Swell.French.Movies

by Deleauvive | created - 18 Aug 2012 | updated - 30 Dec 2021 | Public

A saucerful (well, half full) of French movies I thoroughly enjoyed watching...

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1. Vatel (2000)

PG-13 | 103 min | Biography, Drama, History

44 Metascore

Vatel is the cook of Prince Condé. When the prince invites Louis XIV to hunt, he has to give lavish banquets in order to fall in his favor. But when Vatel falls in love with the king's mistress, love and duty come into conflict.

Director: Roland Joffé | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Julian Glover

Votes: 8,248 | Gross: $0.05M

2. The Story of O (1975)

NC-17 | 97 min | Drama

Photographer O's lover takes her to a Château, where she is, like other women there, naked, humiliated by whipping, sexual abuse by men etc. When O leaves, her lover gives her to his much older step-brother.

Director: Just Jaeckin | Stars: Corinne Cléry, Udo Kier, Anthony Steel, Jean Gaven

Votes: 6,891

Rated NC-17, male chauvinism all over but gorgeous picture

3. Night Wind (1999)

95 min | Drama

Hélène is unhappy with her marriage but finds some comfort and relief with young art student Paul. They reflect on their differences in age and background, but also what truly connects them... See full summary »

Director: Philippe Garrel | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Duval, Xavier Beauvois, Jacques Lassalle

Votes: 724

4. Subway (1985)

R | 104 min | Thriller

53 Metascore

On improvising a burglary at a shady tycoon's home, Fred takes refuge in the hip and surreal universe of the Paris Metro and encounters its assorted denizens, the tycoon's henchmen and his disenchanted young wife.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Christopher Lambert, Isabelle Adjani, Richard Bohringer, Michel Galabru

Votes: 16,332 | Gross: $0.39M

5. Léon: The Professional (1994)

R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama

64 Metascore

12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello

Votes: 1,243,948 | Gross: $19.50M

Rated R (should be PG-13, more likely)

6. Santa Claus Is a Stinker (1982)

88 min | Comedy

Two neurotics, working for a suicide hotline on the night of Christmas Eve, get caught up in a catastrophe when a pregnant woman, her abusive boyfriend, and a transvestite visit their office.

Director: Jean-Marie Poiré | Stars: Anémone, Josiane Balasko, Marie-Anne Chazel, Christian Clavier

Votes: 10,481

7. Asterix and Cleopatra (1968)

TV-Y7-FV | 72 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Ordered by Cleopatra to build a palace in Alexandria within three months as part of a bet with Julius Caesar, architect Edifis enlists the help of Asterix, Obelix and Getafix.

Directors: René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo | Stars: Roger Carel, Jacques Morel, Micheline Dax, Jacques Balutin

Votes: 14,407

8. Delicatessen (1991)

R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime

66 Metascore

Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants.

Directors: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Marie-Laure Dougnac, Dominique Pinon, Pascal Benezech, Jean-Claude Dreyfus

Votes: 89,978 | Gross: $1.79M

9. HS - hors service (2001)

95 min | Comedy, Crime

A professional killer decides to change his job, convinced that this decision will bring his wife out of the coma into which he accidentally plunged him.

Director: Jean-Paul Lilienfeld | Stars: Dieudonné, Lambert Wilson, François Berléand, Lorànt Deutsch

Votes: 199

Some violence, male chauvinism

10. Enemy at the Gates (2001)

R | 131 min | Action, Drama, War

53 Metascore

A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud | Stars: Jude Law, Ed Harris, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz

Votes: 277,368 | Gross: $51.40M

11. Noir comme le souvenir (1995)

92 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Seventeen years after the disappearance of the little Garance, her parents are harassed and intimidated by a mysterious voice that mimics that of their lost little girl.

Director: Jean-Pierre Mocky | Stars: Jane Birkin, Sabine Azéma, Jean-François Stévenin, Benoît Régent

Votes: 249

12. Le Furet (2003)

88 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

From his locksmith's shop, a simple guy dreams of becoming a crime boss, at the wheel of his Cadillac surrounded by blonde bimbos. He starts small, assassinating petty criminals. Gaining ... See full summary »

Director: Jean-Pierre Mocky | Stars: Jacques Villeret, Michel Serrault, Robin Renucci, Michael Lonsdale

Votes: 178

13. A Crime in Paradise (2001)

89 min | Comedy

In the 1980 French countryside, farmer Jojo and his ill-tempered wife Lulu hate each other, though their respective interests speak against divorce. The only thing that keeps the oppressed ... See full summary »

Director: Jean Becker | Stars: Jacques Villeret, Josiane Balasko, André Dussollier, Suzanne Flon

Votes: 2,004

14. The Professional (1981)

Not Rated | 108 min | Action, Crime, Drama

Victim of a plot which has resulted in his imprisonment in a Central African jail for two years, a French secret agent arrives in Paris to settle accounts.

Director: Georges Lautner | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly, Cyrielle Clair, Marie-Christine Descouard

Votes: 17,240

15. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

R | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

57 Metascore

In 18th-century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his Native American friend Mani are sent to the Gevaudan province at the king's behest to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.

Director: Christophe Gans | Stars: Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Jérémie Renier, Vincent Cassel

Votes: 71,413 | Gross: $11.26M

16. Les trois frères (1995)

105 min | Comedy

Three half-brothers are reunited at their mother's funeral. After being told of their inheritance they quickly spend the money, only to find out that they will not receive it after all. The... See full summary »

Directors: Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan | Stars: Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan, Pascal Légitimus, Antoine du Merle

Votes: 7,422

17. The Toy (1976)

PG | 95 min | Comedy, Drama

A poor journalist finds himself as a toy of a boss' son. Making friends with a naughty child, he tries to save him from the cruel power of his father.

Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Pierre Richard, Michel Bouquet, Fabrice Greco, Jacques François

Votes: 6,330

18. La Chèvre (1981)

91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime

A daughter of a millionaire, distinguished by incredible bad luck, goes missing. The idea how to find her is either insane or brilliant - to send after her an equally unlucky person.

Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Pierre Richard, Gérard Depardieu, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Corynne Charbit

Votes: 10,612

19. The Visitors (1993)

R | 107 min | Comedy, Fantasy

A medieval knight and his servant ask a familiar wizard to move them back in time to prevent father-in-law's accidentally killing. Instead, they fly away to the 20th century.

Director: Jean-Marie Poiré | Stars: Christian Clavier, Jean Reno, Valérie Lemercier, Marie-Anne Chazel

Votes: 37,943 | Gross: $0.70M

20. Bunker paradise (2005)

109 min | Comedy, Drama

A cab driver is torn between disgust and contempt towards a small clique of rich, decadent, misanthropic friends and his secret wish to be one of them, when he drives their dying friend to their doorstep one night.

Director: Stefan Liberski | Stars: Jean-Paul Rouve, François Vincentelli, Audrey Marnay, Bouli Lanners

Votes: 211

21. Farinelli (1994)

R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The story of castrato opera singer Carlo Broschi, who enthralled 18th-century European audiences under his stage name Farinelli.

Director: Gérard Corbiau | Stars: Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Elsa Zylberstein, Caroline Cellier

Votes: 7,343 | Gross: $2.12M

Rated R

22. Marcel Proust's Time Regained (1999)

169 min | Drama, Romance, War

72 Metascore

A lush, elegant epic taking us on a time-swirling trip down the infinitely complex labyrinth that is Marcel Proust's memory lane.

Director: Raúl Ruiz | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart, Vincent Perez, John Malkovich

Votes: 2,828 | Gross: $0.46M

23. Mina Tannenbaum (1994)

128 min | Drama

The film tells the story of two girls who are of totally different character. They know each other since their childhood and were friends until they became teenagers. But growing up and becoming adults they go different ways.

Director: Martine Dugowson | Stars: Romane Bohringer, Elsa Zylberstein, Florence Thomassin, Jean-Philippe Écoffey

Votes: 1,059 | Gross: $0.10M

24. What's Cooking in Paris (1966)

Not Rated | 85 min | Action, Comedy

Top-notch french restaurant owner Monsieur Septime is involved into crime when one of his famous guests disappears.

Director: Jacques Besnard | Stars: Louis de Funès, Bernard Blier, Maria-Rosa Rodriguez, Venantino Venantini

Votes: 6,589

25. Taxi 3 (2003)

Not Rated | 84 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

Out to stop a new gang disguised as Santa Claus, Emilien and Daniel must also handle major changes in their personal relationships.

Director: Gérard Krawczyk | Stars: Samy Naceri, Frédéric Diefenthal, Bernard Farcy, Bai Ling

Votes: 45,604 | Gross: $0.50M

26. Emmenez-moi (2005)

98 min | Comedy, Drama

A lifelong fan of Charles Aznavour, a drifting 50-year-old man one day sets out to meet his idol.

Director: Edmond Bensimon | Stars: Gérard Darmon, Zinedine Soualem, Lucien Jean-Baptiste, Damien Jouillerot

Votes: 81

27. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

Not Rated | 112 min | Drama, Sci-Fi

In an oppressive future, a fireman whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task.

Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Oskar Werner, Julie Christie, Cyril Cusack, Anton Diffring

Votes: 45,384

28. Savage Nights (1992)

126 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

Jean is 30 years old. He lives with Laura, 17 years old, a violent and eventful love story. He learns that he is HIV positive.

Director: Cyril Collard | Stars: Cyril Collard, Romane Bohringer, Carlos López, Corine Blue

Votes: 2,414 | Gross: $0.66M

A few softcore scenes

29. Yvonne's Perfume (1994)

89 min | Drama, Romance

How the life of Victor Chmara toppled during the course of a single day during the summer of 1958?

Director: Patrice Leconte | Stars: Jean-Pierre Marielle, Hippolyte Girardot, Sandra Extercatte, Richard Bohringer

Votes: 1,180

Diffused nudity. Thin plot but utterly evocative if you're in the right mood.

30. Smoking/No Smoking (1993)

298 min | Comedy, Drama

An examination of the possible consequences of a certain event.

Director: Alain Resnais | Stars: Sabine Azéma, Pierre Arditi, Peter Hudson

Votes: 1,931 | Gross: $0.06M

Smoking is the better one

31. Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002)

PG | 107 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

Asterix and Obelix go to Egypt to help architect Edifis who is building a palace for Cleopatra.

Director: Alain Chabat | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Christian Clavier, Jamel Debbouze, Monica Bellucci

Votes: 57,797 | Gross: $3.12M

32. French Fried Vacation 2 (1979)

Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy

Eight tourists who met in a holiday camp on the Ivory Coast are reunited for a skiing holiday.

Director: Patrice Leconte | Stars: Josiane Balasko, Michel Blanc, Marie-Anne Chazel, Christian Clavier

Votes: 9,120

33. Inspector Maigret (1958)

119 min | Crime, Drama

A serial killer is targeting women in the seedy district of Le Marais.

Director: Jean Delannoy | Stars: Jean Gabin, Annie Girardot, Olivier Hussenot, Jeanne Boitel

Votes: 2,082 | Gross: $0.01M

34. Tout ça... pour ça! (1993)

PG-13 | 120 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance

Marie, a young lawyer, leaves with her husband Fabrice and a couple of friends, Francis and Alessandra. They are engaged in a dangerous sentimental game together, from which their relations will not come out unseemly.

Director: Claude Lelouch | Stars: Marie-Sophie L., Francis Huster, Fabrice Luchini, Alessandra Martines

Votes: 818

35. The Samurai (1967)

GP | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

90 Metascore

After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier

Votes: 57,015 | Gross: $0.04M

36. The Big Pardon (1982)

130 min | Crime, Drama

With the help of his binoculars, commissioner Duche monitors from his car the reception at the villa of Raymond Bettoun, the head of the clan of Jewish Pied-Noir.

Director: Alexandre Arcady | Stars: Roger Hanin, Clio Goldsmith, Bernard Giraudeau, Richard Berry

Votes: 770

Some violence

37. The Carabineers (1963)

80 min | Comedy, Drama, War

During a war in an imaginary country, unscrupulous soldiers recruit poor farmers with promises of an easy and happy life. Two of these farmers write to their wives of their exploits.

Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Patrice Moullet, Marino Masé, Geneviève Galéa, Catherine Ribeiro

Votes: 3,610

38. 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967)

Not Rated | 87 min | Comedy, Drama

A day in the life of a Parisian housewife/prostitute, interspersed with musings on the Vietnam War and other contemporary issues.

Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Jean-Luc Godard, Yves Beneyton, Juliet Berto, Helena Bielicic

Votes: 8,503 | Gross: $0.10M

39. Time Masters (1982)

78 min | Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Piel, a 7 or 8 year old boy, is alone on the desert planet Perdide, only survivor of an attack by giant hornets. Calling for help, Piel's father's friend Jaffar keeps contact with the kid and hurries across space toward Perdide.

Director: René Laloux | Stars: Jean Valmont, Michel Elias, Frédéric Legros, Yves-Marie Maurin

Votes: 6,093

Great old school anime. Deeply moving and masterfully crafted.

40. The Sucker (1965)

111 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime

Criminals have chosen an ordinary man to carry drugs and jewels in his car across the border. The problem is that this man turned out too much ordinary.

Director: Gérard Oury | Stars: Bourvil, Louis de Funès, Venantino Venantini, Henri Génès

Votes: 8,031

41. Story of Women (1988)

108 min | Drama, History, Romance

A housewife in Nazi-occupied France struggles to make ends meet when her husband returns home after being wounded in the war.

Director: Claude Chabrol | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, François Cluzet, Marie Trintignant, Nils Tavernier

Votes: 5,733 | Gross: $0.44M

42. Le fils préféré (1994)

100 min | Drama

A film shows a family through an adult man's figure, and his weekdays. The main character is one of the sons of an old and ill man who is in hospital nowadays. The father has 2 other sons ... See full summary »

Director: Nicole Garcia | Stars: Gérard Lanvin, Bernard Giraudeau, Jean-Marc Barr, Roberto Herlitzka

Votes: 468

43. Diva (1981)

R | 117 min | Crime, Music, Thriller

Two tapes, two Parisian mob killers, one corrupt policeman, an opera fan, a teenage thief, and the coolest philosopher ever filmed all twist their way through an intricate and stylish French-language thriller.

Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix | Stars: Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Frédéric Andréi, Roland Bertin, Richard Bohringer

Votes: 14,296 | Gross: $0.11M

44. Contempt (1963)

Not Rated | 102 min | Drama, Romance

A French writer's marriage deteriorates while working on Fritz Lang's version of "The Odyssey", as his wife accuses him of using her to court favor with the film's brash American producer.

Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, Michel Piccoli, Giorgia Moll

Votes: 35,997 | Gross: $0.04M

45. The Wages of Fear (1953)

Not Rated | 131 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller

85 Metascore

In a decrepit South American village, four men are hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck, Folco Lulli

Votes: 66,484

46. Thieves (1996)

R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

79 Metascore

The fates of four different people - a thief, a cop, a female professor of philosophy, a suicidal girl - unexpectedly collide.

Director: André Téchiné | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Auteuil, Laurence Côte, Benoît Magimel

Votes: 2,273 | Gross: $0.94M

Some nudity and violence (mutilation). The romance between Marie and Juliette deserved a bit more work. This said, an engrossing and poignant French thriller.

47. The Black Box (2005)

88 min | Mystery, Thriller

Images flash through Arthur's brain, voices buzz in his mind, uttering disjointed words and sentences. Arthur Seligman seems to have had an accident but did he run over a little boy or not?... See full summary »

Director: Richard Berry | Stars: José Garcia, Marion Cotillard, Michel Duchaussoy, Bernard Le Coq

Votes: 1,927

48. Le palanquin des larmes (1988)

113 min | Drama

The story of three generations of a family in Shanghai against the backdrop of tumultuous times.

Director: Jacques Dorfmann | Stars: Jie Chen, Zongying Huang, Wen Jiang, Gao Junxia

Votes: 88

49. Grégoire Moulin contre l'humanité (2001)

90 min | Comedy, Romance

Grégoire Moulin, a shy accountant, sets up a blind date with a dance teacher at a bar. What he needed to do was just to cross the road. But it didn't happen to be as easy as it seems ... See full summary »

Director: Artus de Penguern | Stars: Artus de Penguern, Pascale Arbillot, Élisabeth Vitali, Antoine Duléry

Votes: 1,527

50. My Uncle (1958)

Not Rated | 116 min | Comedy

Monsieur Hulot visits the technology-driven world of his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, but he can't quite fit into the surroundings.

Director: Jacques Tati | Stars: Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie, Lucien Frégis

Votes: 24,219

51. Aaltra (2004)

Not Rated | 92 min | Comedy, Drama

In this pitch black comedy the rivalry between two neighbors escalates into an all out war. Through a maintenance error on a tractor they both end up, paralyzed, in a wheelchair. It seems ... See full summary »

Directors: Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern | Stars: Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern, Michel de Gavre, Gérard Condejean

Votes: 2,957

52. Le séminaire Caméra Café (2009)

95 min | Comedy

Employees of the Geugène Electro Stim company and their manager come to Paris for a corporate seminar.

Director: Charles Nemes | Stars: Bruno Solo, Yvan Le Bolloc'h, Armelle, Alain Bouzigues

Votes: 334

53. Le Plaisir (1952)

Not Rated | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Three separate stories about the same thing: le plaisir (pleasure).

Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: Jean Gabin, Danielle Darrieux, Simone Simon, Claude Dauphin

Votes: 5,367

54. Le Jour Se Leve (1939)

Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

After committing a murder, a man locks himself in his apartment and recollects the events that led him to the killing.

Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Jean Gabin, Jacqueline Laurent, Arletty, Jules Berry

Votes: 8,264 | Gross: $0.03M

55. The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

Not Rated | 91 min | Comedy, Horror

56 Metascore

A noted professor and his dim-witted apprentice fall prey to their inquiring vampires, while on the trail of the ominous damsel in distress.

Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jack MacGowran, Roman Polanski, Alfie Bass, Jessie Robins

Votes: 33,837

56. The Last Train (1973)

PG | 95 min | Drama, Romance, War

Two people, a Frenchman Julien Maroyeur and a Jewish German woman (Anna Kupfer) met on a train while escaping the German army entering France.

Director: Pierre Granier-Deferre | Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Romy Schneider, Maurice Biraud, Paul Amiot

Votes: 1,732

57. The Banned Woman (1997)

100 min | Drama, Romance

39-year-old François meets 22-year-old Muriel. She agrees that on a certain day they will meet at a hotel and he will see her naked, and promises not to sleep with her at that occasion.

Director: Philippe Harel | Stars: Isabelle Carré, Philippe Harel, Nathalie Conio, Sophie Niedergang

Votes: 762

58. Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

PG-13 | 136 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama

55 Metascore

Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian climber, breaks out of prison and travels to the holy city of Lhasa. He is employed as an instructor to the 14th Dalai Lama and soon becomes his close confidante.

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud | Stars: Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, BD Wong, Mako

Votes: 155,777 | Gross: $37.96M

59. Diabolique (1955)

Not Rated | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Horror

The wife and mistress of a loathed school principal plan to murder him with what they believe is the perfect alibi.

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel

Votes: 69,313 | Gross: $1.09M

60. Now We've Seen It All! (1976)

R | 100 min | Comedy

An advertising photographer (Francois) has agreed to sell the poetic script of one of his friends to a porn-maker without his knowledge. But Christine, Francois' fiance, doesn't want him to... See full summary »

Director: Georges Lautner | Stars: Pierre Richard, Miou-Miou, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Renée Saint-Cyr

Votes: 869

61. Dangerous Liaisons (1959)

106 min | Drama, Romance

Juliette Merteuil and Valmont is a sophisticated couple, always looking for fun and excitement. Both have sexual affairs with others and share their experiences with one another. But there ... See full summary »

Director: Roger Vadim | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Gérard Philipe, Annette Stroyberg, Madeleine Lambert

Votes: 1,525

62. The Great Spy Chase (1964)

84 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller

A cold-war spy parody. After the death of an armaments manufacturer, an international group of spies is drawn into a high-stakes battle of wits to obtain the valuable military patents which have been inherited by the lovely widow.

Director: Georges Lautner | Stars: Lino Ventura, Francis Blanche, Bernard Blier, Mireille Darc

Votes: 2,011

63. Toto the Hero (1991)

PG-13 | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Thomas believed he was switched at birth with Alfred. Feeling cheated, Thomas spent his life plotting revenge against Alfred, his perceived lifelong adversary who he felt stole the privileged life that should have been his.

Director: Jaco Van Dormael | Stars: Michel Bouquet, Mireille Perrier, Jo De Backer, Thomas Godet

Votes: 6,338 | Gross: $1.23M

64. Les Misérables (1934)

Not Rated | 281 min | Drama

The lives of numerous people over the course of 20 years in 19th century France, weaved together by the story of an ex-convict named Jean Valjean on the run from an obsessive police inspector, who pursues him for only a minor offense.

Director: Raymond Bernard | Stars: Harry Baur, Charles Vanel, Paul Azaïs, Max Dearly

Votes: 1,968

65. Les sous-doués (1980)

92 min | Comedy

Baptiste 'Bebel' Lavalle and his classmates in Versailles' private high-school Louis XIV enjoy their carefree life enough to deliberately fail the exams, a national record of zero ... See full summary »

Director: Claude Zidi | Stars: Michel Galabru, Maria Pacôme, Daniel Auteuil, Philippe Taccini

Votes: 4,179

66. The Marquise of O (1976)

PG | 102 min | Drama, History

85 Metascore

A German Marquise has to deal with a pregnancy she cannot explain and an infatuated Russian Count.

Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Edith Clever, Bruno Ganz, Edda Seippel, Peter Lühr

Votes: 3,034 | Gross: $0.00M

Not an erotic movie, despite the title.

67. The Things of Life (1970)

GP | 89 min | Drama, Romance

A highway engineer is involved in a car crash, after which, near death, he remembers his life leading up to the accident.

Director: Claude Sautet | Stars: Michel Piccoli, Romy Schneider, Gérard Lartigau, Jean Bouise

Votes: 5,545

68. Oscar (1967)

G | 85 min | Comedy

Neurotic businessman must find the right man for his pregnant daughter. In fact, it is little bit complicated.

Director: Édouard Molinaro | Stars: Louis de Funès, Claude Rich, Mario David, Germaine Delbat

Votes: 7,526

69. The Grand Highway (1987)

R | 104 min | Drama

Louis, a nine-year-old boy from Paris, spends his summer vacation in a small town in Brittany. His mother Claire has lodged him with her girlfriend Marcelle and her husband Pelo while she's... See full summary »

Director: Jean-Loup Hubert | Stars: Anémone, Richard Bohringer, Antoine Hubert, Vanessa Guedj

Votes: 1,767 | Gross: $0.76M

70. The Red Circle (1970)

Not Rated | 140 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

92 Metascore

After leaving prison, master thief Corey crosses paths with a notorious escapee and an alcoholic former policeman. The trio proceed to plot an elaborate heist.

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Yves Montand

Votes: 28,105 | Gross: $0.37M

71. The Last Metro (1980)

PG | 131 min | Drama, Romance, War

In occupied Paris, an actress married to a Jewish theater owner must keep him hidden from the Germans while doing both of their jobs.

Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Poiret, Andréa Ferréol

Votes: 15,804

72. My American Uncle (1980)

PG | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

The intersecting stories of three people who face difficult choices in life-changing situations are used to illustrate the theories espoused by Henri Laborit about human behavior and the relationship between the self and society.

Director: Alain Resnais | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Roger Pierre, Nelly Borgeaud

Votes: 6,842

73. The Grand Illusion (1937)

Not Rated | 113 min | Drama, War

During WWI, two French soldiers are captured and imprisoned in a German P.O.W. camp. Several escape attempts follow until they are eventually sent to a seemingly inescapable fortress.

Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Jean Gabin, Dita Parlo, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim

Votes: 38,839 | Gross: $0.17M

74. Carnival of Sinners (1943)

Approved | 80 min | Fantasy, Horror

Roland 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,... See full summary »

Director: Maurice Tourneur | Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Josseline Gaël, Noël Roquevert, Guillaume de Sax

Votes: 1,792

75. A Heart in Winter (1992)

105 min | Drama, Music, Romance

Stéphane is an emotionally distant but professionally dedicated violin restorer whose cold heart is tested when his employer's new girlfriend, a beautiful violinist, falls for him.

Director: Claude Sautet | Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Béart, André Dussollier, Elizabeth Bourgine

Votes: 10,633 | Gross: $1.67M

76. A Woman Is a Woman (1961)

Not Rated | 84 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

71 Metascore

An exotic dancer is desperate to become a mother and accepts her reluctant boyfriend's suggestion that she be impregnated by his best friend.

Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Henri Attal

Votes: 19,179 | Gross: $0.10M

77. Regular Lovers (2005)

183 min | Drama, Romance

76 Metascore

1968 and 1969 in Paris during and after the student and trade-union revolt. 20-year-old François is a poet dodging military service. He takes to the barricades, but won't throw a Molotov ... See full summary »

Director: Philippe Garrel | Stars: Louis Garrel, Clotilde Hesme, Julien Lucas, Eric Rulliat

Votes: 2,985

78. Fantastic Planet (1973)

PG | 72 min | Animation, Sci-Fi

73 Metascore

On a faraway planet where blue giants rule, oppressed humanoids rebel against their machine-like leaders.

Director: René Laloux | Stars: Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Drake, Eric Baugin, Jean Topart

Votes: 36,736 | Gross: $0.19M

79. Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998)

TV-PG | 71 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

77 Metascore

Kirikou, an unusual little boy, must search the wisdom of the forbidden mountain in order to save his village from a spell cast by the evil sorceress Karaba

Directors: Michel Ocelot, Raymond Burlet | Stars: Doudou Gueye Thiaw, Maimouna N'Diaye, Awa Sene Sarr, Robert Liensol

Votes: 10,792 | Gross: $0.06M

80. Jenny Lamour (1947)

Not Rated | 106 min | Crime, Drama

89 Metascore

A 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.

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Louis Jouvet, Simone Renant, Bernard Blier, Suzy Delair

Votes: 6,406 | Gross: $0.03M

81. The Little Prince Said (1992)

105 min | Drama

A divorced Swiss couple must come to terms with their daughter's life-threatening illness. He, a scientist, snatches his daughter from the examining table at the clinic and takes her away ... See full summary »

Director: Christine Pascal | Stars: Richard Berry, Anémone, Marie Kleiber, Lucie Phan

Votes: 492

Don't watch this if you recently lost someone you loved

82. A Sunday in the Country (1984)

G | 90 min | Drama

An elderly painter whose son visits with his family on the weekends, is also surprised by a visit from his still-single daughter.

Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Louis Ducreux, Michel Aumont, Sabine Azéma, Geneviève Mnich

Votes: 3,128 | Gross: $2.41M

83. Marius (1931)

Not Rated | 130 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Marius is faced with a choice whether to fulfill his passion by sailing the seas or stay and marry the woman he loves.

Director: Alexander Korda | Stars: Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Fernand Charpin, Alida Rouffe

Votes: 2,560

84. Life Dances On (1937)

144 min | Drama

Christine, newly widowed and consumed by the memory of a ball she attended age 16, decides to track down the men she danced with that night and discover their fates.

Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Marie Bell, Françoise Rosay, Louis Jouvet, Harry Baur

Votes: 923

85. The Count of Monte Cristo (1954)

183 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance

Edmond 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 ... See full summary »

Stars: Jean Marais, Lia Amanda, Daniel Ivernel, Folco Lulli

Votes: 1,114

86. The Adversary (2002)

129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

When a man murders his wife, children and parents, the ensuing investigation reveals that he's been living a lie for almost 20 years.

Director: Nicole Garcia | Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Géraldine Pailhas, François Cluzet, Emmanuelle Devos

Votes: 3,958

Splendid but depressing movie with Daniel Auteuil.

87. So Long, Stooge (1983)

100 min | Crime, Drama

A story of an odd friendship - and the unexpected consequences.

Director: Claude Berri | Stars: Coluche, Richard Anconina, Agnès Soral, Mahmoud Zemmouri

Votes: 3,132

88. Would I Lie to You? (1997)

100 min | Comedy, Romance

The sentimental and comedic adventures of Eddie, a non-Jew trying to pass as Jewish though totally ignorant of Jewish traditions, as he works in a Jewish community.

Director: Thomas Gilou | Stars: Richard Anconina, Richard Bohringer, Amira Casar, Vincent Elbaz

Votes: 4,891

The one I preferred.

89. La Belle Noiseuse (1991)

Unrated | 238 min | Drama

The former famous painter Frenhofer revisits an abandoned project using the girlfriend of a young visiting artist. Questions about truth, life, and artistic limits are explored.

Director: Jacques Rivette | Stars: Michel Piccoli, Jane Birkin, Emmanuelle Béart, Marianne Denicourt

Votes: 9,351 | Gross: $0.41M

Some nudity.

90. Secret Things (2002)

Unrated | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

55 Metascore

Nathalie teaches Sandrine that sexual transgression can cause violent pleasure and give those who use it a powerful weapon to climb the social hierarchy. They decide to get a job in a bank, a place where victims abound.

Director: Jean-Claude Brisseau | Stars: Coralie Revel, Sabrina Seyvecou, Roger Miremont, Fabrice Deville

Votes: 5,391 | Gross: $0.10M

A few (judiciously introduced) softcore scenes.

91. Clean Slate (1981)

Not Rated | 128 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

A pathetic police chief, humiliated by everyone around him, suddenly wants a clean slate in life - and resorts to drastic means to do so.

Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Philippe Noiret, Isabelle Huppert, Stéphane Audran, Jean-Pierre Marielle

Votes: 6,708

92. Le septième juré (1962)

90 min | Crime, Drama

In a moment of madness a respectable pharmacist kills a young woman who is sun-bathing by a lake. Unable to take in what he has done, he flees from the scene of the crime and behaves as if nothing has happened.

Director: Georges Lautner | Stars: Bernard Blier, Danièle Delorme, Maurice Biraud, Jacques Riberolles

Votes: 964

93. The Lover (1992)

R | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

59 Metascore

In 1929 French Indochina, a French teenage girl embarks on a reckless and forbidden romance with a wealthy, older Chinese man, each knowing that knowledge of their affair will bring drastic consequences to each other.

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud | Stars: Jane March, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Jeanne Moreau, Frédérique Meininger

Votes: 23,470 | Gross: $4.90M

rated NC-17 (should be R IMHO). Depressing but flamboyant movie about the end of an era. The narrative voice-over is a bit annoying though. Don't watch this if you have stiff moral standards.

94. Crying Freeman (1995)

102 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

A woman sees an assassin outside San Francisco killing yakuza men and later in Vancouver. She's been told that he leaves no witness. Will she be his next victim or...?

Director: Christophe Gans | Stars: Julie Condra, Kevan Ohtsji, Mark Dacascos, Debbie Podowski

Votes: 13,615

This one grows on you. I wasn't too impressed with our romantic ninja in briefs (he quietly enters his victim / temptress room in this outfit) the first time, then I decided to give Crying Freeman another chance. I don't regret I did!

95. Eyes Without a Face (1960)

Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Horror

90 Metascore

A surgeon causes an accident which leaves his daughter disfigured and goes to extreme lengths to give her a new face.

Director: Georges Franju | Stars: Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Juliette Mayniel, Alexandre Rignault

Votes: 35,086 | Gross: $0.05M

96. Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

PG | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, History

79 Metascore

Famed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.

Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, Vincent Perez, Jacques Weber

Votes: 25,930 | Gross: $15.14M

97. Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)

PG | 105 min | Comedy, Romance

As loyal as a dove, a family man is about to tell his first lie to his wife when he falls for an enchanting woman in a billowy red dress. With a bit of help, he just might get what he wishes for; however, is love always a bed of roses?

Director: Yves Robert | Stars: Jean Rochefort, Claude Brasseur, Guy Bedos, Victor Lanoux

Votes: 2,354

98. La fille sur le pont (1999)

R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

75 Metascore

One night, a fading entertainer intervenes when a woman contemplates suicide, beginning a strange, unpredictable relationship.

Director: Patrice Leconte | Stars: Vanessa Paradis, Daniel Auteuil, Frédéric Pfluger, Dimitris Georgalas

Votes: 14,355 | Gross: $1.71M

99. Buffet Froid (1979)

Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller

Alphonse lives in an empty building. Empty but for one neighbour, the police captain Morvandieu. When the man who have killed Alphonse's wife appears, the three men will be thrown in a serie of event in a surrealist world.

Director: Bertrand Blier | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Bernard Blier, Jean Carmet, Denise Gence

Votes: 6,493

100. The Names of Love (2010)

R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

62 Metascore

A young, extroverted left-wing activist who sleeps with her political opponents to convert them to her cause is successful until she meets her match.

Director: Michel Leclerc | Stars: Sara Forestier, Jacques Gamblin, Zinedine Soualem, Carole Franck

Votes: 8,225 | Gross: $0.51M

Rated R



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