Best French Film 1940-1949
Seven best French films by year (1940-1949)
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- DirectorHenri DecoinStarsDanielle DarrieuxClaude DauphinAndré LuguetDanielle Darrieux plays an impoverished reform-school escapee who finds a new lease on life when she enrolls in a school for pickpockets run by Fagin-like Saturnin-Fabre.
- DirectorJulien DuvivierStarsPierre FresnayMarie BellMicheline FranceyA nun suffering from TB is desperately trying to save an alcoholic tramp and to bring him back to his wife and kids.He has a friend who died last year and became the coachman of the "Ghost Wagon" .Release in France: 1940
- DirectorAlbert ValentinStarsMichèle MorganGilbert GilAndrexThe young Suzy is a nightclub hostess in a cabaret in which Frehel is the star. Because one night she gets propositions from a rich widower who would like to have her as his girlfriend, Suzy wishes to leave this place, where she has no future, for a better one. Abandoned by her protector, a young hoodlum named Robert, she gets the occasion to get away from it. She decides to go on vacation on the Riviera and stay at the Chateau des Cedres, the former residence of a noble family that has been transformed into a bourgeois guest house by the baroness Saint-Leu. Shy and elegant, in her modest suit, Suzy stays there under the name of Suzanne Michelet and soon makes new friends among the young people of very wealthy families.Release in France: 1940
- DirectorMarcel PagnolStarsRaimuFernandelJosette DayA rural maiden's two suitors go off to war, leaving her pregnant.Best French Film of the year 1940
- DirectorEdmond T. GrévilleStarsMireille BalinJohn LoderGinette LeclercThe months before World War II. The fear of the impending war never leaves the guests of an hotel in Paris.
- DirectorAbel GanceStarsFernand GraveyElvire PopescoAndré AlermeBefore World War I in Paris, a budding artist, Pierre Leblanc, falls in love and marries Janine, a dressmaker's assistant. Pierre has a flair for designing clothes, and he and his bride live in a blissful paradise, until war breaks out and he becomes a soldier. Janine dies in childbirth and, no longer desiring to live, Pierre volunteers for a dangerous patrol behind German lines. While recuperating in the hospital from a wound he received on the mission, Pierre spends his time drawing sketches of dresses. He becomes rich and famous after the war. Years later, after devoting himself to his daughter, Pierre seeks a marriage with a girl no older than his daughter. A conflict develops and to ensure his daughter's happiness, Pierre sacrifices his own plans.
- DirectorMax OphülsStarsEdwige FeuillèreJorge RigaudDaniel LecourtoisAfter an unhappy marriage, a woman of the world is forced to become a dancer in a cabaret in order to raise her young son.
- DirectorChristian-JaqueStarsLouise CarlettiJean ClaudioSerge GraveAbandoned children, left to their own devices and a life of danger, are adopted by a kind man.
- DirectorLouis DaquinStarsLouise CarlettiGilbert GilAndré BrunotA student from an elementary school accidentally breaks the glass roof of his school. His comrades decide to support it by working during the summer holidays in order to pay for reconstruction.
- DirectorHenri DecoinStarsDanielle DarrieuxRosine LuguetGabrielle DorziatMicheline Chevassu is a naive young woman living in an orphanage. Through classified ads, she makes a date with an unknown man. She escapes from the orphanage to meet him, dreaming of her Prince Charming, but waiting for her is unattractive, middle-aged Nicolas Rougemont. He pretends not to be the author of the letters, who could not come.
- DirectorJean GrémillonStarsJean GabinMadeleine RenaudMichèle MorganThe captain of the tugboat Cyclone, André Laurent, rushes off to save the Mirva. He abandons his sick wife Yvonne and the couple celebrating their marriage. In the early morning, the Cyclone tugs the Mirva ashore with Catherine aboard.
- DirectorIrene StarewiczWladyslaw StarewiczStarsClaude DauphinRomain BouquetSylvain ItkineWhen Renard the Fox's mischievous pranks go too far, King Lion is forced to attempt to bring the trickster to justice.Release in France: 1941
Best French Film of the year 1941 - DirectorAbel GanceStarsViviane RomanceGeorges FlamantLucienne Le MarchandThe imaginary voyage of a woman gone blind on her former lover's boat.
- DirectorMaurice TourneurJacques de BaroncelliStarsHarry BaurLouis JouvetCharles DullinVolpone, an elderly Venetian, connives with his money-crazed servant to convince his greedy friends that he is dying, knowing that each will try to curry favor with him in order to be named his heir. He is inundated with valuable gifts, and soon finds himself entangled deeper and deeper in a web of lies.
- DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsPierre FresnaySuzy DelairJean TissierInspector Wens moves into a Paris boarding house to catch a serial killer.
- DirectorJacques de BaroncelliStarsEdwige FeuillèrePierre Richard-WillmAimé ClariondThe Duchess of Langeais, as beautiful as she is brilliant, is a woman who likes to seduce but who does not give in. Until the day when she falls in love with General de Montriveau, a cabal goes up against her.
- DirectorHenri DecoinStarsRaimuJuliette FaberGabrielle FontanLoursat, a lawyer, lives with his daughter Nicole. Abandoned by his wife about 20 years ago, he has sunk into alcoholism. One day, the corpse of a stranger is discovered in the attic of his residence.
- DirectorMarcel L'HerbierStarsFernand GraveyMicheline PresleSaturnin FabreDenis is distracted: he's studying all day for philosophy exams and working all night at the flower market; plus, whenever he closes his eyes, he dreams of a mysterious woman in white. His girlfriend Nina is annoyed at him for his inattention, so she steps out behind his back with a friend of his. One night, while napping at the flower mart, he pursues the mystery woman in what he thinks is a dream, and finds himself with her in a restaurant with her father and her fiancé, then on to a magic shop, the Louvre, a nightclub, and a mental asylum. During the night, he discovers a plot against her, and still believing it's a dream, goes to great lengths to try to save her.
- DirectorJean DelannoyStarsPierre BlancharAnnie DucauxSuzy CarrierFor 15 years after Waterloo, a baron refuses to accept the defeat. He reluctantly marries one of 2 Bourbon sisters but lands up dueling with the wife's former lover. Finally he gets a chance to prove himself again in battle.
- DirectorChristian-JaqueStarsRenée Saint-CyrLise DelamareJean-Louis BarraultBiographical romance about the great composer Hector Berlioz, someone whom the French, during their WWII occupation by the Nazis, could look back proudly on.
- DirectorMarcel CarnéStarsArlettyMarie DéaFernand LedouxIn medieval France, the Devil intervenes when one of his two envoys, sent to seduce and deceive mortals, falls instead for a victim.Best French Film of the year 1942
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsRenée FaureJany HoltSylvieAnne-Marie joins a Dominican convent as a novice where she knows Therese. After shooting a man for which she was imprisoned, Therese protests her innocence, reluctant to tell her secret.
- DirectorRobert VernayStarsPierre Richard-WillmMichèle AlfaAimé ClariondEdmond Dantes is falsely accused by those jealous of his good fortune, and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the notorious island prison, Chateau d'If. While imprisoned, he meets the Abbe Faria, a fellow prisoner whom everyone believes to be mad. The Abbe tells Edmond of a fantastic treasure hidden away on a tiny island, that only he knows the location of. After many years in prison, the old Abbe dies, and Edmond escapes disguised as the dead body. Now free, Edmond must find the treasure the Abbe told him of, so he can use the new-found wealth to exact revenge on those who have wronged him.
- DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsPierre FresnayGinette LeclercMicheline FranceyA French village doctor becomes the target of poison-pen letters sent to village leaders, accusing him of affairs and practicing abortion.Best French Film of the year 1943
- DirectorClaude Autant-LaraStarsOdette JoyeuxMadeleine RobinsonMarguerite MorenoIn Paris in 1887, Irène works as a governess to Douce, the grand-daughter of the dowager Countess de Bonafé. Douce believes she is in love with Fabien, the handsome manager of the estate. However she cannot hope to marry him because of their class difference. Douce's widowed father, the Count de Bonafé, has a wooden leg, and is infatuated with Irène. Douce discovers that Fabien is planning to flee to Quebec with Irène, and also finds out that the Count has asked Irène to marry him. So Douce tells Fabien this and convinces him to run away with her, causing consternation in the family.
- DirectorJacques BeckerStarsFernand LedouxGeorges RollinBlanchette BrunoyIn a lost French village, an old woman is killed and her savings stolen. Several members of her family, all called "Goupi", are suspected.
- DirectorJean GrémillonStarsMadeleine RenaudPierre BrasseurMadeleine RobinsonA shimmering glass hotel at the top of a remote Provençal mountain provides the setting for a tragicomic tapestry about an obsessive love pentangle.
- DirectorMaurice TourneurStarsPierre FresnayJosseline GaëlNoël RoquevertRoland Brissot bought for a nickel a talisman that gives him love, fame, and wealth. The talisman is a cut left hand, and it works perfectly. Of course, there is nothing free in this world, and after one year, the devil comes and asks for his due.
- DirectorJean GrémillonStarsMadeleine RenaudCharles VanelJean DebucourtThe wife of a mechanic and former fighter pilot falls in love with the idea of flying herself. This soon becomes an obsession and she undertakes a lofty feat: the longest solo flight ever made by a woman.Best French Film of the year 1944
- DirectorGeorges LacombeStarsAnnie DucauxAndré LuguetPalauMonsieur Benoit's existence is transformed when his dour wife suddenly thinks in a bout of folly that she will become a chanteuse and her husband the impresario.
- DirectorSacha GuitryStarsGeori-BouéSuzy PrimMona GoyaThe rise and fall of a diva circa 1820.
- DirectorMarc AllégretStarsAndré LefaurOdette JoyeuxBernard BlierA young girl learns how it is painful growing up.
- DirectorLouis DaquinStarsIrène CordayAndré Le GallMarcel DelaîtreZian Servettaz is a dedicated mountain man. His Italian-born wife Bianca does not adjust well to his mountain village in France, and to the ever life-threatening dangers presented by his mountain guiding and climbing.
- DirectorFernand RiversStarsFernand GraveySuzy PrimAndré Brunot
- DirectorAlbert ValentinStarsAlbert PréjeanClaude GéniaYolande LaffonAlbert Maulette, the owner of 'La Vie de Plaisir', a very busy nightclub owner, has fallen in love with Hélène de Lormel, the beautiful daughter of a couple of aristocrats on the brink of ruin. Monsieur de Lormel, who despises Albert's occupation, demands that he sell his nightclub before he gives his consent. Which Albert does but, once married, his life does not prove a pleasure cruise. The relationships between outspoken Albert and his false in-laws are tense. On the other hand, Roger de Boëldieu, a socialite, shamelessly courts his young wife...
- DirectorChristian-JaqueStarsMicheline PresleBerthe BovyLouise ConteTen people fleeing Rouen invaded by the Prussians, Rousset nicknamed ball of tallow among them, give to a Prussian to save other passengers who still despise. However, on later nobody could underestimate her being how brave .
- DirectorJean DrévilleStarsNoël-NoëlMicheline FranceyRené GéninIn France, in 1930, the supervisor of a reformatory for young offenders seeks to awaken in them the love of music by forming a choir, despite the skepticism of the institution's director.
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsPaul BernardMaría CasaresElina LabourdetteA society lady engineers a marriage between her lover and a cabaret dancer who is essentially a prostitute.
- DirectorMarcel CarnéStarsArlettyJean-Louis BarraultPierre BrasseurThe theatrical life of a beautiful courtesan in 1830s Paris and the four men who love her.Best French Film of the year 1945
- DirectorJacques BeckerStarsRaymond RouleauMicheline PresleJean ChevrierPhilippe Clarence, a famous Parisian dressmaker, seduces his friend's fiancee. But, for the first time in his life, this is for real. The film is also a sharp picture of the fashion world.
- DirectorMarc AllégretStarsClaude DauphinMicheline PresleLouis JourdanCavalier ,a second -rate actor , discovers a gorgeous talented girl who performs on stage and wants to be her Pygmalion .
- DirectorChristian-JaqueStarsFernand LedouxRenée FaureMadeleine RobinsonThe story begins with the murder of a horse trader, which sets free a black stallion that roams through the snow and the village terrifying the people as it gallops.
- DirectorRené ClémentStarsMarcel BarnaultJean ClarieuxJean DaurandRecounts the courageous efforts by French railroad workers who were part of an organized resistance during German World War II occupation.
- DirectorJean CocteauRené ClémentStarsJean MaraisJosette DayMila ParélyA beautiful young woman takes her father's place as the prisoner of a mysterious beast, who wishes to marry her.Best French Film of the year 1946
- DirectorHenri DecoinStarsPierre FresnayFernand LedouxThérèse DornyA gangster who's got a lot of dough takes refuge in his hometown.
- DirectorJacques FeyderMarcel BlistèneStarsFrançoise RosayPaul MeurisseAndrée ClémentMadame Rose runs a seedy hotel in a suburb of Paris. Strong-minded but without the least moral scruple, she once killed her husband, whose honesty was a hindrance to her business. Under a suspended sentence, she now indulges in smuggling. One day, Victor, one of her former accomplices hounded by the police, finds sanctuary with her. During a drinking spree, he has the bad idea to entrust to her a suitcase filled with bank notes, loot with which he hopes to rebuild his life in South America. But Rose, lured by temptation, betrays Victor, who is arrested. However, he manages to escape with only one thing in mind: to take revenge on Rose.
- DirectorMarcel CarnéStarsPierre BrasseurSerge ReggianiYves MontandIt's Paris in the winter after its liberation. A tramp who may also be Destiny predicts that Jean Diego will fall in love with a beautiful girl. That same evening, Jean meets Malou.
- DirectorJean DelannoyStarsPierre BlancharMichèle MorganLine NoroA minister falls in love with a blind young woman he sheltered, but so does his son.
- DirectorChristian-JaqueStarsLouis JouvetGaby MorlayFrançois PérierA ballet producer returns to his native town and schemes to avenge himself on the family who tried to murder him 20 years before.
- DirectorJacques BeckerStarsRoger PigautClaire MafféiNoël RoquevertWorking class couple Antoine and Antoinette dream of a better life. In the midst of constantly fending off the unwanted attention of men, especially the grocer Monsieur Roland, Antoinette purchases a winning lottery ticket. But when Antoine loses their ticket out of poverty, their dreams seem like they'll remain just that.
- DirectorClaude Autant-LaraStarsMicheline PresleGérard PhilipeDenise GreyDuring World War I, the star-crossed affair of an underage French student with a woman engaged to a soldier.Best French Film of the year 1947
- DirectorGeorges RouquierOne year in the life of a French peasant family, whose existence is closely tied with the changing of the seasons.
- DirectorMaurice ClocheStarsPierre FresnayAimé ClariondJean DebucourtSt. Vincent de Paul struggles to bring about peace and harmony among peasants and nobles in the midst of the Black Death in Europe, carrying on his charitable work in the face of all obstacles.
- DirectorJulien DuvivierStarsViviane RomanceMichel SimonMax DalbanAfter an elderly maid is murdered, opinions are manipulated, evidence is planted, violence erupts, and panic ensues.
- DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsLouis JouvetSimone RenantBernard BlierA flirtatious wife runs off to meet an older man and the husband closes in with intend to murder him, but finds the deed already done.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsMaurice ChevalierFrançois PérierMarcelle Derrien1910. A friend leaves his daughter, Madeleine, with Emile a French film producer. Emile falls in love with her. Problems starts when his young friend Jacques returns from military service complaining his misfortune with women. Once he follows Emile's advice to have an affair, he meets Lucette and falls in love with her instead.
- DirectorJean DrévilleTitus Vibe-MüllerStarsRaoul DautryFrédéric Joliot-CurieLew KowarskiA factual reconstruction of the sabotage which took place to prevent Germany from getting the heavy water needed to make an atomic bomb during World War II.
- DirectorChristian-JaqueStarsRenée FaureLucien CoëdelLouis SalouFabrice del Dongo, a young archbishop, gives his all to romance rather than to the Church, creating complications for everyone around. The Countess of San Severina, is but one of the women who love him a la folie, spurring jealous retribution in high places from those who in turn want her. From his prison window, Fabrice falls in love with the jailer's daughter who takes a vow to the Virgin Mary to never see him again if his escape succeeds.
- DirectorJean DevaivreStarsPaul MeurisseMicheline FranceyGilbert GilStanislas Oscar Seminario, aka SOS, is a young explorer, just back from Africa, visiting old friends: the Pescara's. But the father keeps receiving anonymous letters. And soon a mysterious murder is committed. SOS begins to investigate...
- DirectorYves AllégretStarsBernard BlierSimone SignoretMarcello PaglieroDedee is a prostitute who works in Monsieur Rene's nightclub on Antwerp's harbour. The porter is Marco, her pimp. Dedee is not happy until she meets Francesco, an Italian sailor. They fall in love and Dedee starts to dream about escaping her daily dull grind.
- DirectorRoger LeenhardtStarsOdile VersoisMichel FrançoisJean LaraA schoolboy remembers his last holiday in the big house of his family in the country, before it was sold.
- DirectorNicole VédrèsStarsClaude DauphinRené AlexandreGuillaume ApollinaireDocumentary limning the life of Paris and its citizens during "La Belle Epoque," the years between 1900 and 1914. Beginning with the Paris Exposition of 1900 and the completion of the Eiffel Tower, the film progresses through cultural, technological, and social changes, from peaceful and sometimes näive times to the rumbling foreshadowing of the war that would disrupt France and Europe for years to come.Release in France: 1948
Best French Film of the year 1948 - DirectorJean FaurezStarsFrançois PérierColette RichardLouis SalouA young provincial college boy likes the daughter of the headmaster. However, his colleague, who wanted to die, left a diary where he wrote about his good luck with the same girl.
- DirectorAndré CayatteStarsSerge ReggianiAnouk AiméePierre BrasseurAngelo, a glass-blower from Murano, and Georgia Maglia, the pretty daughter of a fallen fascist magistrate, are chosen to be the stand-ins for the stars of a film version of "Romeo and Juliet" being shot on location in Venice and Verona. It is not long before they fall in love and their romance parallels that of Shakespeare's timeless heroes. Indeed their union is threatened by the schemings of Raffaele, the Maglia family's dubious tout...
- DirectorRené ClémentStarsJean GabinIsa MirandaVera TalchiA French fugitive arrives in Genoa, where he becomes entangled with an Italian woman and her daughter.
- DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsSerge ReggianiMichel AuclairCécile AubryA classic tale about bitter relationships between a frivolous girl and a soldier is adapted for the post-World War II time.
- DirectorClaude Autant-LaraStarsDanielle DarrieuxJean DesaillyVictor GuyauOnce a lowly chambermaid, Amelie Pochet now revels as the pampered mistress of a military man named Etienne.
- DirectorJacques BeckerStarsDaniel GélinBrigitte AuberNicole CourcelHopes and love and ambitions and friendship in a group of young jazz-loving Parisians.
- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsHoward VernonNicole StéphaneJean-Marie RobainIn occupied France, an elderly man and his niece are forced to give shelter to a German army lieutenant who seemingly loves their country and culture.
- DirectorYves AllégretStarsMadeleine RobinsonGérard PhilipeJean ServaisDuring the cold and rainy off-season a man arrives in a seaside town and, giving his name only as Pierre, checks into the only hotel which remains open. His arrival arouses curiosity and a degree of suspicion, as people note that he appears to know the area, yet gives no explanation for his presence at that bleak time of year in the dead-end town.Best French Film of the year 1949