My Journey through French Cinema watchlist
by sir_runrun_shaw | created - 19 Jan 2018 | updated - 27 Jun 2018 | PublicWatchlist resulting from my journey through Bertrand Tavernier's journey
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1. 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: 6,171
2. Rendezvous in July (1949)
112 min | Comedy, Drama
Hopes and love and ambitions and friendship in a group of young jazz-loving Parisians.
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: Daniel Gélin, Brigitte Auber, Nicole Courcel, Pierre Trabaud
Votes: 452 | Gross: $0.01M
3. The Hole (1960)
Not Rated | 131 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Distrust and uncertainty arise when four long-term inmates cautiously induct a new prisoner into their elaborate prison-break scheme.
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: André Bervil, Jean Keraudy, Michel Constantin, Philippe Leroy
Votes: 20,203 | Gross: $0.03M
4. Antoine & Antoinette (1947)
84 min | Comedy, Drama
Working class couple Antoine and Antoinette dream of a better life. In the midst of constantly fending off the unwanted attention of men, especially the grocer Monsieur Roland, Antoinette ... See full summary »
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: Roger Pigaut, Claire Mafféi, Noël Roquevert, Gaston Modot
Votes: 1,098 | Gross: $0.01M
5. Edward and Caroline (1951)
88 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Edouard is a pianist, married with Caroline. This evening, they are invited to Claude's. Claude is the snobbish uncle of Caroline, his son Alain (as snobbish as his father) is in love with ... See full summary »
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: Daniel Gélin, Anne Vernon, Elina Labourdette, Jacques François
Votes: 730
6. Paris Frills (1945)
Approved | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Philippe Clarence, a famous Parisian dressmaker, seduces his friend's fiancee. But, for the first time in his life, this is for real. The film is also a sharp picture of the fashion world.
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: Raymond Rouleau, Micheline Presle, Jean Chevrier, Gabrielle Dorziat
Votes: 714
7. Les sièges de l'Alcazar (1989)
54 min | Comedy
Paris, 1955. Guy, film critic of the Cahiers du Cinéma, often goes to see the films of Vittorio Cottafavi in a local cinema. One day he notices that Jeanne, film critic of "Positive ", the ... See full summary »
Director: Luc Moullet | Stars: Olivier Maltinti, Elizabeth Moreau, Sabine Haudepin, Dominique Zardi
Votes: 212
8. 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: 174
9. 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: 1,407
10. 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: 1,561
11. The Night Is My Kingdom (1951)
110 min | Drama
After an accident Raymond has gone blind. His family treats him like a child. Fortunately, a nun comes to his rescue. She works in a center where blind people learn to read with the Braille alphabet.
Director: Georges Lacombe | Stars: Jean Gabin, Simone Valère, Gérard Oury, Jacques Dynam
Votes: 354
12. Razzia (1955)
105 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Henri, the Man from Nantes, comes back to his country after a successful stay in the United States, where he was working for Liski, the drug dealer. With the fame of being a tough guy ... See full summary »
Director: Henri Decoin | Stars: Jean Gabin, Marcel Dalio, Lino Ventura, Albert Rémy
Votes: 1,307
13. Deadlier Than the Male (1956)
113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
André Chatelin is a restaurant owner in Les Halles in Paris. One morning, a girl named Catherine asks to see him. She happens to be the daughter of his estranged wife, Gabrielle, that André... See full summary »
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Jean Gabin, Danièle Delorme, Robert Arnoux, Liliane Bert
Votes: 1,675
14. Le président (1961)
110 min | Thriller
At 73, France's ex-president, Emile Beaufort, faces declining health, but he still plays a vigorous role behind the scenes as a philosopher and, potentially, as a power broker. In ... See full summary »
Director: Henri Verneuil | Stars: Jean Gabin, Bernard Blier, Renée Faure, Henri Crémieux
Votes: 1,060
15. Le Chat (1971)
86 min | Drama
In 1971 Courbevoie (France), former typographist Julien Bouin and his wife Clemence, who used to perform in a circus, hardly talk to each other in their small house, which is soon to be ... See full summary »
Director: Pierre Granier-Deferre | Stars: Jean Gabin, Simone Signoret, Annie Cordy, Jacques Rispal
Votes: 2,384
16. Des gens sans importance (1956)
101 min | Drama
Mid-aged married truck driver falls in love with a young waitress he meets while making a break on a long trip. They try to make it work, but she can't get a decent job or place to stay in ... See full summary »
Director: Henri Verneuil | Stars: Jean Gabin, Françoise Arnoul, Pierre Mondy, Yvette Etiévant
Votes: 629
17. 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: 3,204
18. July 14 (1933)
86 min | Comedy, Romance
Jean is a young cab driver. Anna, a flower-girl neighbour, is in love with him. But he is still thinking to Pola, who just left him. Jean asks her to the bal. Many events (Pola's come back,... See full summary »
Director: René Clair | Stars: Annabella, George Rigaud, Raymond Cordy, Paul Ollivier
Votes: 471
19. 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: 13,052 | Gross: $0.01M
20. 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: 27,983 | Gross: $0.30M
21. Angels of Sin (1943)
80 min | Drama
Anne-Marie joins a Dominican convent as a novice where she knows Therese. After shooting a man for which she was imprisoned, Therese protests her innocence, reluctant to tell her secret.
Director: Robert Bresson | Stars: Renée Faure, Jany Holt, Sylvie, Mila Parély
Votes: 1,759
22. Gates of the Night (1946)
100 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
It's Paris in the winter after its liberation. A tramp who may also be Destiny predicts that Jean Diego will fall in love with a beautiful girl. That same evening, Jean meets Malou.
Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Pierre Brasseur, Serge Reggiani, Yves Montand, Nathalie Nattier
Votes: 1,291
23. Wench (1948)
90 min | Drama
Singled out by Tavernier in his documentary on French film: A proud femme fatale who works at a mountainous farm property manages, after being prodded by her lover, to become the heiress ,but she plays the rival men against each other.
Director: Henri Calef | Stars: María Casares, Roger Pigaut, Jean Murat, Jean Vinci
Votes: 31
24. 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
25. He Ran All the Way (1951)
Passed | 77 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Nick and his partner Al stage a payroll holdup. Al is shot, and Nick kills a policeman. Nick hides out at a public pool, where he meets Peg Dobbs. They go back to her apartment, and he forces her family to hide him from the police manhunt.
Director: John Berry | Stars: John Garfield, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford, Selena Royle
Votes: 3,000
26. Ça va barder (1955)
90 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A con man (Eddie Constantine) is approached by a shipping magnate to become one of his security agents.
Director: John Berry | Stars: Eddie Constantine, May Britt, Jean Danet, Lyla Rocco
Votes: 133
27. 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: 87
28. Lucky Jo (1964)
90 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Jo the gangster has the formidable gift of bringing down the worst kind of catastrophes on the heads of his best friends. Thus everything would be perfect if Simon hadn't lent his car to Jo.
Director: Michel Deville | Stars: Eddie Constantine, Pierre Brasseur, Georges Wilson, Christiane Minazzoli
Votes: 290
29. Alphaville (1965)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A U.S. secret agent is sent to the distant space city of Alphaville where he must find a missing person and free the city from its tyrannical ruler.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff, Valérie Boisgel
Votes: 27,459 | Gross: $0.05M
30. 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: 126
31. Octobre à Paris (1962)
70 min | Documentary
Documentary about the police crackdown on the Algerian demonstrations in Paris in 1961.
Director: Jacques Panijel
Votes: 38
32. Whirlpool (1935)
Approved | 75 min | Drama, Romance
The happiness of a newly-married couple, Henry and Jeannie Saint Clair, is shattered when the husband is made a paralytic in an automobile accident. The wife still loves him, although he is... See full summary »
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Jeanne Boitel, Jean Galland, Maurice Maillot, Diana Sari
Votes: 120
33. Menaces... (1940)
95 min | Drama
The months before World War II. The fear of the impending war never leaves the guests of an hotel in Paris.
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Mireille Balin, John Loder, Ginette Leclerc, Erich von Stroheim
Votes: 136
34. Woman of Evil (1947)
87 min | Drama
On a small island in the middle of the river where Tramontana almost always blows, some losers tear each other to pieces .
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Charles Vanel, Jean Chevrier, Héléna Bossis, Margo Lion
Votes: 88
35. The Silk Noose (1948)
Approved | 72 min | Crime, Drama
In post- WW2 Britain, an American fashion journalist, her ex-army fiancé, and a gang of honest toughs from a local gym attempt to bring black market organized crime to justice.
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Carole Landis, Joseph Calleia, Derek Farr, Stanley Holloway
Votes: 394
36. Dangerous Secrets (1937)
60 min | Drama, Romance
Before he leaves for a posting in India, young Jim Wyndham has a fling with pretty Helen Norwood. After he leaves, Helen marries Prof. Paul Bernardy, a much older man. Four years later Jim returns from India, ready to take up where he left off with Helen, only to find out that she's now married. Complications ensue.
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Paul Lukas, Linden Travers, Hugh Williams, Marie Ney
Votes: 156
37. I Married a Spy (1937)
59 min | Drama
A German-born woman works as a spy for the French in Switzerland during the First World War, and has to marry an interned French lieutenant in order to be able to stay in the country.
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Brigitte Horney, Neil Hamilton, Raymond Lovell, Charles Carson
Votes: 100
38. 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: 11,880 | Gross: $0.08M
39. The Terrible Children (1950)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
The dangerously obsessive relationship between a psychologically manipulative brother and sister who isolate themselves and draw others into their mind games.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Nicole Stéphane, Edouard Dermithe, Renée Cosima, Jacques Bernard
Votes: 4,308
40. Léon Morin, Priest (1961)
Not Rated | 117 min | Drama, Romance, War
Set during occupied France, a faithless woman finds herself falling in love with a young priest.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva, Irène Tunc, Nicole Mirel
Votes: 5,635 | Gross: $0.04M
41. Crime Wave (1953)
Approved | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Reformed parolee Steve Lacey is caught in the middle when a wounded former cellmate seeks him out for shelter.
Director: André De Toth | Stars: Gene Nelson, Sterling Hayden, Phyllis Kirk, Ted de Corsia
Votes: 4,511
42. Adieu Philippine (1962)
106 min | Drama, Romance
Paris, summer 1960. Michel is about to leave for Algeria for military service. He meets Liliane and Juliette, two inseparable friends. Michel goes on vacation to Corsica, where the two girls decide to join him
Director: Jacques Rozier | Stars: Jean-Claude Aimini, Daniel Descamps, Stefania Sabatini, Yveline Céry
Votes: 996
43. Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Cleo, a singer and hypochondriac, becomes increasingly worried that she might have cancer while awaiting test results from her doctor.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray, Dorothée Blanck
Votes: 26,985
44. Bluebeard (1963)
115 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Follows a family man who meets women through lonely-hearts ads.
Director: Claude Chabrol | Stars: Michèle Morgan, Danielle Darrieux, Hildegard Knef, Juliette Mayniel
Votes: 1,222
45. The 317th Platoon (1965)
100 min | War
In Vietnam, 1954, a French platoon isolated behind enemy lines tries to come back. It is led by the inexperienced, idealistic sous-lieutenant Torrens, and by adjutant Willsdorf, a WWII veteran of the Wehrmacht.
Director: Pierre Schoendoerffer | Stars: Jacques Perrin, Bruno Cremer, Pierre Fabre, Manuel Zarzo
Votes: 1,643
46. A Matter of Resistance (1966)
93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
During World War II, just before the liberation of France, a beautiful lady finds herself in the midst of bizarre doings from her admirers.
Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Pierre Brasseur, Philippe Noiret, Henri Garcin
Votes: 1,130
47. 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: 286
48. Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995)
106 min | Drama
When Nelly, a woman being just divorced, meets by chance M. Arnaud, a mature salesman just retired, begins a strange and special relationship between the two personalities.
Director: Claude Sautet | Stars: Emmanuelle Béart, Michel Serrault, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Claire Nadeau
Votes: 5,048 | Gross: $0.86M
49. Days of Hope (1940)
78 min | Drama, War
1937, during the spanish civil war, at Teruel. The fight of the Republicans (with very poor means but high commitment) against fascist army of General Franco. Can be seen as romanticized ... See full summary »
Directors: André Malraux, Boris Peskine | Stars: Andrés Mejuto, Nicolás Rodríguez, José Santpere, Julio Peña
Votes: 361
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