This is an early example of the kind of thriller-mystery, or "polar", which would become
phenomenally popular in France during the 1950s. It is also one of the earliest
adaptations of a novel by the popular thriller writer... [More...]
Jean Delannoy’s interpretation of André Gide’s powerful and moving novel is an
impressive and memorable piece of cinema. The pastor is treated sympathetically... [More...]
Possibly the most inspired screen adaptation of a Feydeau farce, Claude
Autant-Lara’s Occupe-toi
d’Amélie is unquestionably one of the highpoints of 1940s
French cinema... [More...]
Towards the end of his career, writer and film director Sacha Guitry made three major
historical films, each of which earned him critical acclaim and each of which has retained
an enduring popularity... [More...]
This is a fine tragicomic romantic film from arguably the most romantic of all the great
pre-WW2 French film directors, René Clair. It has the distinction of being
Clair’s first film to be made in colour... [More...]
Jean Gabin stars in one of his most famous roles, that of Inspector Maigret, in this atmospheric
1950s policier directed by one of France’s most talented directors... [More...]
Lino Ventura gives one of his legendary tour de force performances in
this intricate mystery-thriller, a compelling film which appears to have
been influenced by both American film noir and the work of Alfred Hitchcock... [More...]
In this light romantic comedy, Delannoy plays on his strengths as a director and also
capitalises on the formidable acting talent in his cast – notably Jean Gabin and Micheline
Presle... [More...]
Le Septième juré manages to be both a masterpiece of the suspense
thriller genre and a cleverly written satire on the corrupt bourgeois elite in France... [More...]
Le Doulos is a sophisticated policier which shows its roots in classic film noir
throughout. The American gangster movies of the 1930s and 1940s had a great appeal
to director Jean-Paul Melville and in this film he creates... [More...]
Coming straight after Truffaut’s superlative Jules et Jim, La Peau Douce
is another tragic love triangle in a similar mould. Whilst not as emotionally
charged as the earlier film... [More...]
