandhi I love this post! Thank you so much for all the movie titles. Yeah, like I said, there's something about French cinema and the language itself that completely captures you from every breath. I haven't heard a more beautiful or seductive language yet and I'll be returning very soon to my previously suspended French studies. To be honest, I'm thinking about either traveling or moving there one day and I remember Johnny Depp saying something along the lines of France being a lot more normal paced of living than the US. And if anyone of you live in the US, you know how fast life can move and you barely get a chance to soak any of it in. By the way in regards to the Trois Couleurs trilogy, is there a specific order you should watch the film in? The reason I ask is that a friend of mine says he has a really good bootleg DVD of it. Anyways, I'll more than likely just end up renting it but I'd like to know. Thanks again everyone!

[hazey]

Theoretically it doesn't matter what order you watch the trilogy in, but my advice would be to definitely watch it chronologically, or at least save the third part for last....so: Bleu > Blanc > Rouge.

I forgot to mention a good contemporary French filmmaker Michael Haneke. Check out his Funny Games, La Pianiste, Code Inconnu and Caché if you get the chance. They should be easy to track down, since even my local good-for-nothing blockbuster video store rents them.

[cille]

Let's not forget the old Asterix animation films - some of them are brilliant! The one with Cleopatra and the one with the 12 tests - so funny even today. But I haven't seen them in french speech though, they were dubbed in the great dane tongue.

[Valentino]

Thanks to this forum I'll be watching La Double Vie De Véronique later on tonight. A friend of mine is bringing it over and she promised that I'd enjoy it. I'll check out Trois Couleurs next and let you know about it.

[eskimofan55]

Le Samourai by Melville. It's film noirish. It's so slick and cool. You should also check out Rules of the Game (La Regle du Jeu) by Jean Renoir. That's a classic one.

[Undocorkscrew]

Cache` and Irreversable are great films that are pretty easy to get ahold of. BUT they are both pretty controversal and graphic(especially Irreversable).

[Valentino]

So I just got the chance to watch La Double Vie De Véronique last night. Honestly, I didn't really like it. I understood the whole concept of how two identical girls who live in two different parts of the world are somehow interlinked but it wasn't really what I had expected it to be. But this post is not meant for a review or anything like that, tonight I'll be checking out Ascenseur pour l'échafaud and hope that it's more promising than the above title. Peace.

[hazey]

Véronique is very much a visual film and experience. Not much of a plot going on there, but I'm a big fan of Kieslowski's trademark vignetting and sepia-toning of the image, for example. It's all about the textures, composition, colour, etc. and the story that goes on within the frame, rather than trying to figure out the actual 'plot'. I have to say that Véronique is one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen, a film whose every shot should be framed and hung on a wall in a museum.















Ascenseur, on the other hand, is very much plot driven, and also a very cool film. Stunning b&w photography.

[Valentino]

You know Hazey, I'll have to agree with you on that one. I did find the movie very stunning when it came to color and tone usage. There were some scenes (such as the pictures you provided) in which I truly felt as if it were a great piece of art. I'll be viewing the Trois Couleurs pretty soon and I can't wait. You see, this is what happens with me...for a period of time I'll go on a movie drought and then out of nowhere I'll suddenly experience this force of fascination which pushes me to watch several movies in close proximity of one another. Anyway, enough of that, keep in touch.

[Cali]

don't forget cocteau, the trilogy the blood a a poet (my favorite), orphee and testament of orpheus are basically poetry on film. another great movie is hiroshima mon amour by alain renais.
hazey, Véronique looks like an amazing movie

[DRQuebec]

Le violon rouge is pretty good. French canadian movie but with actors from all over the world including Samuel L. Jackson. It's mostly subtitled for there's about 5 languages spoken in the movie.
Tells the story of a violin through ages and people that have had a hand on it.
"Le placard" is amazing from what I remember, in the same genre than "Le diner de cons". "L'auberge espagnole" and "Les poupées russes (which is basically L'auberge espagnole 2)".

[DRQuebec]

I forgot... "A Very Long Engagement" (Un long dimanche de fiancailles) is a movie with the same actors than "Amélie" and the same director. Just a completely different story, but it's still realllly good and the visuals are astonishing.

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 20 nominations
http://wwws.warnerbros.fr/movies/unlongdimanche/

[hazey]

Originally Posted by Cali

don't forget cocteau, the trilogy the blood a a poet (my favorite), orphee and testament of orpheus are basically poetry on film. another great movie is hiroshima mon amour by alain renais.

Good call, Cali. I completely forgot about Cocteau and Resnais. If you want your patience tested check out Resnais' L'Année Dernière à Marienbad. More good French suff (while I'm at it, or else I'll forget again): Georges Franju's Les Yeux Sans Visage (slightly campy, horror-ish story) and the works of Jacques Tati (comedies relying on carefully orchestrated visual gags and sound effects, very little and barely audiable dialogue, if that's your cup o'tea).

hazey, Véronique looks like an amazing movie

Oui oui, c'est magnifique.

[mariaoran]

wow hazey... i'm definately watching Veronique, its looks like a wonderful movie! ... hopefully i'll find it at a rental store (here in the states)
thanks !
cheers!

[jonnycrouch]

Hey, I don't know if anyone said this yet, there was a lot of posts to read and i'm in a hurry to get to bed- start work at 9 tomorrow and I like to sleep- but (and excuse my french, it might be wrong, it was spoken to me over the phone by my ex some months ago- before she attained this position) "Les jeux d'enfants", or to use its english title; "love me if you dare" was quite good, if a little incomprehensible towards the end. Although that may be a typical part of french films.

Also, I know its not actually french, but there is a particularly good spanish film called abres los ojos (or open your eyes) about starring Penelope Cruz. Its the original which Vanilla Sky was based upon. Starring Penelope Cruz. Really.

[Cali]

this thread makes me want to renew my netflix membership. jonny, if youl liked open youe eyes, you'll love thesis, also by amenabar

[Valentino]

Originally Posted by Cali

this thread makes me want to renew my netflix membership. jonny, if youl liked open youe eyes, you'll love thesis, also by amenabar

I know what you mean. I recently had a Blockbuster Online membership (same as Netflix essentially) and I really miss it. Perhaps I'll renew it right now...or tomorrow. I don't know, just a thought.

[Valentino]

Originally Posted by DRQuebec

I forgot... "A Very Long Engagement" (Un long dimanche de fiancailles) is a movie with the same actors than "Amélie" and the same director. Just a completely different story, but it's still realllly good and the visuals are astonishing.

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 20 nominations
http://wwws.warnerbros.fr/movies/unlongdimanche/

Thanks for the great recommendation. I really enjoyed Un long dimanche de fiancailles and I'm so pleased with the overall experience. It had wonderful imagery don't you think? By the way, and this is really random but can someone please tell me how to say "Tell me more" in French? I usually rely on online translators but those are crap to begin with and I rather trust someone who already speaks the language. Merci.

[eskimofan55]

Dites-moi en plus.

I'm not too sure. That's my guess. I think it literally translates as "Tell me more (of it)." We leave "of it" out in English. I could be wrong though. I just wanted to try.

[jonnycrouch]

Originally Posted by Cali

this thread makes me want to renew my netflix membership. jonny, if youl liked open youe eyes, you'll love thesis, also by amenabar

Ta, I will try and find it somehow. Open your eyes was on tv very late a couple of years ago, and I kept watching it to start with due to the presence of Penelope Cruz, although after that I liked it enough to purchase it.

Whilst on the subject of spanish films... which I'm aware I've steered into (sorry for hijacking this thread). Pan's labyrinth is a beautiful albeit, disturbing film.