bsktballDude1

I recently watched "Amelie" for the first time, actually watched it twice because I was intrigued by the film quite a bit. The performance by Audrey Tautou as Amelie was such a cute and likeable character, one of those characters you fall in love with....

Anyways this was my introduction to French cinema, I've grown quite curious of what I've been missing, so any recommendations of French films from any time period really, or any other films with the lovely Audrey Tautou would be most welcome.

I have a hunch that Truffaut is a good place to start.

Troy Stiffler

Cinema Paradiso.

wmansir

Check out The City of Lost Children also by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Although I wouldn't expect everything (or maybe anything) to be as good as Amelie, which is one of my favorite movies. I'm not even sure how well received Amelie was by the French cinema crowd. I know it did amazing sales commercially in France, but it was rather publicly snubbed by Cannes.

Mano

I always thought that to be Italian Cinema.

Anywho, my favorite french film of all time is Rififi.

Others worth checking out would include Leon, and The City of Lost Children. Amelie was fantastic too but I'm really just a novice when it comes to French cinema.

Mano

Check out Green Card too .

Abranut

Also check out The 400 Blows, The Triplets of Belleville, Blue (of the Three colors trilogy).

Truffaut is good, but it's not all easy to approach. I wouldn't necessarily say that if you're a fan of Amelie that you'll automatically like Truffaut.

Good luck.

rkndkn

For more Audrey Tautou, check out "He Loves Me. . .He Loves Me Not". Clever little movie, which I personally liked more than "Amelie". ("Amelie" being a tad TOO sweet for me. )

John-In-VA

I actually just watched The Crimson Rivers last night. The plot was a bit confusing but it was a fine disc.....great video and audio.
And who doesn't love Jean Reno!

Hokeyboy

Go out now and rent Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus. Then check out Renoir's Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game, and Carne's Children of Paradise. All available on DVD from Criterion. You'll thank me later.

I never really warmed up to the French New Wave, but I adore the aforementioned films. Especially anything with Maria Casares in it.

Giles

Jean de Florette
Manon of the Spring
La Reine Margot (1994)
Germinal
La Femme Nikita
Valseuses, Les (1974)
The Return of Martin Guerre
Dobermann
Bay of Angels (1963)
Ma saison préférée (My Beautiful Season) (1993)
Emploi du temps, L' (Time Out) (2001)
With A Friend Like Harry (2000)
Au revoir les enfants (1987)
Ponette (1996)

Audrey Tautou is in the wonderful contemporary French/Spain film L' Auberge espagnole, where she isn't, well... you just have to see it.

Recommended by friends, by haven't personally seen:
Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (1998)
Camille Claudel (1988)
37°2 le matin (Betty Blue) (1986)

caiman

Also check out Delicatessen, another cool movie by Jeunet.

And for a good French horror movie, check out Haute Tension.

Hiro11

L'Argent de Poche (or Small Change) is one of my favorite movies. Truffaut made it in the late seventies using local kids in a small city in France. It's a terrific and happy movie about kids, just the thing to watch when you're in a bad mood.


Diva is a very offbeat, and very French, action movie. It's a lot of fun:

Tafellappen

Anything by Truffaut, especially any of his Antoine Doinel movies

Grimfarrow

Start with the must-see classics:

The Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir)
Diary of the Country Priest (Robert Bresson)
Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard)
The 400 Blows (Francois Truffaut)
Belle de Jour (Luis Bunuel)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Jacques Demy)
La Belle Noiseuse (Jacques Rivette)
Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Resnais)
L'Atlante (Jean Vigo)
Orpheus (Jean Cocteau)

This doesn't include other excellent choices from Eric Rohmer, Agnes Varda, Rene Clement, Abel Gance, Jean Eustache, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Tati, Louis Malle, Chris Marker, and many others I have missed.

Giles

d'oh!, how could I have forgotten Diva?

that's for the recommendation for L'Argent de Poche sounds like a great film, will have to rent it at some point in time.

DonnachaOne

TAXI


Possibly the most stupid film ever made, but very entertaining, if only for Samy's performance.

Giles

Bresson's Au hasard Balthazar is also highly recommended

bsktballDude1

Thanks guys, I've put in Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, Renoir's The Rules of the Game, Godard's Breathless,and Truffaut's The 400 Blows in my netflix queue. I'll add more later I figured these are more of the popular ones.

I am looking forward to see these in the next few weeks.

DVD Smurf

Besides what most people have recommended already you must see...

Delicatessen - nothing like a little dark humor set in a post-apocalyptic world where cannibalism seems to feed those in the apartment complex. Same director as Amelie, and no it is not gross, but a delightful funny film with a very dark atmosphere.

Code Unknown & Time of the Wolf very different to Delicatessen. Hiroshima Mon Amour, a spellbinding love story. Diary of a Country Priest is simply excellent. Les Diabolique is a brilliant thriller as well as the subtle atmosphere in Man on the Train, which I really like.

Cheers

DVD Smurf

PS. Let us know what you watched.

joeydaninja

I want to see Wages of Fear.

DVD Smurf

Excellent film...

BDB

I Really liked La Fille sur le Pont.

Of course I have loved Vanessa Paradis long before Johnny Depp knew who she was but alas.

Anyone else seen it. I like all the suggestions so far, and will have a few new ones for myself to check out.

sundog

Irma Vep

Never mind that you can barely understand Jean-Pierre Leaud's English . . .

chente

I really liked Black Orpheus. It is a technically a french film but it is filmed in Brazil so it is in Portuguese.

inri222

Irreversible
Coup de Torchon
Alphaville
Playtime
Le Trou
That Obscure Object of Desire
The Battle of Algiers
Band of Outsiders
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie