Highly recommended French Movies for you:
First and foremost-
LE FABULEUX DESTIN D'AMELIE POULAIN
Amelie does not attend school like the others because of a mis-diagnosed heart condition and subsequently develops a very active and colorful imagination. Her father has limited contact with her although they live together and her mother dies when she is only a girl. The movie follows her life and how she is determined to change the world by changing the lives of the people she around her who all turn out to be very strange and wonderful. An outstanding performance by all the cast. One of the best soundtracks to come out of French cinema.
I highly recommend you watch it in French with the English subtitles!
LES TRIPLETTES DE BELLEVILLE
This French animation tells the story of a young boy being raised by his grandmother in the French country. He dreams of winning the Tour de France and his grandmother wanting to encourage him, buys him a bike and tells him to go for it but he gets kidnapped by the Mafia who want to use his cycling skills in a gambling coup. They take him to Belleville.
His grandmother sets out in search of him along with her companion, Bruno. They befriend a trio of 30’s jazz musicians called the triplettes de Belleville.
Very beautiful and unique animation and great original jazz music score.
DELICATESSEN
This black humour French comedy, set in a post-apocalyptic future, tells the story of the tenants of a single apartment complex owned by the same man that operates the butchers shop downstairs. Despite the bad living conditions going on outside, the tenants are happy with the excellent cuts of meat available downstairs. One of the newest tenants, a circus clown, is delighted with his new living space but soon discovers the true source of the butcher’s meat! Who will be next?
Absurd plot twists, sharp satire, slapstick and extreme imagery- not for the faint- hearted but for those attuned to the films sensibilities will be amazed at the technical achievement and abundant sense of humor.
COCO CHANEL BEFORE CHANEL
Audrey tatou returns in a superb performance as the tragic orphan Gabrielle Chanel who is abandoned by her father after her mother dies. The film follows her life as She works her way up through the fashion industry and becomes “coco” One of france’s most famous figures.
French fashion, glamour, perfume and designers. Need I say more?
MICMACS
The great Dany Boon star in this great movie which tells the story of Bazil, an unfortunate man who ends up with a bullet embedded in his head and goes in search of the arms manufacturers he holds responsible who also may be responsible for his father’s death. This whimsical fantasy comedy is set in Paris in bizarre underground headquarters where Bazil teams up with a motley group of social outcasts who become his close friends.
JULES ET JIM
Jules et Jim is often referred to as a prime example of the French new Wave movement in cinema. The movie secured director ,Francois Truffaut, a position as one of the most highly regarded director of his time. Set between 1912 and 1933, the story follows two best friends Jules et Jim who, while on holidays in Greece, both fall in love with the smile on the face of a sculpture. On their return to Paris they find a woman who matches this smile and both fall for her. The three become inseparable companions and try to live their lives to the fullest despite the War. The movie depicts their lives and their love for each other and how despite their bond, their ménage-a –trois simply can’t have a happy ending.
Starring the beautiful Jeanne Moreaux
LE MARI DE LA COIFFEUSE
( THE HAIRDRESSER'S HUSBAND)
This film tells the story of a man who since childhood has been obsessed with marrying a hairdresser like the one he had as a boy on holidays.
The movie depicts obsession and fantasy through humor and sensuality as the man fulfills his lifelong ambition.
