August 16, 2012 · 3:21 am
It’s time yet again for my favorite feature at TDYLF- my annual list of the 50 greatest French films of all-time. One aspect I’m starting to really enjoy about this list is how organic it is. Each year, movies rise and fall thanks to re-watches, exposure to new films, and new insights. Keeping and maintaining this list throughout the year also serves an important function for me. It motivates me to continue learning, and grow as a French film enthusiast. A few notes before we get started:
- I am not an authority on this. I’m just a Francophile with a Blu-ray player, Netflix and Facets subscriptions, and a love of movies.
- As much as I try, I am not a completist. There are a lot of films I simply haven’t seen. I’ve done my best to make it as comprehensive as I could but there’s always room to see more. There are still some relatively glaring omissions. Please feel free to recommend others, as I am always on the lookout to improve this list. It’s a labor of love for me.
- There is obviously a lot of personal preference involved. However, I’ve given a lot of weight to objective aspects like a film’s influence, importance, creativity, and how much they embody the spirit of French cinema and history.
- To qualify, the film has to be a French language film. There are non-French directors on this list but every movie is a French language film.
With that out of the way, I present to you the 50 greatest French films of all-time: Continue reading →
Filed under Foreign Film, French Film, Movies
Tagged as A Propos de Nice, A Trip to the Moon, Abel Gance, Agnes Varda, Alain Resnais, Breathless, Celine and Julie Go Boating, Children of Paradise, Cleo from 5 to 7, Contempt, Costa Gravas, Day for Night, Francois Truffaut, French Film, Grand Illusion, Henri-Georges Clouzot, J'Accuse, Jacques Tati, Jean Gabin, Jean Luc Godard, Jean Renoir, Jean Vigo, Jean-Pierre Melville, L'Enfance Nue, La Grande Bouffe, La Roue, Last Year at Marienbad, Le Corbeau, Louis Malle, Luis Bunuel, M. Hulot's Holiday, Marcel Carné, Maurice Pialat, Mouchette, Movies, Murmur of the Heart, Napoleon, Night and Fog, Pépé le Moko, Port of Shadows, Rene Clair, Robert Bresson, Shoot the Piano Player, The 400 Blows, The 50 Greatest French Films of All-Time, The Battle of Algiers, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Fire Within, The Italian Straw Hat, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Phantom of Liberty, The Red Balloon, The Rules of the Game, The Sorrow and the Pity, Touchez Pas Au Grisbi, Un Chien Andalou, Week End, Zero for Conduct
July 10, 2011 · 6:10 pm
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This week will mark Bastille Day. What better time to honor a country that’s given the world of cinema so many incredible films? In terms of both quality and quantity, I’d stack the history of French film up against any on the world scene. To pay proper homage for Bastille Day, I’ve compiled the 50 greatest French films of all-time. A few notes before we get started: Continue reading →
Filed under Foreign Film, French Film, Louis Malle, Movies, Silent Movies
Tagged as Abel Gance, Alain Resnais, Film, Francois Truffaut, French Film, Jacques Tati, Jean Cocteau, Jean Luc Godard, Louis Malle, Luis Bunuel, Marcel Carné, Movies, Robert Bresson, The Greatest French Films of All-Time
May 11, 2010 · 1:04 pm
I don’t have a ton of time so I thought I’d just toss together a quick little entry today. I’m a junkie for French history. I love it. And I especially love occupation-era movies because it’s kind of a neat little sociology lesson about France- the way they dealt with the Vichy regime, all of the nasty political undercurrents, the resistance, the proverbial “sorrow and the pity” regarding their role in the Holocaust. I find it absolutely fascinating. Here’s a list of ten films about Occupation-era France. Continue reading →
Filed under Foreign Film, French Film, Humor, Movies
Tagged as A Man Escaped, Alain Resnais, Arc de Triomphe, Army of Shadows, Au Revoir les Enfants, Diary of a Chambermaid, Forbidden Games, Henri Clouzot, Inglorious Basterds, Lacombe Lucien, Le Corbeau, Louis Malle, Luis Bunuel, Nazi Occupation of France, Night and Fog, Rene Clement, Robert Bresson, The Sorrow and the Pity, Vichy
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