The best French love films
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It shouldn’t come as too great a surprise that the most enduring genres
in French cinema are those with an amorous theme. Since the earliest days
of cinema, romantic comedies and romantic dramas have been the mainstay
of French cinema, and continue to occupy a preminent position in
this art form, appealing to audiences the world over.
The poetry which is inherent in other areas of French art – most notably literature – is carried through into the cinematic medium, through the combined talents of some of the greatest directors, writers and actors the world has known. Where else is the traditional love film so infinitely variable, treated with such depth and sensitivity, than in French cinema? From musical extravaganzas, to sophisticated romantic comedies, to tragic romantic dramas – the variety is remarkable and constantly surprising. Here is just a selection of the great love films which French cinema has given us. Préparez vos mouchoirs... |
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| Le
Million
René Clair (1931) |
The
Marseilles Trilogy
Marcel Pagnol (1931) |
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An
extravaganza of burlesque comedy and the forerunner of the Hollywood
film
musical, Le Million was a triumph for the era it was made in
and
remains an enduring popular classic of French cinema.
[More...] |
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Marius,
Fanny, César... three characters forever linked in this
monumental
saga of three films from one of France’s greatest writers. A tale
of unrequited love set in the romantic environs of the French port of
Marseilles.
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| L’Atalante
Jean Vigo (1934) |
Mayerling
Anatole Litvak (1936) |
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This
simple tale of love lost and regained has acquired the status of a
classic.
Its enduring appeal stems from its profound humanity, some daring
photography
and a remarkable performance from Michel Simon.
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With
captivating performances from Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux and
some
beautiful camera work, it is not hard to see why this is widely
regarded
as one of the greatest love films ever made.
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| Une
partie de campagne
Jean Renoir (1936) |
La
Règle du jeu
Jean Renoir (1939) |
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Renoir’s
wistful adaptation of Maupassant’s short story evokes the impressionist
paintings of his father and, with some great camera work, captures the
transience and beauty of love.
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Regarded
by many as Jean Renoir’s greatest work, this film combines dramatic
intrigue
and farce to take a brutal swipe at the ruling classes. It also
manages
to be a great love film.
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| Douce
Claude Autant-Lara (1943) |
L’Éternel
retour
Jean Delannoy (1943) |
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Autant-Lara’s
best film is this poignant upstairs-downstairs comedy-drama, a fine
blend
of romance, satire and irony, with some enchanting acting performances,
notably from Odette Joyeux.
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History
repeats itself, according to this updating of the classic Tristan and
Isolda
love story, written by Jean Cocteau. The melancholic
cinematography
and some great acting makes this a captivating and moving film.
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| Les
Enfants du paradis
Marcel Carné (1945) |
La
Belle et la bête
Jean Cocteau (1946) |
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Often
cited as the greatest of French films, this spectacular romantic epic,
a guarded symbol of defiance against the German Occupation, is the
crowning
glory of the fruitful Carné-Prévert partnership.
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This
masterpiece of fantasy realism, set in a surreal fairytale world has
become
the stuff of legends. It combines literary and visual poetry,
making
this one of the most distinctive and memorable of French films.
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| L’Aigle
à deux têtes
Jean Cocteau (1947) |
La
Ronde
Max Ophüls (1950) |
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Political
intrigue and 19th century romanticism form the basis for this haunting
tale of love from one of France’s greatest creative talents, Jean
Cocteau.
Edwige Feuillère and Jean Marais form an iconic screen
couple.
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With
the grace of a Vienese waltz, this film carries its audience through a
series of dove-tailing love vignettes. With a wealth of acting
talent, Ophüls
conjures up one of his most entertaining and charming films.
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| Casque
d’or
Jacques Becker (1951) |
Les
Amants
Louis Malle (1957) |
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With
its realistic reconstruction of Paris of the 1900s and a legendary
performance
from Simone Signoret, Casque d’or has become one of the most
emblematic
and memorable French films of the 1950s.
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Louis
Malle’s lyrical tale of marital infidelity created a storm of
controversy
in the late 1950s for its explicit love scenes. A touching,
atmospheric
work, in which Jeanne Moreau is captivating.
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| Hiroshima
mon amour
Alain Resnais (1959) |
Moderato
cantabile
Peter Brook (1960) |
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The
scars of the present reflect the unspeakable tragedy of the past, at
both
a personal and societal level in this remarkable debut film from Alain
Resnais.
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A
frustrated housewife witnesses a murder and places herself in the power
of s stranger to relive the same drama. A lyrical depiction of
female
obsession, scripted by Marguerite Duras.
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| Jules
et Jim
François Truffaut (1962) |
Les
Parapluies de Cherbourg
Jacques Demy (1964) |
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Truffaut’s
enduring masterpiece is a poignant love triangle which captures fully
the
director’s humanity and morbid passion for life. A haunting and
poetic
portrayal of the folly of romantic love.
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With
the yearning music of Michel Legrand, Jacques Demy creates a fairytale
world marked by ill-fate and melancholia. Arguably the best
French film musical and one of the most memorable love films of all time.
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| Un
homme et une femme
Claude Lelouch (1966) |
Les
Demoiselles de Rochefort
Jacques Demy (1967) |
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Winner
of the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1966, this stylishly filmed romantic
drama
stars Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimée. The ideal St
Valentine’s treat. And who can forget that music...?
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Danielle
Darrieux, Gene Kelly and the famous
Dorléac
sisters give their all in this ebullient musical romance set in a
sugar-coated
fantasy world. The ultimate feel-good movie.
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| Baisers
volés
François Truffaut (1968) |
Les
Deux Anglaises et le continent
François Truffaut (1971) |
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For
the third installment of his semi- autobiographical Antoine Doinel
cycle,
François Truffaut offers us this delightful portrait of young
love.
A tender, witty, ironic and utterly charming film.
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Beautifully
filmed, and featuring Jean-Pierre Léaud at his best, this tale
of
doomed love is one of François Truffaut’s most poetic and
intense
films.
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| La
Dentellière
Claude Goretta (1977) |
L’Ami
de mon amie
Eric Rohmer (1987) |
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A
poignant and closely observed study of a tragically doomed
romance.
A young Isabelle Huppert portrays the vulnerability and despair of a
naive
adolescent with heart-rending believability.
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The
final film in Rohmer’s widely acclaimed Comédies et
proverbes
series
is this beautifully filmed and engaging comedy romance about
friendship,
love and infidelity.
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| La
Fille de 15 ans
Jacques Doillon (1989) |
Monsieur
Hire
Patrice Leconte (1989) |
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In
this poignant drama, a middle-aged man (played by Doillon himself) is
torn
between his love for his son and his physical attraction for a teenage
girl. A beautiful, poetic and insightful work.
[More...] |
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By
merging psychological thriller and comedy romance, Patrice Leconte
creates
one of his best films, a dark yet tender study in loneliness and
desire.
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| Trop
belle pour toi
Bertrand Blier (1989) |
Le
Mari de la coiffeuse
Patrice Leconte (1990) |
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A
man dumps his beautiful wife for his plain secretary. By defying
the obvious stereotypes, Bertrand Blier gives us a film with great
depth
and meaning, in which he is marvellously served by a stunning cast.
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A
dark but seductively compelling portrait of obsessive love between a
hairdresser
and her husband. Director Patrice Leconte perpetuates the
tradition
of poetic realism and bleak existentialism.
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| Les
Amants du Pont-Neuf
Leos Carax (1991) |
Un
coeur en hiver Claude Sautet (1992) |
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With
its melange of hard-edged realism and glittery fairytale, this depicts
a poignant love story involving two homeless people. The film has
some remarkable visuals and features a stunning Juliette Binoche.
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Daniel
Auteuil and Emmanuelle Béart star in this masterfully composed,
sorrowful tale of unattainable love, from Claude Sautet.
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| Le
Parfum d’Yvonne Patrice Leconte (1994) |
Trois
couleurs: rouge
Krzysztof Kieslowski (1994) |
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An exquisitely poignant and sensual portrait of ephemeral
love from Patrice Leconte, the master of the erotic romantic drama.
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The
third installment in Kieslowski’s highly rated Three Colours
cycle is surely the director’s masterpiece, a captivating tale of
repressed
desire and impossible love, with eerie supernatural undercurrents.
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| Nelly
& Monsieur Arnaud
Claude Sautet (1995) |
L’Appartement
Gilles Mimouni (1996) |
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Sublime
performances from Michel Serrault and Emmanuelle Béart makes
this
a compelling and infinitely subtle romantic drama.
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This
unusual blend of thriller and romance benefits greatly from some fine
acting
and some imaginative direction. A well-paced and captivating film
where the audience is constantly surprised.
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| Marius
et Jeannette
Robert Guédiguian (1997) |
L’Ennui
Cédric Kahn (1998) |
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Robert
Guédiguian makes something magical out of this anodyne tale of
love
involving ordinary people in the deprived area
of
Marseilles. A sunny blend of social realism and fairytale romance.
[More...] |
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In
this disturbing and ironic film, Charles Berling gives a remarkable
performance
as a man in mid-life crisis who becomes addicted to a meaningless
sexual
liaison with a younger woman.
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| Conte
d’automne
Eric Rohmer (1998) |
Le
Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (2001) |
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The
final film in Rohmer’s "Four Seasons" cycle is both a melancholic and
uplifting
work, in which a middle-aged woman is subjected to the match-making
tendencies
of her well-meaning friends.
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This
fairytale Parisian romance was a worldwide success, thanks to its
surreal
comic touches, distinctive photography and, most of all, Audrey
Tautou.
A magical film.
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