20 best French films of all time: from Bresson to Besson

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Great black and white classics, striking examples of the new wave, modern cinema and ageless comedies.

20. Toy

• France, 1976.
• Comedy, drama.
• Duration: 95 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

It is worth starting the selection with one of the best roles of the comedian Pierre Richard, who is loved not only at home, but also in other countries, including Russia.

Unlucky journalist François Perrin is sent to write a report on a toy store. At the same time, the millionaire, who owns both the store and the newspaper where the hero works, comes to the same place to choose a new toy for his son. But the capricious child likes Perrin himself. He becomes the boy's favorite toy, and soon - his only friend.

The director of the film, Francis Weber, worked with the famous actor, even when he was the screenwriter of the film "Tall Blonde in a Black Boot". Of course, he called Richard into his debut film. And then Gerard Depardieu joined the team: together they released three films, including the legendary "Unlucky".

19. Professional

• France, 1981.
• Drama, action, crime.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

Secret agent Josselin Beaumont is tasked with assassinating the President of the African Republic. But suddenly, relations between states change and the hero is handed over to the authorities, after which he ends up in hard labor. Having escaped, Beaumont decides to complete the task, and at the same time take revenge on the traitors.

In this film, the main role was played by another favorite of the audience - Jean-Paul Belmondo. And with all the variety of roles, many for years remembered him in the image of the principled agent of Beaumont. Interestingly, in the original book Death of a Wounded Thin-Skinned Beast by Patrick Alexander, on which the film was filmed, this character was an Englishman. Well, the audience loved even more the music of Ennio Morricone, which, by the way, he wrote long before the filming of "The Professional".

18. Crazy Pierrot

• France, Italy, 1965.
• Drama, crime.
• Duration: 112 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

Ferdinand Griffon is married to a wealthy woman whom he does not love too much, and is already tired of a wealthy but monotonous life. Once a girl Marianna comes to their house to look after the children. Griffon recognizes her as his old acquaintance, and they decide to drop everything and run away somewhere. Here are just behind the girl's back problems with the mafia.

Another role of Jean-Paul Belmondo, only much younger. And the director and scriptwriter of this film was the great Jean-Luc Godard, one of the founders of the French new wave in cinema, which made this art form more daring and modern. Belmondo starred with the director four times, and it was "Mad Pierrot" that became their last collaboration.

17. Contempt

• France, Italy, 1963.
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 103 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

Screenwriter Paul Javal decides to make money by joining the team making an American film based on Homer's Odyssey. To impress the director, he introduces him to his beautiful wife, Camilla. But she feels that her husband is trying to take advantage of her, and responds with contempt.

Many feared that, having received a large budget for his film and the star of Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Luc Godard would betray the ideals of a new wave and go into a commercial channel. However, this picture, on the contrary, became a vivid criticism of operational cinema and the desire for commercial success.

16. Pickpocket

• France, 1959.
• Drama, crime.
• Duration: 76 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

Michelle becomes a pickpocket out of boredom. Soon he is caught by the police, but it is impossible to put the young man in prison - there is no evidence. Then Michelle realizes that it is the theft that is his way of expressing himself. And he decides to learn the skill from a professional.

Robert Bresson, the author of this film, is an acclaimed classic and one of the greatest directors of all time. His minimalist style, clear connection of certain sounds with characters and frequent work with non-professional actors influenced the work of many directors: from Andrei Tarkovsky to Jim Jarmusch. And the plot of "Pickpocket" itself is very similar to the ideas of "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoevsky.

15. Cherbourg umbrellas

• France, Germany, 1964.
• Drama, musical.
• Duration: 91 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

Auto mechanic Guy is in love with a young umbrella saleswoman Genevieve. But soon they have to part - the young man is taken into the army and sent to Algeria. The heroes promise not to forget each other. But gradually, letters from Guy come less and less, and Genevieve finds out that she is pregnant.

In one of the greatest musicals of all time, there is not a single spoken dialogue. The heroes only sing to the magnificent music of Michel Legrand. A few years later, director Jacques Demy again invited the composer to cooperate, as well as Catherine Deneuve, who played the main role. And together they created another musical film - "Girls from Rochefort".

14. Entertainment time

• France, Italy, 1967.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 115 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

The film, consisting of six separate scenes, tells the story of Hulot, who first gets lost at the airport, and then tries to understand the life of modern Paris. He constantly encounters a group of American tourists, led by Barbara, who are also lost in the metropolis.

The film was directed by Jacques Tati, who himself played the main role. And for the most part, everything shown in the film is an improvisation of the film crew. So the authors wanted to show the bustle and ugliness of modern megacities. Interestingly, for some of the filming, instead of real scenery, they used huge photographs.

13. Artist

• France, Belgium, 2011.
• Drama, comedy.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

The action takes place in the mid-twenties of the XX century. Silent movies are a thing of the past, but actor George Valentine is still struggling to adapt to the changes. He is helped by the extra Pippi Miller, who is madly in love with her idol.

Little-known French director Michel Hazanavicius made a splash with his film in 2011. The black and white silent painting took the main award at the Oscars, beating the works of Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.

12. On the last breath

• France, 1960.
• Drama, crime.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

Michel Poicard steals expensive cars, and with the proceeds he spends his life. After accidentally killing a police officer, he decides to hide with his girlfriend. She understands that the good will not end, but she cannot overcome the attraction to the criminal.

Godard's debut picture and Belmondo's first notable role made a splash. "In the Last Breath" is still considered one of the most iconic films in the entire history of world cinema. Young Godard included in his work many quotes from the classics of noir, but in the end he created a tape, which was then referred to by dozens of directors.

11. Rules of the game

• France, 1939.
• Drama, comedy.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Aviator André Jurier took the longest flight to prove his love for Christine. However, the girl does not reciprocate and prepares to bring her husband to the public. He, in turn, tries to break up with his mistress. And it all ends with unexpected news: Andre's best friend, it turns out, is also in love with Christine. All of them will meet in a country house and sort out the relationship.

The film by Jean Renoir (the son of the famous artist Auguste Renoir) was initially received ambiguously: the public could not forgive the director for the irony of high society. However, over time, the perception of the picture has changed a lot. It was only during the Second World War that the original film was destroyed. The painting was restored already in 1959, collecting the surviving negatives, working materials with different takes and cut scenes.

ten. American night

• France, Italy, 1973.
• Drama, melodrama, comedy.
• Duration: 116 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Director Ferrand is working on Meet Pamela in Nice. For a month and a half of filming, there are many conflicts between the participants in the process. Sometimes this is due to the usual fatigue, and sometimes to the deep feelings of the workers. But everyone has one main goal: to make a film. And the director is always at the head of the process.

The film by the legendary François Truffaut, who not only directed, wrote and produced, but also played Ferrand himself, is often called the best declaration of love for cinema. The author showed that a whole world appears on the set, in which many people live. As a result, the film won an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

9. Cleo 5 to 7

• France, Italy, 1962.
• Drama, comedy, music.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Aspiring singer Cleo is waiting for the result of a medical examination and visits a fortune-teller. The cards predict her imminent death. Frustrated, Cleo sets off to wander around the city, meeting her old friends, and at the same time making new acquaintances.

The title of Agnes Varda's painting is telling: the action unfolds in about a two-hour interval. The plot of "Cleo from 5 to 7" is as simple as possible: it is just a small excerpt from the everyday life of different people. That is why there are a lot of secondary lines in the picture, which almost do not affect the main action, but add atmosphere.

8. Long walk

• France, Great Britain, 1966.
• Comedy, military.
• Duration: 123 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

This selection would be incomplete without films with great comedians Louis de Funes and Bourville. The director of the film "Big Walk" Gerard Ury had already worked with the aforementioned couple in the comedy "Razinya", and then repeatedly filmed them separately.

An English bomber on a mission during World War II was hit by the Germans. The pilots agree to meet in a Turkish bath and leave the plane. One of them falls on the house where the local painter works, the second ends up in the building of the Paris Opera, and the third ends up in the zoo. Now the heroes need to enlist the support of the residents they meet so as not to get caught by the Germans.

"The Great Walk" is generally recognized as one of the best works of de Funes, although it is quite possible to make a separate rating from his famous films. And for more than 30 years, the picture remained the highest-grossing film in France, until James Cameron's Titanic came out.

7. Spacesuit and butterfly

• France, USA, 2007.
• Drama, biography.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

After a stroke, ELLE France editor Jean-Dominique Boby was completely paralyzed. However, even in this state, he managed to write a whole book. Boby could only blink his left eye, but a special alphabet was developed for him, and he began to dictate to his assistant, talking about his feelings and imaginary worlds.

The incredibly moving picture is based on a true story. Jean-Dominique Bobi really wrote the book "The Spacesuit and the Butterfly", which was used for the film. The autobiography has sold millions of copies around the world, and the film adaptation took the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Golden Globe and Cesar.

6. Four hundred strokes

• France, 1959.
• Drama, crime.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

Young Antoine Doinel is left to himself most of the time. The mother is engaged in her personal life, the stepfather does not want to share his opinion, and the teacher only punishes. As a result, the child commits many offenses and runs away from home.

In the plot of the picture, it is easy to find similarities with the biography of its author François Truffaut, for whom she made his debut in a big movie. No wonder the director made Antoine Doinel his alter ego and then made three more films about him. At one time, Truffaut's innovative approach to this picture was admired by Akira Kurosawa, Jean Cocteau, Jean-Luc Godard and many other celebrities. And now "Four Hundred Blows" is studied in film schools as one of the brightest examples of great film language.

5. The Passion of Jeanne d'Arc

• France, 1928.
• Drama, historical.
• Duration: 82 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

The film summarizes the trial of the legendary Jeanne d'Arc. The Inquisition tortures her and demands to confess to witchcraft. But Jeanne is adamant even in the face of fear of public execution.

Dane director Karl Theodor Dreyer's silent film is still considered one of the greatest creations of cinema. The actors were filmed without makeup, and an almost real city was built as the scenery. At the same time, the author tried to show close-ups as much as possible, and the emotions of actress Rene Falconetti are called “perhaps the brightest work in cinema of all time”.

4. Amelie

• France, Germany, 2001.
• Comedy, melodrama.
• Duration: 122 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

Since childhood, Amelie preferred to live in her fictional world and communicate with an imaginary friend - a crocodile. And even when the girl grew up, she did not lose her optimism. Amelie decided to help people, giving them all sorts of small pleasures. And then I fell in love.

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet dreamed of starring Emily Watson. Probably, the name of the film comes from her name. But the actress was busy, and even did not speak French. And then the director found the growing popularity of Audrey Tautou, who became the ideal Amelie. After the release of the film, real fan-clubs of this heroine were even formed in different countries.

3. Children of the paradise

• France, 1945.
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 190 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

At the beginning of the 20th century, two actors met in the Parisian pantomime theater: Baptiste and Frederic. Both of them fall in love with the beautiful Garanz, but over time, fate divorces the heroes. Having met in a few years, they still have to sort out their relationship.

The film, based on the script of the famous poet Jacques Prevert, was filmed during the period of the German occupation, and even members of the French resistance appeared in it. The authors of Children of the District were later criticized for not reflecting the military theme in the plot. But in fact, the film tells about things that are relevant at all times.

2. Leon

• France, 1994.
• Drama, action, crime.
• Duration: 133 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

The whole family of young Matilda was shot by the police. And then the girl went to her neighbor - the unsociable killer Leon. He took Matilda into his care and for the first time in his life felt affection for someone. Meanwhile, the girl decides to take revenge on the murderers.

Prior to that, the director Luc Besson had already worked with Jean Reno several times, but it was “Leon” that brought the acting career to a new level. Well, for young Natalie Portman, the image of Matilda became the first and immediately starring role. The picture invariably falls into the ratings of the best films of all time and is confidently in the top thirty on IMDb.

1. 1+1

• France, 2011.
• Drama, comedy, biography.
• Duration: 112 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

After a paragliding accident, the wealthy aristocrat Philip was paralyzed. He hires a dark-skinned Driss as his assistant, although it seems that he is completely unsuitable for such a job. But only a new friend helps Philip to feel alive again.

The story of this picture is somewhat similar to "Spacesuit and Butterfly" - its life-affirming and very emotional plot is also based on real events. And what is even more interesting, over time "1 + 1" (originally - "The Untouchables") turned into a global franchise: their versions of the film were shot in the USA, India and Argentina.