The Worldwide Film Noir Tradition - Classical French Film Noir
by skobic | created - 10 Jun 2014 | updated - 11 Jun 2014 | PublicThe films Selby chose as 30 French Noir Masterworks are labelled with 'MASTERWORK'
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1. Daggers Drawn (1964)
83 min | Drama
Director: Charles Gérard | Stars: Françoise Arnoul, Petula Clark, Marcel Dalio, René Havard
Votes: 42
2. The Accident (1963)
91 min | Crime, Drama
A young beautiful teacher is transfered to a remote island's school, where her colleague (also the principal of the school) falls in love with her. This banned love provokes the jealousy of the principal's wife and makes her seek revenge.
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Magali Noël, Georges Rivière, Danik Patisson, Roland Lesaffre
Votes: 61
3. On Trial (1954)
110 min | Crime, Drama
In this legal drama, told in flashbacks, the son of a judge, who had sentenced a man who may be innocent to 17 years in prison, tries to investigate the mysterious case.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Daniel Gélin, Madeleine Robinson, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Anton Walbrook
Votes: 313
4. The Nina B. Affair (1961)
104 min | Drama
Businessman who lives from blackmailing begins to be blackmailed by his own wife who hates him.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Nadja Tiller, Pierre Brasseur, Walter Giller, Charles Regnier
Votes: 134
5. Les amants de demain (1959)
75 min | Drama, Musical
Director: Marcel Blistène | Stars: Édith Piaf, Michel Auclair, Armand Mestral, Olivier Hussenot
Votes: 29
6. Les amants du tage (1955)
123 min | Drama, Romance
He is a French taxi driver in Lisbon carrying the scars of a wife's infidelity that ended in tragedy when he found her with his lover upon returning from the war. She is a French woman in ... See full summary »
Director: Henri Verneuil | Stars: Daniel Gélin, Françoise Arnoul, Trevor Howard, Marcel Dalio
Votes: 164
7. Les amants maudits (1952)
97 min | Crime, Drama
A waiter fond of detective stories becomes a gangster.
Director: Willy Rozier | Stars: Danièle Roy, Robert Berri, Jacques Dynam, René Alié
Votes: 38
8. Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
Not Rated | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.
Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly, Yori Bertin
Votes: 28,620 | Gross: $0.11M
MASTERWORK
9. L'assassin a peur la nuit (1942)
100 min | Crime, Drama
A thief hides out in the South and gets involved with the sister of a friendly fellow employee on an outdoor work site. But circumstances draw him back to the city, to another woman, and to murder.
Director: Jean Delannoy | Stars: Mireille Balin, Jean Chevrier, Louise Carletti, Henri Guisol
Votes: 96
10. L'assassin viendra ce soir (1964)
86 min | Thriller
Director: Jean Maley | Stars: François Deguelt, Raymond Souplex, Renée Cosima, Pierre Doris
Votes: 12
11. The Walls of Malapaga (1949)
89 min | Drama, Romance
A French fugitive arrives in Genoa, where he becomes entangled with an Italian woman and her daughter.
Director: René Clément | Stars: Jean Gabin, Isa Miranda, Vera Talchi, Andrea Checchi
Votes: 991
12. Au p'tit zouave (1950)
104 min | Comedy, Drama
An assassin shakes up a popular cafee in Paris.
Director: Gilles Grangier | Stars: François Périer, Dany Robin, Marie Daëms, Jacques Morel
Votes: 36
13. The Sinners (1949)
108 min | Drama, Romance
Story takes place in a dreadful girls' reformatory. A couple of lovers will try to escape from this living hell.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Serge Reggiani, Jean Davy, Monique Mélinand, Suzy Prim
Votes: 144
14. Before the Deluge (1954)
138 min | Crime, Drama
Self-centered parents of the 50's targeted by drama in which teenagers panicking after burglary supposed to finance the run from the Third World War.
Director: André Cayatte | Stars: Antoine Balpêtré, Paul Bisciglia, Bernard Blier, Jacques Castelot
Votes: 183
MASTERWORK
15. A Bullet in the Gun Barrel (1958)
95 min | Crime, Drama
Directors: Michel Deville, Charles Gérard | Stars: Pierre Vaneck, Mijanou Bardot, Paul Frankeur, Roger Hanin
Votes: 94
16. La bête à l'affût (1959)
95 min | Drama, Thriller
A cop's widow is through with love and she spends her time collecting money for the orphans of the Police,abetted by a bunch of snobs and false friends.Unfortunately the person who was in ... See full summary »
Director: Pierre Chenal | Stars: Françoise Arnoul, Henri Vidal, Gaby Sylvia, Agnès Laury
Votes: 65
17. Bob the Gambler (1956)
PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After losing big, an aging gambler decides to assemble a team to rob a casino.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Roger Duchesne, Isabelle Corey, Daniel Cauchy, Guy Decomble
Votes: 13,352 | Gross: $0.02M
MASTERWORK
18. One Step to Eternity (1954)
95 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Francois Roques, a power-and-money-mad editor of a Paris newspaper (who justifies his actions by calling attention to his poverty-stricken childhood), invites four women to a housewarming ... See full summary »
Director: Henri Decoin | Stars: Danielle Darrieux, Michel Auclair, Corinne Calvet, Gérard Buhr
Votes: 149
19. Les bras de la nuit (1961)
90 min
A police inspector falls in love with his prime suspect. He decides to cover up her crime, after which things begin to go poorly.
Director: Jacques Guymont | Stars: Danielle Darrieux, Roger Hanin, Pierre Destailles, Eva Damien
Votes: 24
20. Les canailles (1960)
90 min | Thriller
Director: Maurice Labro | Stars: Marina Vlady, Robert Hossein, Philippe Clay, Scilla Gabel
Votes: 25
21. Le cap de l'espérance (1951)
90 min | Crime, Drama
Lyria, a faded beauty who runs a seedy waterfront bar, is madly in love with Bob, a crooked attorney. Bob can't bring himself to confess his love for Minnie, the pretty daughter of Simon, a... See full summary »
Director: Raymond Bernard | Stars: Edwige Feuillère, Frank Villard, Jean Debucourt, Paolo Stoppa
Votes: 26
22. 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
MASTERWORK
23. Cet homme est dangereux (1953)
92 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
An escaped convict on the run becomes the newest member of the international criminal network. In order to gain the respect of the gang, he gets involved in a plot to kidnap a rich American heiress.
Director: Jean Sacha | Stars: Eddie Constantine, Colette Deréal, Grégoire Aslan, Claude Borelli
Votes: 154
24. Cette nuit là... (1958)
100 min | Crime, Drama
Jean, who is the artistic director of a fashion magazine, is married to a very pretty cover girl, Sylvie. They both work for André Reverdy, a very cynical man, who openly covets Sylvie. ... See full summary »
Director: Maurice Cazeneuve | Stars: Mylène Demongeot, Maurice Ronet, Jean Servais, Françoise Prévost
Votes: 113
25. Highway Pick-Up (1963)
107 min | Crime, Drama
A man plans a hold-up with a group of trusted fellows, he gets his hands on the money, and the girl - what could go wrong? Almost everything.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Robert Hossein, Jean Sorel, Catherine Rouvel, Georges Wilson
Votes: 480
MASTERWORK
26. The Burning Court (1962)
110 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A group of people visit a weird old man who is a student of the black arts. The man lives in an ancient, cursed castle. Soon people in the group start being killed off.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Nadja Tiller, Jean-Claude Brialy, Perrette Pradier, Edith Scob
Votes: 418
27. The Lowest Crime (1955)
98 min | Crime, Drama
semi-documentary police officer about a criminal organization specializing in blackmail.
Director: Guy Lefranc | Stars: Raymond Pellegrin, Magali Noël, Leo Genn, Georges Chamarat
Votes: 20
28. Chaque jour a son secret (1958)
90 min | Crime, Drama
Director: Claude Boissol | Stars: Jean Marais, Danièle Delorme, Françoise Fabian, Marcelle Praince
Votes: 46
29. La chatte (1958)
108 min | Drama, Romance, War
In 1943, a French Resistance female fighter falls in-love with the undercover German Intelligence agent sent to investigate her.
Director: Henri Decoin | Stars: Françoise Arnoul, Bernhard Wicki, André Versini, Roger Hanin
Votes: 178
30. Chien de pique (1960)
90 min | Drama
After an adventurous life, Patrick settled in the Camargue and bought a ranch where he raised bulls, while the "rice fields" gradually invade and transform the country.
Director: Yves Allégret | Stars: Eddie Constantine, Raymond Pellegrin, Pierre Clémenti, Moustache
Votes: 22
31. Classe Tous Risques (1960)
Not Rated | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A ruthless criminal flees from the pursuit, involving more and more casualties.
Director: Claude Sautet | Stars: Lino Ventura, Sandra Milo, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Marcel Dalio
Votes: 4,272 | Gross: $0.09M
MASTERWORK
32. Coïncidences (1947)
95 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A rich girl is in love with her father-in-law 's librarian .The wealthy man wants her to marry a military man but she's not prepared to accept it.She rebels and marries the poor guy.
Director: Serge Debecque | Stars: Serge Reggiani, Andrée Clément, Pierre Renoir, Sylvie
Votes: 15
33. Le combat dans l'île (1962)
PG-13 | 104 min | Drama, Thriller
After an unsuccessful assassination, a terrorist and his wife hide on a remote island in the house of a friend who doesn't suspect anything.
Director: Alain Cavalier | Stars: Romy Schneider, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Henri Serre, Diane Lepvrier
Votes: 901 | Gross: $0.05M
34. A Man Escaped (1956)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Thriller, War
A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.
Director: Robert Bresson | Stars: François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Monod
Votes: 24,969
MASTERWORK
35. Web of Fear (1964)
92 min | Crime, Mystery
A lonely widow longing for love.
Director: François Villiers | Stars: Michèle Morgan, Dany Saval, Simón Andreu, Maria Pacôme
Votes: 64
36. Copie conforme (1947)
84 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
A smooth criminal, who turns to be Manuel Ismora, and his gang successfully and peacefully pull off con after heist. Elsewhere a timid office worker, Gabriel Dupon, is pressured by his boss... See full summary »
Director: Jean Dréville | Stars: Louis Jouvet, Suzy Delair, Annette Poivre, Jane Marken
Votes: 312
37. 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
MASTERWORK
38. Lovers on a Tightrope (1960)
Not Rated | 79 min | Drama
Cora, the wife of a wealthy Parisian businessman, Daniel, is involved in an affair with Henri, an unscrupulous garage mechanic who has set his sights on Cora's fortune. Daniel becomes ... See full summary »
Director: Jean-Charles Dudrumet | Stars: Annie Girardot, François Périer, Geneviève Brunet, Gérard Buhr
Votes: 63
39. Le crâneur (1955)
92 min | Crime, Drama
A singer tries to rescue a man drawn into the drug trade.
Director: Dimitri Kirsanoff | Stars: Marina Vlady, Raymond Pellegrin, Dora Doll, Hélène Vallier
Votes: 77
40. Crime and Punishment (1956)
107 min | Crime, Drama
Modern update of Dostoievski's novel Crime and Punishment.
Director: Georges Lampin | Stars: Jean Gabin, Marina Vlady, Ulla Jacobsson, Bernard Blier
Votes: 340
41. Crime Does Not Pay (1962)
159 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A husband tries to kill his wife using the plan he saw in a film. But real life is not a film.
Director: Gérard Oury | Stars: Danielle Darrieux, Edwige Feuillère, Annie Girardot, Rina Morelli
Votes: 179
42. Dans la gueule du loup (1961)
75 min | Crime, Drama
Photographer Henri Barbier is lured by his old friend Barbara to fake the theft of her jewels. It turns out that he is suspected of murder and extortion, while Barbara and her lover are the culprits, which is eventually revealed.
Director: Jean-Charles Dudrumet | Stars: Félix Marten, Magali Noël, Pascale Roberts, Françoise Vatel
43. Dédée d'Anvers (1948)
95 min | Drama
Dedee is a prostitute who works in Monsieur Rene's nightclub on Antwerp's harbour. The porter is Marco, her pimp. Dedee is not happy until she meets Francesco, an Italian sailor. They fall ... See full summary »
Director: Yves Allégret | Stars: Bernard Blier, Simone Signoret, Marcello Pagliero, Marcel Dalio
Votes: 692
44. Dernier refuge (1947)
90 min | Drama
Philippe and Sylvie have to do with Alvarez, dangerous band leader. They break with him and commit robbery and murder. Sylvie offers Philippe to take refuge in his calm family.
Director: Marc Maurette | Stars: Raymond Rouleau, Tramel, Noël Roquevert, Mila Parély
Votes: 13
45. Le dernier des six (1941)
90 min | Mystery, Thriller
Six friends promise to share their fortune in 5 years. The moment is very close, but one of the six is mysteriously murdered, then another... Superintendent Wenceslas Woroboyioetschik (aka Wens) is in charge of the investigation...
Director: Georges Lacombe | Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Michèle Alfa, Suzy Delair, Jean Tissier
Votes: 372
46. The Night Affair (1958)
93 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A vice inspector for the Paris police takes special interest in the plight of drug-addicted Lucky whom he considers to be more victim than criminal.
Director: Gilles Grangier | Stars: Jean Gabin, Danielle Darrieux, Nadja Tiller, Paul Frankeur
Votes: 746
47. Le dessous des cartes (1948)
Crime, Drama
A banker responsible for a financial crisis dies, and his death is covered up.
Director: André Cayatte | Stars: Madeleine Sologne, Serge Reggiani, Paul Meurisse, Enrico Glori
Votes: 69
48. Deux heures à tuer (1966)
83 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Trouble in a little town where a serial killer is at large.
Director: Ivan Govar | Stars: Pierre Brasseur, Michel Simon, Raymond Rouleau, Jean-Roger Caussimon
Votes: 168
49. Two Men in Manhattan (1959)
Not Rated | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A French UN delegate has disappeared into thin air, sending reporter Moreau (Jean-Pierre Melville) and hard drinking photographer Delmas (Pierre Grasset) on an assignment to find him. Their only lead is a picture of three women.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Jean-Pierre Melville, Pierre Grasset, Christiane Eudes, Ginger Hall
Votes: 2,274
50. 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: 897
MASTERWORK
51. Diabolique (1955)
Not Rated | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The wife and mistress of a loathed school principal plan to murder him with what they believe is the perfect alibi.
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel
Votes: 69,351 | Gross: $1.09M
MASTERWORK
52. Trapped by Fear (1960)
Not Rated | 101 min | Crime, Drama
Two French paras who had lived through deadly situations in Algeria, meet again in civil life. Frapier is a newspaper reporter, and one day finds his friend Porte - surrounded by the police... See full summary »
Director: Jacques Dupont | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alexandra Stewart, Sylva Koscina, Claude Brasseur
Votes: 224
53. Back to the Wall (1958)
93 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A wealthy industrialist discovers his wife is having an affair and decides to exact revenge by blackmailing her under an assumed identity.
Director: Édouard Molinaro | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Gérard Oury, Philippe Nicaud, Claire Maurier
Votes: 561
54. Le dossier noir (1955)
115 min | Drama
Jacques Arnaud arrives in a small town somewhere in the province. Soon a citizen reports to him that strangers have broken into his house where they stole a mysterious "black dossier".
Director: André Cayatte | Stars: Antoine Balpêtré, Bernard Blier, Jean-Marc Bory, Daniel Cauchy
Votes: 183
55. The Informer (1962)
Not Rated | 108 min | Crime, Thriller
A burglar betraying other criminals prepares for a big heist with a trusted friend who might be as untrustworthy as he.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly, René Lefèvre
Votes: 11,982 | Gross: $0.08M
MASTERWORK
56. Douze heures d'horloge (1959)
105 min | Crime, Drama
Three criminals escape from a French prison and hide in a coastal village where they have to wait for 12 hours until the boat that is supposed to take them to freedom arrives.
Director: Géza von Radványi | Stars: Lino Ventura, Eva Bartok, Hannes Messemer, Laurent Terzieff
Votes: 71
57. Rififi in Tokyo (1963)
98 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Van Ekken, an old gangster, arrives in Tokyo to direct a bank hold-up, to get a very valuable diamond, so big it's named Titan. Riquet was to be his second-in-command, but a rival gang ... See full summary »
Director: Jacques Deray | Stars: Karlheinz Böhm, Charles Vanel, Barbara Lass, Keiko Kishi
Votes: 169
58. Rififi (1955)
Not Rated | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Four men plan a technically perfect crime, but the human element intervenes...
Director: Jules Dassin | Stars: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel, Janine Darcey
Votes: 36,830 | Gross: $0.06M
MASTERWORK
59. Les eaux troubles (1949)
95 min
History of the family and community conflicts between a small group of people who depend on fishing around Mont St. Michel.
Director: Henri Calef | Stars: Ginette Leclerc, Édouard Delmont, André Valmy, Marcel Mouloudji
Votes: 50
60. Échec au porteur (1958)
86 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After resolving to start a new life with his girlfriend Jacqueline, Bastien Sassey decides to give up working as a courier for drugs traffickers. So that he and Jacqueline can make a fresh ... See full summary »
Director: Gilles Grangier | Stars: Paul Meurisse, Jeanne Moreau, Serge Reggiani, Simone Renant
Votes: 193
61. Love Is My Profession (1958)
122 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Married French lawyer Andre defends succesfully the case of Yvette, who committed a robbery. He falls in love with her, but she isn't true to him.
Director: Claude Autant-Lara | Stars: Jean Gabin, Brigitte Bardot, Edwige Feuillère, Nicole Berger
Votes: 1,523
62. En légitime défense (1958)
98 min | Drama
Pierre Lambert buys a bar in Pigalle and accepts to pay "protection money" to "Bébert le Caïd", a brutal gangster. Over time, Bébert raises his fare and, realizing Pierrot is reluctant to ... See full summary »
Director: André Berthomieu | Stars: Bernard Blier, Pierre Mondy, Philippe Nicaud, Maria Mauban
Votes: 50
63. Between Eleven and Midnight (1949)
92 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A police detective with a striking resemblance for a murdered criminal impersonates the deceased to identify his murderer.
Director: Henri Decoin | Stars: Louis Jouvet, Madeleine Robinson, Léo Lapara, Monique Mélinand
Votes: 288
MASTERWORK
64. Escapade (1957)
105 min | Adventure
Some gangsters use a young girl to get to a recently released convict who hid $10 million from a robbery just before he was caught.
Director: Ralph Habib | Stars: Louis Jourdan, Dany Carrel, Roger Hanin, Lise Delamare
Votes: 30
65. L'étrange Monsieur Steve (1957)
90 min | Drama
Georges Villard, a disinterested bank clerk, despises his monotonous life. His encounter with M. Steve, an opulent and friendly man, will change his life when he falls in love with his wife Florence.
Director: Raymond Bailly | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Philippe Lemaire, Armand Mestral, Lino Ventura
Votes: 137
66. The Tiger Attacks (1959)
98 min | Crime, Drama
Paul Lamiani, a former spy now managing a restaurant, has to take on duties again on a gangster's affair involving his best friend.
Directors: Maurice Labro, Claude Sautet | Stars: Lino Ventura, Estella Blain, Paul Frankeur, François Chaumette
Votes: 289
67. 56 rue Pigalle (1949)
88 min | Drama
Lucien Bonnet, Jean Vigneron's manservant, blackmails his boss, who is having an affair with Inès de Montalban, married to Ricardo. Vigneron pays the sum but Lucien is killed by an ... See full summary »
Director: Willy Rozier | Stars: Jacques Dumesnil, Marie Déa, Aimé Clariond, Raymond Cordy
Votes: 79
68. Devil's Daughter (1946)
98 min | Drama
A gangster who's got a lot of dough takes refuge in his hometown.
Director: Henri Decoin | Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Fernand Ledoux, Thérèse Dorny, Pierre Juvenet
Votes: 158
69. Un flic (1947)
95 min | Drama
Director: Maurice de Canonge | Stars: Lucien Coëdel, Suzy Carrier, Raymond Pellegrin, Michèle Martin
Votes: 28
70. Devil and the Angel (1946)
107 min | Drama
An internationally renowned engraver manages to make counterfeit notes for the love of a woman. She is a blind woman who cannot see the ugliness of the excruciatingly disfigured engraver.
Director: Pierre Chenal | Stars: Madeleine Sologne, Erich von Stroheim, Louis Salou, Yves Vincent
Votes: 158
MASTERWORK
71. Le fric (1959)
93 min | Drama
Director: Maurice Cloche | Stars: Jean-Claude Pascal, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Raymond Rouleau, Pascale Roberts
Votes: 18
72. Le fugitif (1947)
95 min | Drama
In the mountains, a fugitive takes refuge in his former wife's house.
Director: Robert Bibal | Stars: Alfred Adam, René Dary, Jean Debucourt, Albert Dinan
Votes: 12
73. Le furet (1950)
95 min | Crime, Drama
A mysterious "Le Furet" (the Ferret) sends letters to the Parisian Police telling them when murders are going to be perpetrated, and in which Paris district. Each time nothing is stolen, ... See full summary »
Director: Raymond Leboursier | Stars: Jany Holt, Colette Darfeuil, Pierre Renoir, Jacqueline Delubac
Votes: 53
74. Savage Triangle (1951)
112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A prostitute takes back her child, a boy who does not even know how to play.
Director: Jean Delannoy | Stars: Madeleine Robinson, Frank Villard, Nicolas Amato, Henri Arius
Votes: 128
75. Le glaive et la balance (1962)
131 min | Crime, Drama
Three young men are suspected of kidnapping and murdering a little boy. Most likely, two of them are really involved, but one is not. Neither the police nor the court can decide how to solve that puzzle.
Director: André Cayatte | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Jean-Claude Brialy, Renato Salvatori, Pascale Audret
Votes: 251
76. Wicked City (1949)
76 min | Crime, Drama
After his freighter pulls into Marseille, Canadian seaman Eric Martin falls in love with Dolores, a cabaret girl (American version of a prostitute in the French version) at the "Kitcat" ... See full summary »
Director: François Villiers | Stars: Maria Montez, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Lilli Palmer, Marcel Dalio
Votes: 107
77. Heroes and Sinners (1955)
115 min | Adventure, Drama
A former French combat pilot is hired without knowing that he will carry a large amount of contraband diamonds, so he decides to steal them. The owner of the diamonds hires another former German combat pilot to retrieve them.
Director: Yves Ciampi | Stars: Yves Montand, María Félix, Jean Servais, Elisabeth Manet
Votes: 169
78. L'Homme aux clés d'or (1956)
92 min | Drama
A noble loyal English teacher is falsely accused of rape and loses his job. That was three students' bad revenge.
Director: Léo Joannon | Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Annie Girardot, Gil Vidal, Jean Rigaux
Votes: 91
79. L'homme de la nuit (1946)
88 min | Crime, Drama
Director: René Jayet | Stars: Albert Préjean, Junie Astor, Francine Bessy, Fernand Fabre
80. L'Homme de Londres (1943)
98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Maloin has been working all his life for 2,500 measly Francs a month. One day he finds a case full of money, after watching a gangland killing. "I'd have to work a hundred years to make ... See full summary »
Director: Henri Decoin | Stars: Fernand Ledoux, Suzy Prim, Jules Berry, Mony Dalmès
Votes: 105
81. L'homme qui revient de loin (1950)
90 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The lover of an elderly widower who has gone away thinks she has seen his ghost, telling her that he has been killed.
Director: Jean Castanier | Stars: Annabella, Paul Bernard, María Casares, Daniel Lecourtois
82. A Man Walks in the City (1950)
95 min | Drama
A gritty story of dock workers scraping a living in post-war Le Havre, the damage caused to the town during the war all too apparent.
Director: Marcello Pagliero | Stars: Jean-Pierre Kérien, Ginette Leclerc, Robert Dalban, Grégoire Aslan
Votes: 121
83. Paris Vice Squad (1951)
76 min | Crime, Drama
There's a killer on the loose in the streets of Paris.
Director: Hervé Bromberger | Stars: Odette Barencey, Luc Barney, Robert Berri, André Carnège
Votes: 46
84. Impasse des deux anges (1948)
85 min | Crime, Drama
Stage actress Marianne has decided to give up her career to marry wealthy nobleman Marquis Antoine de Fontaines. As a wedding present, Antoine gives his future wife a precious diamond ... See full summary »
Director: Maurice Tourneur | Stars: Paul Meurisse, Simone Signoret, Marcel Herrand, Paul Demange
Votes: 209
85. Strangers in the House (1942)
95 min | Crime, Drama
Loursat, a lawyer, lives with his daughter Nicole. Abandoned by his wife about 20 years ago, he has sunk into alcoholism. One day, the corpse of a stranger is discovered in the attic of his residence.
Director: Henri Decoin | Stars: Raimu, Juliette Faber, Gabrielle Fontan, Héléna Manson
Votes: 465
86. L'insoumis (1964)
115 min | Drama, Thriller
1961. Luxemburger Thomas Vlassenroot deserted the French Foreign Legion during the Algiers Putsch. His lieutenant, Fraser, initiated the desertion for the two of them, Fraser believing he ... See full summary »
Director: Alain Cavalier | Stars: Alain Delon, Lea Massari, Georges Géret, Maurice Garrel
Votes: 982
MASTERWORK
87. The Scheming Women (1954)
96 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Paul Rémi, the well-known theater director, was accused by his secretary, Andrieux, of having pushed his associate Bazine from a footbridge situated twelve meters above the stage. Advised ... See full summary »
Director: Henri Decoin | Stars: Raymond Rouleau, Jeanne Moreau, Raymond Pellegrin, Etchika Choureau
Votes: 182
88. Guilty? (1956)
93 min | Crime, Drama
A Frenchwoman accused of the murder of her child's father in an English court rejects her defence lawyer. At the request of a Frenchman who saved his life during the war, a family solicitor reluctantly takes on the case.
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: John Justin, Barbara Laage, Donald Wolfit, Norman Wooland
Votes: 119
89. Je suis un sentimental (1955)
95 min | Crime, Thriller
Michel was just released from prison when he is suspected of having killed his wife as she was the one who brought him into prison. She also betrayed him with Rupert, a journalist not ... See full summary »
Director: John Berry | Stars: Eddie Constantine, Bella Darvi, Olivier Hussenot, Walter Chiari
Votes: 89
90. Double Verdict (1961)
102 min | Drama
Director: Roger Saltel | Stars: Serge Sauvion, Magali Vendeuil, Paul Frankeur, Jacques Mareuil
91. Jusqu'au dernier (1957)
90 min | Thriller
Just released from prison after serving a six-month sentence, Fernand Bastia goes into hiding. He has indeed double-crossed his gang by keeping part of the product of a robbery for himself.... See full summary »
Director: Pierre Billon | Stars: Raymond Pellegrin, Jeanne Moreau, Paul Meurisse, Max Révol
Votes: 154
92. Justice Is Done (1950)
95 min | Drama, Mystery
A trial of a mercy killing.
Director: André Cayatte | Stars: Michel Auclair, Antoine Balpêtré, Raymond Bussières, Jacques Castelot
Votes: 442
93. Their Last Night (1953)
95 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Madeleine arrives in Paris looking for a job as an English teacher. She finds a room in a boarding house where she meets and takes interest in Pierre Ruffin, a quiet librarian, who actually lives a double life.
Director: Georges Lacombe | Stars: Jean Gabin, Madeleine Robinson, Michel Barbey, Gaby Basset
Votes: 176
94. La loi des hommes (1962)
90 min | Crime, Drama
Police officer Dandieu investigates the carefully prepared robbery of an armored van. He meets Sophie Olivier, an attractive journalist specializing in criminology.
Director: Charles Gérard | Stars: Micheline Presle, Philippe Leroy, Pierre Mondy, Arletty
Votes: 42
95. Law of the Streets (1956)
100 min | Drama
A young delinquent wants to lead an honest life again.
Director: Ralph Habib | Stars: Raymond Pellegrin, Silvana Pampanini, Fernand Ledoux, Jean-Louis Trintignant
Votes: 22
96. The Light Across the Street (1955)
100 min | Drama
Story in flashback of an injured restaurant owner told to avoid straining himself with his wife, and the new young garage manager across the street who desires her. Considered the first film to showcase Bardot's natural sensuality.
Director: Georges Lacombe | Stars: Raymond Pellegrin, Roger Pigaut, Brigitte Bardot, Claude Romain
Votes: 183
97. Gambling Hell (1942)
61 min | Adventure, Drama
A captain, who has rescued a woman from danger,sails with her to Macao to do an arms deal with the Asian proprietor of a gambling den.The proprietor,s daughter, whom a visiting journalist ... See full summary »
Director: Jean Delannoy | Stars: Sessue Hayakawa, Mireille Balin, Henri Guisol, Erich von Stroheim
Votes: 175
98. Double Deception (1960)
101 min | Drama, Mystery
Director: Serge Friedman | Stars: Alice Kessler, Ellen Kessler, Jacques Riberolles, Ginette Leclerc
Votes: 34
99. Inspector Maigret (1958)
119 min | Crime, Drama
A serial killer is targeting women in the seedy district of Le Marais.
Director: Jean Delannoy | Stars: Jean Gabin, Annie Girardot, Olivier Hussenot, Jeanne Boitel
Votes: 2,082 | Gross: $0.01M
100. Carnival of Sinners (1943)
Approved | 80 min | Fantasy, Horror
Roland Brissot bought for a nickel a talisman that gives him love, fame, and wealth. The talisman is a cut left hand, and it works perfectly. Of course, there is nothing free in this world,... See full summary »
Director: Maurice Tourneur | Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Josseline Gaël, Noël Roquevert, Guillaume de Sax
Votes: 1,796
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