French Films--I love them

UncleEd

Member
Joined
May 11, 2012
Messages
4,884
Reaction score
9,852
Location
North Georgia
Through Netflix, I've gotten hooked on French films. Subtitles are
clear and short. I hope others have discovered their films.

If you like comedy, check out

OSS117, Lost in Rio and OSS117 Cairo, Nest of Spies

which are delightfully absolutely not politically correct spy spoofs
starring Jean DuJardin, who got an Oscar for The Artist.
I roared when in the Cairo film he does in the imam who keeps
him awake by calling out prayers four times a day.

And if you like tough shoot 'em ups see

Public Enemy, Killer Instinct and its second part Mesrine.
Mesrine was a public enemy hunted for decades.


A really hilarious one is Moliere, it's a laugh a minute.

Film I watched last night was

Rapt,

about a kidnapping during which the lead kidnapper talks about how ugly Glocks are, and what a horrible name for a gun. "I like my .357," he says. And he comments how his Beretta over/under is fine for sport, he doesn't need a Holland & Holland or Purdey. He tells the victim what a distinct nice
sound an AK47 makes.

Among the older French crime films is

The Red Circle

which is an hour and half film with more than a half hour of it without dialog. You know exactly everything that's happening
during a heist.

Of course, some of the older ones such as Borsolino are still considered classics of the gangster genre.
 
Register to hide this ad
Same here....if you get a chance, check these two out. the first one I just saw at the LA French film festival...it's about 3 middle aged pals and one of them falls for the daughter of the other.

Amitiés sincères (2013)


The other is a very funny story about a bumbling guy who gets put on the trail of a missing girl.....nice to see Gerard when he was 200 pounds lighter...doubt they could do that poster today without special effects....:)

220px-La_Chevre_film.jpg
 
Last edited:
Im not a big fan of french cinema as a genre, but I do love good film. I have a few to suggest. (Using U.S. titles)

Army of Crime (2009) - About the "foreign" french resistance in Paris, but don't expect constant, unrealistic action.
The City of Lost Children (1995) - I don't think you can place this film in a Genre. It is quite odd, in a good way. (If you cannot take a film like Brazil, then you will not like this) This film is so visually stunning I watched it with the sub titles and then immediately watched it again without, so I could focus on "seeing" it.
Léon: The Professional (1994) - Action and many, many weapons for gawking
La Femme Nikita (1990) - (Not the insipid American remake(s)) - A Stylistic Action film
Le cercle rouge (1970) - Gritty Crime thriller
Le Samouraï (1967) - Crime thriller from the point of a hit man
The Wages of Fear (1953) - Remade (not too bad) as Sorcerer in the us. I would categorize it a "suspense". One of the great films of history. Do not read much about it, there is so much that can be spoiled with pre-kowledge.

One thing french filmmakers excel in, over others, is making multi-dimensional characters -- even in action "flicks"
 
Last edited:
I remember going to see Pan's Labyrinth in the theater. It came on with text on the screen (Spanish? I forget) with English subtitles below it.

I heard quite a few members I the audience groan when they realized it was subtitled... I got a chuckle out of that.

Oh I enjoy reading, I just prefer not to go to the movies to do it.

You're missing out!
 
You might like Shoot the Piano Player.

Céline et Julie vont en bateau (Celine and Julie Go Boating) is kind of fun in a madcap way, as I remember.
 
The one French film I saw was on TCM a few years ago and had me rolling on the floor. I think the title was Mr. Heulot's Holiday. It had very little dialog but the slapstick antics were hysterical. It's too bad it hasn't come around recently.
 
Closest I've come to a French flick in many years was Sellers as Clouseau. Preferably "Return Of The Pink Panther". This is because I am an uncultured, semi-civilized oaf.

Wonderful word, "oaf".

Conjugate the verb "to oaf"...
 
I dig Silent movies which aren't exactly foreign but there are a sort of subtitles, my wife thinks I'm crazy for my taste in old movies. Now "The Artist" was fantastic, one of the better movies I've seen lately. DuJardin's character was brilliant and Bejo was drop dead gorgeous. But as French movies go my wife's favorite movie is "Amélie" which is a cute story, entertaining and well shot. I'm always picking up new lil' details.
-Jesse
 
Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" is a great one. And any movie with Jeanne Moreau is worth watching especially "La Notta" ( I know it's Italian but she's French.). Jp
 
I watch the subtitled stuff on the MHz Network all the time. I know just enough French to spot when the subtitles are wrong, which is at least once every episode of Maigret.

Pan's Labyrinth, now that is an "out there" movie in any language.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top