French language movies and TV
March 16, 2010 - 6:52pm
We've had a lot of best of Hollywood lists. Let's switch language gears for a bit.
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I've been adding french language DVDs to my netflix queue in an attempt to keep some French around while I spent time in the USA. I'm not really familiar with the francophone canon of great TV and movies like I am with the Hollywood canon.I just cross-correlated internet lists of 10 greatest french movies of all time with suggestions of friends, this is what I have coming up:
I have the following coming up:
- La Haine
- Huite Femmes
- Indochine
- La Pianiste
- La Grande Illusion
- Le Salaire De La Peur
Out of those I've seen in the past year, I really recommend L'Auberge Espagnole.
Les Ripoux
Le Vieux Fusil
La Lectrice
Jean de Florette
Un Zoo la Nuit
Jesus de Montreal
Les enfants du paradis, maybe the greatest film of all time.
Mon Oncle Antione, Claude Jutras, Quebec's finest director until Denys Arcand. See Jésus de Montréal et Le déclin de l'empire Américain
Hollywood film and tv would reach 50 posts at least.
Some of my favorites: 8 Femmes, 5X2 (I love Francois Ozon), Le déclin de l'empire Américain + Les Invasions barbares, Hiroshima, Mon Amour (classic!). La Haine is an amazing film. Persepolis. C.R.A.Z.Y.
Thanks for starting this thread! You'v made me realize that I haven't seen any French films in awhile - I used to watch French films all the time. Until recently, also used to watch them on Air Canada, but their selection of French films has sucked recently.
Have you seen any Jean-Luc Godard, Apples? You might like him. I love À bout de souffle (1960) and Pierrot le fou (1965).
Denys Arcand, of course. One of my favourite Quebec films is Denis Villeneuve's Maelström (2000).
For a great French action movie, and a wicked chase scene on a moped through a Paris metro, there's Diva (1981).
Le déclin de l'empire Américain + Les Invasions barbares
I wasn't so crazy about the first movie(Maybe I don't get laid enough?) in the trilogy but I liked each movie that followed better than the last. The third is L'Âge des ténèbres(I have picked enough apples).
I second c.r.a.z.y, jesus of montreal and Persepolis.
I know Mon Oncle Antione gives a good idea of a certain time and place, and may have paved the way, but other than that I don't get why everyone likes it so much now. There is Pour la suite du monde which I think is much more interesting as a historical document.
My absolute favorite movie ever is "yes sir, madamme..." which is actually bilingual but maybe hard to find since it was only released through a video co-op(Though it can be borrowed by those living in toronto).
Aside from that: la moitié gauche du frigo, gaz bar blues, l'auditon, le bonheur est une chanson triste, and on the lighter side the smart romantic comedy les aimants all come highly recomended.
as for France, it has maintained a high-volume commercial film industry, unlike anywhere else in western Europe since the decline of Italian popular cinema,
early in the decade, 2000 and 2001, ticket sales were over the 40 per cent mark for domestic box office, and in 2001 I think French films actually outdrew US films at the box office for the first time since the war, following the success of French hits such as Amelie and the Taxi series of funny chase movies; back in 1998, as I recall, Titanic predictably was No.1 for the year but 4 of the next 5 top-grossing movies were French,
so they can make high and low-brow movies (like Asterix blockbusters)complete with merchandise and theme parks ...
in any case, Amelie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain) is a complex and, on second and third viewing, a distinctly quirky even weird movie, but I strongly recommend taking a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70lwjgL4NEA&feature=fvw
and Marion Cotillard's great performance as singer Edith Piaf in La Mome (2007)
http://www.cinemovies.fr/fiche_film.php?IDfilm=9750
led to her current winning streak in Hollywood
http://marioncotillard.blogspot.com/
Catchfire wrote:
Have you seen any Jean-Luc Godard, Apples? You might like him. I love À bout de souffle (1960) and Pierrot le fou (1965).
Denys Arcand, of course. One of my favourite Quebec films is Denis Villeneuve's Maelström (2000).
For a great French action movie, and a wicked chase scene on a moped through a Paris metro, there's Diva (1981).
Ohhhhhh Jean-Luc Godard... I haven't seen any since film class in Cegep!
Bon Cop, Bad Cop
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479647/
If you like movies with depth I'd try Dans Ma Peau
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337961/
Martyrs is probably one of the best French Thrillers I have ever seen:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1029234/
And there is the amazing Agnes Vardamasterpiece Vagabond, one of my favourite films of all time.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089960/
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen and Children of the Lost City
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000466/
And of course Belle de Jour by Luis Bunuel:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061395/
Thanks guys.
Any good TV series?
I didn't like Delicatessen.
Belle du Jour was ok.
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned La Grande Seduction. I think it should be canadian culture 101 canon.
You didn't like Delicatessen? Apples!!! Just joking. I loved both Jeunet's movies.
Thanks guys.
Any good TV series?
Well Têtes à claques is in the .tv domain (french | english).
What about podcasts from Canada? Other than radio-canada and the now cancelled FRÉQUENCE CARIBOU I've had trouble finding much.
Been going to the franco film fest. Just saw the genie awards best picture nomination '3 saisons'. A beautiful, moving, sublime little film....and you could have smoked a cigarette and chatted with the co-writer/star of the film after outside the theater if you wanted to.
I want to suggest a sentinmental favourite of mine, Tatie Danielle -- of course I am just evil.
L'Atalante.
Les quatre cents coups.
Jeux interdits.
Conte d'automne.