essential French
by Eriko_Tsogo | created - 12 Nov 2012 | updated - 16 Feb 2014 | Publicgeneral overview of the most notable and essential films from France through the years.
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1. The Earrings of Madame De... (1953)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama, Romance
When an aristocratic woman known only as "Madame de . . ." sells a pair of earrings given to her by her husband in order to pay some debts, she sets off a chain reaction of financial and carnal consequences that can end only in despair.
Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: Charles Boyer, Danielle Darrieux, Vittorio De Sica, Jean Debucourt
Votes: 11,104
2. Happiness (1965)
Not Rated | 80 min | Drama, Romance
François, a young carpenter, lives a happy, uncomplicated life with his wife Thérèse and their two small children. One day he meets Emilie, a clerk in the local post office.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Jean-Claude Drouot, Marie-France Boyer, Marcelle Faure-Bertin, Manon Lanclos
Votes: 9,504
3. Casque d'Or (1952)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Three gangsters and an ex-con carpenter all fall for the same beautiful golden-haired woman in Belle Époque France.
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Claude Dauphin, Raymond Bussières
Votes: 6,212
4. A Day in the Country (1946)
Not Rated | 40 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
The family of a Parisian shop-owner spends a day in the country. The daughter falls in love with a man at the inn, where they spend the day.
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Sylvia Bataille, Jane Marken, Georges D'Arnoux, André Gabriello
Votes: 7,094
5. Une simple histoire (1959)
68 min | Drama
A woman arrives in Paris with her little girl to look for work. With limited funds and no luck, they end up penniless, homeless and dependent on the rare kindness of strangers.
Director: Marcel Hanoun | Stars: Raymond Jourdan, Gilette Barbier, Madeleine Marion, Maria Meriko
Votes: 229
6. Sans Soleil (1983)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Drama
A woman narrates the contemplative writings of a seasoned world traveler, focusing on contemporary Japan.
Director: Chris Marker | Stars: Amilcar Cabral, Florence Delay, Arielle Dombasle, Riyoko Ikeda
Votes: 12,124 | Gross: $0.03M
7. 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: 38,854 | Gross: $0.17M
8. Innocence (II) (2004)
R | 122 min | Drama, Mystery
A look inside an offbeat boarding school for young girls.
Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic | Stars: Zoé Auclair, Lea Bridarolli, Bérangère Haubruge, Marion Cotillard
Votes: 6,445
9. Boyfriends and Girlfriends (1987)
PG | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In Paris outskirts Blanche, a young clerk, befriends Lea, a girl livelier than she is. Lea is going steady with Fabien who is a friend to Alexandre who is going steady with Adrienne but is ... See full summary »
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Emmanuelle Chaulet, Sophie Renoir, Anne-Laure Meury, Eric Viellard
Votes: 5,674 | Gross: $0.82M
10. Judex (1963)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Favraux, an unscrupulous banker receives a threatening note signed only "Judex", demanding that he pay back the people he has swindled. He refuses, and seemingly faces his fate.
Director: Georges Franju | Stars: Channing Pollock, Francine Bergé, Edith Scob, Théo Sarapo
Votes: 2,839
11. My Night at Maud's (1969)
GP | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A devout Catholic man's rigid principles are challenged during a one-night stay with Maud, a divorced woman with an outsize personality.
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Françoise Fabian, Marie-Christine Barrault, Antoine Vitez
Votes: 14,537
12. Claire's Knee (1970)
GP | 105 min | Drama, Romance
On lakeside summer holiday, a conflicted older man is dared to have a flirt with two beautiful teenage half-sisters despite his betrothal to a diplomat's daughter and the fact that the girls have boyfriends.
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Jean-Claude Brialy, Aurora Cornu, Béatrice Romand, Laurence de Monaghan
Votes: 12,486 | Gross: $0.04M
13. Orpheus (1950)
Not Rated | 112 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A poet in love with Death follows his unhappy wife into the underworld.
Director: Jean Cocteau | Stars: Jean Marais, François Périer, María Casares, Marie Déa
Votes: 13,397
14. Children of Paradise (1945)
Not Rated | 189 min | Drama, Romance
The theatrical life of a beautiful courtesan in 1830s Paris and the four men who love her.
Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur, Pierre Renoir
Votes: 21,165
15. L'Atalante (1934)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Newly married couple Juliette and a ship captain Jean struggle through marriage as they travel on the L'atalante along with the captain's first mate Le père Jules and a cabin boy.
Director: Jean Vigo | Stars: Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté, Gilles Margaritis, Louis Lefebvre
Votes: 17,460
16. Pierrot the Fool (1965)
Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Graziella Galvani, Aicha Abadir
Votes: 36,919
17. Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Romance
A French actress filming an anti-war film in Hiroshima has an affair with a married Japanese architect as they share their differing perspectives on war.
Director: Alain Resnais | Stars: Emmanuelle Riva, Eiji Okada, Stella Dassas, Pierre Barbaud
Votes: 35,869 | Gross: $0.09M
18. Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)
Unrated | 193 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A mysteriously linked pair of young women find their daily lives preempted by a strange boudoir melodrama that plays itself out in a hallucinatory parallel reality.
Director: Jacques Rivette | Stars: Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier, Marie-France Pisier
Votes: 6,353 | Gross: $0.03M
19. The Rules of the Game (1939)
Not Rated | 110 min | Comedy, Drama
A bourgeois life in France at the onset of World War II, as the rich and their poor servants meet up at a French chateau.
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély
Votes: 31,308
20. The Green Ray (1986)
R | 99 min | Drama, Romance
It's July, and Delphine has nowhere to go for the summer. She feels very bored and "empty", but this won't last; one day she accidently meets someone who seems to be totally made for her...
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Marie Rivière, María Luisa García, Vincent Gauthier, Amira Chemakhi
Votes: 10,478 | Gross: $0.04M
21. The Arrival of a Train (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
A train arrives at La Ciotat station.
Directors: Auguste Lumière, Louis Lumière | Stars: Madeleine Koehler, Marcel Koehler, Mrs. Auguste Lumiere, Jeanne-Joséphine Lumière
Votes: 12,864
22. La fée aux choux (1896)
1 min | Short, Family, Fantasy
The first film directed by a female director, "The Cabbage Fairy" presents a brief fantasy tale involving a strange fairy who can produce and deliver babies coming out of cabbages. Gently ... See full summary »
Director: Alice Guy | Stars: Alice Guy, Germaine Serand, Yvonne Serand
Votes: 1,393
23. L'homme à la tête en caoutchouc (1901)
TV-14 | 3 min | Short, Comedy, Fantasy
A chemist carries out a bizarre experiment with his own head.
Director: Georges Méliès | Star: Georges Méliès
Votes: 3,175
24. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
TV-G | 13 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet
Votes: 55,716
25. The Hasher's Delirium (1910)
5 min | Animation, Comedy, Short
Four customers are having a peaceful game of cards in a quiet café. The atmosphere bring heavy, the waiter falls asleep and has a beautiful dream in which two angels come and play to him on... See full summary »
Director: Émile Cohl
Votes: 529
26. L'enfant de Paris (1913)
Not Rated | 124 min | Crime, Drama
The young daughter of an army captain missing in action runs away from school and is kidnapped by Parisian lowlifes. When the kidnapper flees to Nice with the child, the kind-hearted employee of one of his accomplices sets off in pursuit.
Director: Léonce Perret | Stars: Léonce Perret, Louis Leubas, Maurice Lagrenée, Émile Keppens
Votes: 449
27. Falling Leaves (1912)
Not Rated | 12 min | Short, Drama
Trixie believe the only way she can save her older sister from dying of tuberculosis is by preventing the autumn leaves from falling, so one night she steals into the garden in her nightie and fastens fallen leaves to branches with twine.
Director: Alice Guy | Stars: Mace Greenleaf, Blanche Cornwall, Marian Swayne, Magda Foy
Votes: 1,644
28. Tiny Tim and the Adventures of His Elephant (1913)
9 min | Comedy, Short, Family
Bout de Zan is a very precocious young man! When the circus comes to town, he does what any kid might do in this situation--he steals the circus' elephant!!! Later, he sits on the curb with... See full summary »
Director: Louis Feuillade | Stars: René Poyen, Jeanne Saint-Bonnet, Renée Carl, Juliette Malherbe
Votes: 205
29. Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913)
Not Rated | 54 min | Crime, Drama
Inspector Juve is tasked to investigate and capture an infamous criminal Fantomas.
Director: Louis Feuillade | Stars: René Navarre, Edmund Breon, Georges Melchior, Renée Carl
Votes: 2,483
30. Les vampires (1915)
Not Rated | 421 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
An intrepid reporter and his loyal friend battle a bizarre secret society of criminals known as The Vampires.
Director: Louis Feuillade | Stars: Musidora, Édouard Mathé, Marcel Lévesque, Jean Aymé
Votes: 5,427
31. Tih Minh (1918)
418 min | Adventure, Mystery
Jacques d'Athys, a French adventurer, returns to his home in Nice after an expedition to Indochina where he has picked up a Eurasian fiancée and a book that, unbeknownst to him, contains a ... See full summary »
Director: Louis Feuillade | Stars: Mary Harald, René Cresté, Georges Biscot, Édouard Mathé
Votes: 468
32. Crainquebille (1922)
TV-G | 50 min | Drama
A poor vegetable peddler in Paris runs afoul of the law and finds himself ground up in the cogs of the corrupt French judicial system.
Director: Jacques Feyder | Stars: Maurice de Féraudy, Félix Oudart, Jean Forest, Marguerite Carré
Votes: 455
33. The Woman from Nowhere (1922)
61 min | Drama
A woman appears at the house where she used to live a long time ago. The new inhabitants, a married couple with a toddler, welcome her to stay for the night. Meanwhile, the wife has to choose between family and adventure.
Director: Louis Delluc | Stars: Ève Francis, Gine Avril, Noémi Seize, Denise
Votes: 283
34. The Wheel (1923)
Not Rated | 417 min | Drama
A railway engineer adopts a young girl orphaned by a train crash. Years later when she starts getting suitors, he grapples with whether or not to tell her the truth about her parentage.
Director: Abel Gance | Stars: Gabriel de Gravone, Pierre Magnier, Georges Térof, Séverin-Mars
Votes: 2,561
35. The Faithful Heart (1923)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Romance
Marie wants to escape from her job and also from her lover, Paul, an unemployed drunk. She dreams of going off with Jean, a dockworker. The two men quarrel and fight over Marie on two ... See full summary »
Director: Jean Epstein | Stars: Léon Mathot, Gina Manès, Edmond Van Daële, Claude Benedict
Votes: 1,456
36. The Smiling Madame Beudet (1923)
26 min | Short, Drama
An unhappily married woman devises a scheme to get rid of her husband.
Director: Germaine Dulac | Stars: Germaine Dermoz, Madeleine Guitty, Jean d'Yd, Yvette Grisier
Votes: 2,944
37. Entr'acte (1924)
22 min | Short
An absolute dada movie. Somebody gets killed, his coffin gets out of control and after a chase it stops. The person gets out of it and let everybody who followed the coffin dissapear.
Director: René Clair | Stars: Jean Börlin, Inge Frïss, Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp
Votes: 4,194
38. L'inhumaine (1924)
Not Rated | 135 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Claire Lescot is a famous first lady. All men want to be loved by her and among them is the young scientist Einar Norsen. When she mocks at him, he leaves her house with the declared intention to kill himself.
Director: Marcel L'Herbier | Stars: Jaque Catelain, Léonid Walter de Malte, Philippe Hériat, Fred Kellerman
Votes: 1,040
39. Mother (1925)
Not Rated | 114 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A man whose wife has died remarries, and his new wife has a daughter of her own from a previous marriage. The man's young son, however, who loved his mother deeply and misses her terribly, ... See full summary »
Director: Jacques Feyder | Stars: Jean Forest, Victor Vina, Pierrette Houyez, Jeanne Marie-Laurent
Votes: 939
40. Ménilmontant (1926)
38 min | Short, Drama
A couple is brutally murdered in the working-class district of Paris. Later on, the narrative follows the lives of their two daughters, both in love with a Parisian thug and leading them to separate ways.
Director: Dimitri Kirsanoff | Stars: Nadia Sibirskaïa, Yolande Beaulieu, Guy Belmont, Jean Pasquier
Votes: 2,730
41. Napoleon (1927)
330 min | Biography, Drama, History
A film about the French general's youth and early military career.
Director: Abel Gance | Stars: Albert Dieudonné, Vladimir Roudenko, Edmond Van Daële, Alexandre Koubitzky
Votes: 8,793
42. L'invitation au voyage (1927)
40 min | Short, Drama
Tired of being ignored by her husband, a young woman heads off to a nautical-themed nightclub, frequented by rowdy sailors. Her attentions is caught by a handsome naval officer.
Director: Germaine Dulac | Stars: Raymond Dubreuil, Emma Gynt, Robert Mirfeuil, Paul Lorbert
Votes: 334
43. The Chess Player (1927)
135 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
In 1776, an inventor conceals a Polish nobleman in his chess-playing automaton, a machine whose fame leads it to the court of the Russian empress.
Director: Raymond Bernard | Stars: Pierre Blanchar, Charles Dullin, Édith Jéhanne, Camille Bert
Votes: 339
44. L'étoile de mer (1928)
21 min | Short, Romance
Two people stand on a road, out of focus. Seen distorted through a glass, they retire upstairs to a bedroom where she undresses. He says, "Adieu." Images: the beautiful girl, a starfish in ... See full summary »
Director: Man Ray | Stars: Kiki of Montparnasse, André de la Rivière, Robert Desnos
Votes: 1,560
45. The Horse Ate the Hat (1928)
Not Rated | 108 min | Comedy
On his way through the woods to his marriage, Fadinard's horse eats the hat of a married lady spending here a few moments with her lover. Fadinard has to find the very same rare hat to ... See full summary »
Director: René Clair | Stars: Alice Tissot, Alexej Bondireff, Marise Maia, Yvonneck
Votes: 929
46. Misdeal (1928)
102 min | Drama, Romance
Maldone is a canal worker, happy with his life after running away from his family estate. He falls in love with Zita, a young gypsy girl, during a local fete. However, after his brother ... See full summary »
Director: Jean Grémillon | Stars: Charles Dullin, Marcelle Charles Dullin, Geymond Vital, André Bacqué
Votes: 242
47. The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
Not Rated | 72 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Allan visits the sinister Usher family mansion, where his friend Roderick is painting a portrait of his sickly wife Madeline. The portrait seems to be draining the life out of Madeline, slowly leading to her death.
Director: Jean Epstein | Stars: Jean Debucourt, Marguerite Gance, Charles Lamy, Fournez-Goffard
Votes: 4,499
48. L'Argent (1928)
195 min | Drama, Romance
The business tycoon Nicolas Saccard is nearly ruined by his rival Gunderman, when he tries to raise capital for his company. To push up the price of his stock, Saccard plans a publicity ... See full summary »
Director: Marcel L'Herbier | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Marie Glory, Pierre Alcover, Yvette Guilbert
Votes: 1,152
49. Un chien andalou (1929)
Not Rated | 16 min | Short, Fantasy, Horror
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Pierre Batcheff, Simone Mareuil, Luis Buñuel, Pancho Cossío
Votes: 53,779
50. Under the Roofs of Paris (1930)
Not Rated | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Albert is smitten for Pola but ends up wrongly committed in jail, in the meantime her affections are sought after by his friend, and on his release both love and friendship must be tested.
Director: René Clair | Stars: Albert Préjean, Pola Illéry, Edmond T. Gréville, Bill Bocket
Votes: 2,488
51. À Propos de Nice (1930)
Not Rated | 24 min | Documentary, Short, Comedy
What starts off as a conventional travelogue turns into a satirical portrait of the town of Nice on the French Cote d'Azur, especially its wealthy inhabitants.
Directors: Boris Kaufman, Jean Vigo
Votes: 4,624
52. The Golden Age (1930)
Not Rated | 63 min | Comedy, Drama
A surrealist tale of a man and a woman who are passionately in love with each other, but their attempts to consummate that passion are constantly thwarted by their families, the Church, and bourgeois society.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Gaston Modot, Lya Lys, Caridad de Laberdesque, Max Ernst
Votes: 14,804 | Gross: $0.03M
53. 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: 2,566
54. Le Million (1931)
Not Rated | 91 min | Comedy, Musical
An impoverished painter and his rival engage in a race across Paris to recover a jacket concealing a winning lottery ticket.
Director: René Clair | Stars: Annabella, René Lefèvre, Jean-Louis Allibert, Paul Ollivier
Votes: 3,839
55. Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)
Not Rated | 85 min | Comedy
A bookseller saves a tramp from drowning and shelters him, but the tramp's odd behavior starts to wear everyone down.
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Michel Simon, Marcelle Hainia, Sévérine Lerczinska, Jean Gehret
Votes: 6,203
56. Fanny (1932)
Not Rated | 125 min | Comedy, Drama
After Fanny's boyfriend leaves her and sails away, she finds out she's pregnant.
Director: Marc Allégret | Stars: Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Fernand Charpin, Orane Demazis
Votes: 1,924 | Gross: $0.02M
57. Zero for Conduct (1949)
83 min | Comedy, Romance
A naughty, love-smitten teacher sets in motion an audacious scheme to woo a charming final-year student who is in love with her fisherman beau.
Directors: Yannis Filippou, Mihallis Gaziadis | Stars: Ellie Lambeti, Labros Konstadaras, Dinos Iliopoulos, Fragiskos Manellis
Votes: 123
58. The Mascot (1933)
37 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
A stuffed animal goes on a journey through frightening streets to get its kid an orange.
Director: Wladyslaw Starewicz | Star: Wladyslaw Starewicz
Votes: 1,611
59. L'Atalante (1934)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Newly married couple Juliette and a ship captain Jean struggle through marriage as they travel on the L'atalante along with the captain's first mate Le père Jules and a cabin boy.
Director: Jean Vigo | Stars: Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté, Gilles Margaritis, Louis Lefebvre
Votes: 17,460
60. Les Misérables (1935)
Approved | 108 min | Drama, History, Romance
In early-19th-century France, an ex-convict who failed to report to parole is relentlessly pursued over a 20-year period by an obsessive policeman.
Director: Richard Boleslawski | Stars: Fredric March, Charles Laughton, Cedric Hardwicke, Rochelle Hudson
Votes: 3,925
61. Toni (1935)
84 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In the 1920s, the Provence is a magnet for immigrants seeking work in the quarries or in agriculture. Many mingle with locals and settle down permanently - like Toni, an Italian who has ... See full summary »
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Charles Blavette, Celia Montalván, Jenny Hélia, Édouard Delmont
Votes: 2,090
62. Carnival in Flanders (1935)
95 min | Comedy, History, Romance
Tells the story of the Spanish invasion of Flanders
Director: Jacques Feyder | Stars: Françoise Rosay, André Alerme, Jean Murat, Louis Jouvet
Votes: 1,401
63. Pension Mimosas (1935)
109 min | Drama
Mr. and Mrs. Noblet run a boarding house on the French Riviera. One day, they are led by circumstances to welcome a little boy Pierre, whose father is in jail, into their home. Which makes ... See full summary »
Director: Jacques Feyder | Stars: Françoise Rosay, Paul Bernard, Jean-Max, Paul Azaïs
Votes: 170
64. The Story of a Cheat (1936)
81 min | Comedy
A charming scoundrel reflects on his exploits, from childhood through to manhood.
Director: Sacha Guitry | Stars: Sacha Guitry, Adolphe Borchard, Marcel Lucien, Raymond Clunie
Votes: 2,535
65. The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
Not Rated | 77 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The boss of a publishing company is a womanizer and a jerk, but what would happen if he suddenly disappeared?
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: René Lefèvre, Florelle, Jules Berry, Marcel Lévesque
Votes: 3,706 | Gross: $0.04M
66. César (1936)
Not Rated | 168 min | Drama
Honoré Panisse is dying, cheerfully, with friends, wife, and son at his side. He confesses to the priest in front of his friends; he insists that the doctor be truthful. But, he cannot ... See full summary »
Director: Marcel Pagnol | Stars: Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Orane Demazis, Fernand Charpin
Votes: 1,649
67. La belle équipe (1936)
100 min | Drama
Five unemployed penniless workers win 100,000 Francs with the national lottery. Instead of sharing the money, they buy a ruin and build an open-air cafe. But difficulties come to split their friendly group apart.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Jean Gabin, Charles Vanel, Raymond Aimos, Viviane Romance
Votes: 1,421
68. 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
69. Pépé le Moko (1937)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A wanted gangster is both king and prisoner of the Casbah. He is protected from arrest by his friends, but is torn by his desire for freedom outside. A visiting Parisian beauty may just tempt his fate.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Jean Gabin, Gabriel Gabrio, Saturnin Fabre, Fernand Charpin
Votes: 8,069 | Gross: $0.15M
70. 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: 38,854 | Gross: $0.17M
71. Port of Shadows (1938)
Not Rated | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A military deserter finds love and trouble (and a small dog) in a foggy, French port city.
Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Michèle Morgan, Pierre Brasseur
Votes: 9,957 | Gross: $0.03M
72. Hotel du Nord (1938)
83 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
On the meandering Canal St. Martin, at the Parisian Hôtel du Nord, a nearly fatal gunshot separates a dejected young couple. But, amid a sad but beautiful panorama of lively characters, love has the final say. Can life be a fairy tale?
Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Annabella, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Louis Jouvet, Arletty
Votes: 3,234
73. La Bête Humaine (1938)
Not Rated | 100 min | Crime, Drama
In this classic adaptation of Emile Zola's novel, a tortured train engineer falls in love with a troubled married woman who has helped her husband commit a murder.
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Jean Gabin, Julien Carette, Simone Simon, Fernand Ledoux
Votes: 8,422
74. The Baker's Wife (1938)
Not Rated | 133 min | Comedy, Drama
A small village rejoices at the arrival of a new baker. But when his young wife runs off with another man, he is unable to keep baking and the village is thrown into disarray.
Director: Marcel Pagnol | Stars: Raimu, Ginette Leclerc, Fernand Charpin, Robert Vattier
Votes: 2,393
75. 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: 8,272 | Gross: $0.03M
76. The Rules of the Game (1939)
Not Rated | 110 min | Comedy, Drama
A bourgeois life in France at the onset of World War II, as the rich and their poor servants meet up at a French chateau.
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély
Votes: 31,308
77. The Well-Digger's Daughter (1940)
Approved | 142 min | Comedy, Drama
A rural maiden's two suitors go off to war, leaving her pregnant.
Director: Marcel Pagnol | Stars: Raimu, Fernandel, Josette Day, Line Noro
Votes: 690
78. Remorques (1941)
91 min | Action, Drama, Romance
The 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.
Director: Jean Grémillon | Stars: Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud, Michèle Morgan, Charles Blavette
Votes: 1,580
79. La nuit fantastique (1942)
103 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Denis 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Marcel L'Herbier | Stars: Fernand Gravey, Micheline Presle, Saturnin Fabre, Charles Granval
Votes: 385
80. It Happened at the Inn (1943)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
In a lost French village, an old woman is killed and her savings stolen. Several members of her family, all called "Goupi", are suspected.
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: Fernand Ledoux, Georges Rollin, Blanchette Brunoy, Arthur Devère
Votes: 1,077
81. Douce (1943)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
In 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. ... See full summary »
Director: Claude Autant-Lara | Stars: Odette Joyeux, Madeleine Robinson, Marguerite Moreno, Jean Debucourt
Votes: 418
82. The Raven (1943)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A French village doctor becomes the target of poison-pen letters sent to village leaders, accusing him of affairs and practicing abortion.
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Ginette Leclerc, Micheline Francey, Héléna Manson
Votes: 10,891 | Gross: $0.03M
83. The Woman Who Dared (1944)
105 min | Drama
The 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.
Director: Jean Grémillon | Stars: Madeleine Renaud, Charles Vanel, Jean Debucourt, Raymonde Vernay
Votes: 644
84. Children of Paradise (1945)
Not Rated | 189 min | Drama, Romance
The theatrical life of a beautiful courtesan in 1830s Paris and the four men who love her.
Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur, Pierre Renoir
Votes: 21,165
85. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A beautiful young woman takes her father's place as the prisoner of a mysterious beast, who wishes to marry her.
Directors: Jean Cocteau, René Clément | Stars: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély, Nane Germon
Votes: 28,067 | Gross: $0.30M
86. Farrebique (1946)
90 min | Drama
One year in the life of a French peasant family, whose existence is closely tied with the changing of the seasons.
Director: Georges Rouquier
Votes: 273
87. The Battle of the Rails (1946)
85 min | Drama, War
Recounts the courageous efforts by French railroad workers who were part of an organized resistance during German World War II occupation.
Director: René Clément | Stars: Marcel Barnault, Jean Clarieux, Jean Daurand, Lucien Desagneaux
Votes: 1,265
88. Devil in the Flesh (1947)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama, Romance
During World War I, the star-crossed affair of an underage French student with a woman engaged to a soldier.
Director: Claude Autant-Lara | Stars: Micheline Presle, Gérard Philipe, Denise Grey, Jean Debucourt
Votes: 898
89. School for Postmen (1947)
16 min | Short, Comedy
School for Postmen" is a 1947 short film directed and starring Jacques Tati, playing a French postman adamant to prove he can be just as fast as American postmen at delivering mail.
Director: Jacques Tati | Stars: Jacques Tati, Paul Demange
Votes: 2,386
90. Jenny Lamour (1947)
Not Rated | 106 min | Crime, Drama
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: 6,411 | Gross: $0.03M
91. Such a Pretty Little Beach (1949)
91 min | Drama
During 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Yves Allégret | Stars: Madeleine Robinson, Gérard Philipe, Jean Servais, André Valmy
Votes: 859
92. Occupe-toi d'Amélie..! (1949)
92 min | Comedy
Once a lowly chambermaid, Amelie Pochet now revels as the pampered mistress of a military man named Etienne.
Director: Claude Autant-Lara | Stars: Danielle Darrieux, Jean Desailly, Victor Guyau, Grégoire Aslan
Votes: 239
93. Orpheus (1950)
Not Rated | 112 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A poet in love with Death follows his unhappy wife into the underworld.
Director: Jean Cocteau | Stars: Jean Marais, François Périer, María Casares, Marie Déa
Votes: 13,397
94. La Ronde (1950)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama, Romance
Soldiers, chambermaids, poets, prostitutes, aristocrats-all are on equal footing in this multi-character merry-go-round of love and infidelity.
Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Simone Simon
Votes: 5,958
95. Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama
A young priest taking over the parish at Ambricourt tries to fulfill his duties even as he fights a mysterious stomach ailment.
Director: Robert Bresson | Stars: Claude Laydu, Nicole Ladmiral, Jean Riveyre, Adrien Borel
Votes: 12,706
96. La Poison (1951)
Not Rated | 85 min | Comedy, Crime
Through a series of circumstances and plot twists an enterprising man manages to get away with murdering his wife, even though he cheerfully admits his guilt in court.
Director: Sacha Guitry | Stars: Michel Simon, Jean Debucourt, Jacques Varennes, Jeanne Fusier-Gir
Votes: 1,622
97. Casque d'Or (1952)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Three gangsters and an ex-con carpenter all fall for the same beautiful golden-haired woman in Belle Époque France.
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Claude Dauphin, Raymond Bussières
Votes: 6,212
98. 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: 5,375
99. Forbidden Games (1952)
Not Rated | 86 min | Comedy, Drama, War
A young French girl orphaned in a German air attack is befriended by the son of a poor farmer, and together they try to come to terms with the realities of death.
Director: René Clément | Stars: Georges Poujouly, Brigitte Fossey, Amédée, Laurence Badie
Votes: 13,095 | Gross: $0.01M
100. White Mane (1953)
Approved | 47 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
In the Camargue, France, a young boy bonds with a white haired horse that escaped from ranchers.
Director: Albert Lamorisse | Stars: Alain Emery, Laurent Roche, Clan-Clan, Pascal Lamorisse
Votes: 2,317
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