yeh. over the years here in the UK there have occasionally been some good seasons of french cinema... usually on late night. i love watching french movies from the 80s onwards. good contemporary character dramas : nothing in B&W and all overly-slow or anything - period pieces i love. thing is : i am guessing there must be loads issued in canada cos they speak french, but i cant find decent news / review / info and recommendations like i can for my other interests (italian and japanese cinema). anyone help me out? links, suggestions, trailers, reviews, anything gratefully recieved. i would love to really get into more french cinema... thanks.

I suggest you look here (click on films and go by year...and through the essays).

http://frenchfilms.topcities.com/index2.html

for all new and recent film news and trailers:
www.allocine.fr

Cheers mate,

Pro-B

ps
I would be willing to answer/recommend some titles to you with my limited knowledge...you must be a bit more specific however....genres, timeframe, etc.

which movie are you looking at ?
we may not have common interest in french cinema but since i'm from Paris, i may help too

any titles listed in genre / by well-known actor or director, plus a year / dvd info would be helpful. i know this could mean lots but sources of information are low. thanks for the posts above so far... great.

ps : i think Daniel Auteuil is astonishing. i like period pieces / dramas / thrillers / horror.

Recently I have seen...

Time of the Wolf (2003) and Code Unknown (2000) by Michael Haneke, and I really liked both films. His other films are also very good, but in German.

Charbol has some interesting films, first I would check out Rupture, which is from 1970, but it offers an amazing cinematic experience.

Criterion just released Port of Shadows (1938), which I am considering to possibly be one of the best films I have ever seen. Absolutely amazing with its visual poetry and symbolism.

Man on the Train (2002) was very subdued, yet fantastic film.

Triplettes of Belleville (2003) on of the better animated films I have seen.

Two films by François Ozon that is very good are Swimming Pool (2003) and 8 Women (2002) a play adapted for the silver screen.

Irreversible (2002) by Gasper Noe is visually stunning and very clever, if you can sit down and handle the grotesque violence of the film.

I also recommend the Film de France site as it offers some good suggestions, even if I do not always agree with their grading.

i am scanning through stuff a "film de france" now... good reviews and info etc. where do you guys buy from : usa releases i can cover - how do french dvds go? subtitles in english?... thanks.

I'm guessing that you've already seen it but just in case you haven't I thought that Le Bossu (1997) starring Auteuil was an outstanding swashbuckler. Given the current flavor of filming action scenes in a too-close, wire-assisted, quick-cut sort of way, my pure joy with the way the swordfights in this film were handled is indescribable - some of the best swordfighting ever captured on film. Though rather generic, I actually prefer the English title of the film "On Guard".

Also, if you do like swashbucklers Revenge of the Musketeers (1994) starring Sophie Marceau is a respectable extension of Richard Lester's three Musketeer films (Three Musketeers, Four Musketeers, Return of the Musketeers). Actually I might be selling it short by referring to it only as "respectable" but I happened to watch it after "Le Bossu" so it sort of paled in comparison.

And lastly the recent, Le Pacte des Loups (aka: Brotherhood of the Wolf) which again I have a feeling you might be familiar with. I suppose the films I mentioned don't quite fit the definition of classic French cinema but I really enjoyed them.

I've got Man on the Train in my to-watch pile along with an older French swashbuckler Cartouche (1962).

any info on UK of any subbed dvd of "le bossu"? thanks...

SCRAP THAT : its out in the UK... doink! thans...

logboy, just double-check that it is the 1997 version. "Le Bossu" has been filmed about a half-dozen times over the years. I recall that the 1960 version is available in R2 but I haven't yet gotten around to picking that one up (it's supposed to be good as well). Actually, I think I'll add it to my to-do list right now. The 1997 version is available in R1 under the title "On Guard".

yep - its the same cover at on the site mentioned in the first reply above... its £7.99 too. at play.com that is...

I always search for them on US sites first, followed by Amazon.co.uk, and then Amazon.fr. I they have them, then I check other stores for price.

I often get good recommendations from this forum, Pro-B is excellent with new info in regards to DVDs.

Among the top actors in my collection...
which reminds me...his latest comedy to hit the DVD stores in France will have English subs...(September 23)

Pierre Salvadori's "Après vous…" starring Auteuil and S.Kimberlain...cover work here:



Cheers,
Pro-B

where do you buy your french dvds from? various sites? thanks...

I buy my French dvds from "all sorts of places". I usually try dvd-basen.dk to find reviews for releases from various regions and then pick a dealer from that region. If you require English subs, you will probably have to limit yourself to R1, R2 UK and R4 (often cheaper than R2 and sometimes identical discs). For international price comparisons, try dvdpricecheck.co.uk (although it is certainly not complete, e.g. play.com often does not show up).

One more recommendation (yeah, so it is in B/W, but from 1999): "La Fille sur le pont" (The Girl on the Bridge), starring Daniel Auteuil & Vanessa Paradis. An absolutely wonderful movie ... can't believe nobody mentioned it so far. The R4 would probably the most affordable choice.

cool. will note pages and recommendations... thanks...

perhaps you could do a searh and see how many threads I've had on this film for the last 3-4 years....

http://www.nicheflix.com/reviews/girlonthebridge.html

Pro-B

I will do that . Great review for a great film, btw.

girl on the bridge : from that piece linked above it looks like an australian disc?... i tried ezydvd.com but no luck.. any other australian dvd sites anyone recommends?.. thanks. http://shop.dvdrama.com/

SCRAP THAT : found it at hmv australia... also found a good french dvd shop ... any suggestions for other online stores appreciated.... thanks.

http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/222431

Pro-B