challenge_everything
Active Member
French cinema has some great stuff, unfortunately the things that seem to be held in esteem from France and get cinema releases around here are those stereotypical arthouse flicks, that François Ozon kind of rubbish. Anyway since I'm bored, here is a list of my favourite French movies in rough order:
1. Le Trou (The Hole) - greatest prison escape film ever.
2. A Man Escaped (Un Condamné à Mort s'est Échappée) - 2nd greatest prison escape film ever.
3. La Salaire de la Peur (The Wages of Fear) - one of the most tense movies you'll ever see - a group of men have to transport a truck full of explosives, where every bump in the road threatens instant death
4. Les Diaboliques - brilliant Hitchcockian ghost/murder tale
5. Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) - classic heist film, hardly any dialogue but Melville says more with 5mins of his images than most directors manage with a full script. All Melville's films are great, try Le Samourai too.
6. Irreversible - most of you know this one
7. Weekend - this is an influential New Wave film which I actually don't like much but it's worth watching because it's so utterly bizarre.
8. Léon (The Professional) - of course!
9. Trois Couleurs Trilogy
10. Rififi chez des Hommes (Rififi) - another cool old noir/heist film
11. Les Yeux sans Visage (Eyes Without a Face) - odd and creepy gothic horror
12. Corps à Corps (Body to Body) - a recent and unheralded film, it's no masterpiece but it's an original and unpredictable thriller
13. Mesrine Parts I and II - epic gangster biopic, worth watching because Jacques Mesrine was such a crazy bastard
Trying to think of some decent comedies but most I've seen are shit. Bienvenue chez Les Chtis (Welcome to the Chtis) is enormously popular in France and not too bad. Le Diner de Cons (The Dinner Game) is probably the best I can think of - apparently this is being remade in Hollywood - the original will no doubt be better.
1. Le Trou (The Hole) - greatest prison escape film ever.
2. A Man Escaped (Un Condamné à Mort s'est Échappée) - 2nd greatest prison escape film ever.
3. La Salaire de la Peur (The Wages of Fear) - one of the most tense movies you'll ever see - a group of men have to transport a truck full of explosives, where every bump in the road threatens instant death
4. Les Diaboliques - brilliant Hitchcockian ghost/murder tale
5. Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) - classic heist film, hardly any dialogue but Melville says more with 5mins of his images than most directors manage with a full script. All Melville's films are great, try Le Samourai too.
6. Irreversible - most of you know this one
7. Weekend - this is an influential New Wave film which I actually don't like much but it's worth watching because it's so utterly bizarre.
8. Léon (The Professional) - of course!
9. Trois Couleurs Trilogy
10. Rififi chez des Hommes (Rififi) - another cool old noir/heist film
11. Les Yeux sans Visage (Eyes Without a Face) - odd and creepy gothic horror
12. Corps à Corps (Body to Body) - a recent and unheralded film, it's no masterpiece but it's an original and unpredictable thriller
13. Mesrine Parts I and II - epic gangster biopic, worth watching because Jacques Mesrine was such a crazy bastard
Trying to think of some decent comedies but most I've seen are shit. Bienvenue chez Les Chtis (Welcome to the Chtis) is enormously popular in France and not too bad. Le Diner de Cons (The Dinner Game) is probably the best I can think of - apparently this is being remade in Hollywood - the original will no doubt be better.