Reading time: 10 minutes
Ready for another helping of French movies? For March, I have prepared a special menu for all fans of French cinéma. Juicy films dished out by cream of the crop directors. Just the right pinch of action, thriller, hot-blooded drama and a huge slice of eye-catching cinematography.
You can watch these movies one per day for each day of the month, or you can be a total movie glutton and devour them all in one go. Totally up to you.
So let's get started, shall we?
Day 1: Sauve qui peut (la vie)
Directed : Jean-Luc Godard
Written :Anne-Marie Miéville, Jean-Claude Carrière
A stunning return to the cinema of director Jean-Luc Godard, the film looks at the everyday life of three people: Paul Godard (TV producer), Denise Rimbaud (Paul’s ex-gf and co-worker) and Isabelle Riviera (a prostitute once frequented by Paul). The film is divided into three parts, focusing on the three main characters.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 2: Angélique, marquise des anges
Directed : Bernard Borderie
Written : Anne Golon, Serge Golon, Claude Brule, Bernard Borderie, Francis Cosne
This film is based on the 1956 novel of the same title. Hilarious and romantic, this story set in 17th century France will give any contemporary chick flick a run for its money.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 3: Les parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg)
Directed : Jacques Demy
Written: Jacques Demy
Les Parapluies de Cherbourg has successfully stood the test of time just as Deneuve’s beauty has. Jacques Demy's 1964 brilliant work is a pop-art love-opera / movie in song. This juicy romantic story is born in 1957 and tells the story of a girl who picks between waiting for her lover and accepting a marriage offer from a rich guy. A bitter-sweet movie set to Michel Legrand's fabulous music!
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Want to know how you can use movies to learn French? Check out this article!
Day 4: 37,2 le matin (Betty Blue)
Directed : Jean-Jacques Beineix
Written By : Jean-Jacques Beineix, Philippe Djian
The “372 le Matin” movie is a colorful and swirling----but at the same time, harsh---story. It's the all-time-greatest movie début of model Dalle as an anxious babydoll who can’t link reality to her personal perception of a happy life. The movie centers on a love affair that slowly descends into madness and shows the difficulties of being a free-spirited sexual femme.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 5: L' appartement (The Apartment)
Directed : Gilles Mimouni
Written : Gilles Mimouni
An enigmatic French thriller that dazzles you with its Hitchcock-like lines and complexity. First you see Max, who’s on his way to Tokyo. The main character lives in Paris and never stops flirting with young women. Cutting from the old life, Max is about to tie the knot. By chance he runs into his young-and-sweet love Lisa. As cupid takes his shot, Max forgets about everything else. Being obsessed with Lisa, Max finds out where the lady’s apartment is and hides in there. A different femme Alice finds an unexpected guest and things take a complicated turn.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 6: Un homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman)
Directed : Claude Lelouch
Written : Pierre Uytterhoeven
Enjoyable and heart-melting, “UnHomme et Une Femme” is a classy mosaic of ecstasies and inner agonies of two lonely people with kooky careers and private pains. A real smash hit in the world of cinematography, this film was eye-catching in 1966 and still hooking die-hard fans until now.
Available on: DVD
Day 7: Le hérisson (The Hedgehog)
Directed : Mona Achache
Written : Mona Achache, Muriel Barbery
As the story opens, you see 11-year-old Paloma thinking about committing suicide on her twelfth birthday. The girl lives and breathes philosophy and art and documents pretty hilarious thoughts about the world around her. As Paloma’s date with Death comes up, the young lady suddenly meets acquaintances that turn her life's viewpoints up-side-down.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 8: Sans soleil (Sunless)
Directed : Chris Marker
Written : Chris Marker
The brilliant “Sans Soleil” movie is more of an experimental, intuitive film. Presented as a mosaic of bizarre moments taken from a long trip to Tokyo featuring small rituals and silent agreements between the plot and the camera.Unforgettable movie and truly a different kind of experience.
Available on: DVD
Day 9: La vie de Jésus (The Life of Jesus)
Directed : Bruno Dumont
Written : Bruno Dumont
This film is good enough to be French film virgins' first contact with French cinema. Covering a social project about everyday life in the north of France, the story revolved around Freddy and his pals who are both jobless. They kill time by wandering around and getting into mix-ups with Arabic immigrants. Freddy falls for Marie, a supermarket cashier, and as it usually happens, the girl’s heart belongs to someone else.
Available on: DVD
Day 10: Martyrs
Directed : Pascal Laugier
Written : Pascal Laugier
An absolute recommendation for fans of the horror genre! More than any other horror work, “Martyrs” evokes different levels of emotion. Are you ready to get excited, provoked or disturbed? This is for you. Just a short health warning. If you’ve got a weak stomach, stay away from this. “Martyrs” is a perfect mix of “Hostel” gore, “Heavenly Creatures” female friendship & Polanski’s “The Apartment” creepiness. But what you actually see on the screen is a deeply touching parade of human conditions.
Available on: Netflix (DVD only), Amazon Instant Video
Day 11: Le prénom (What's in a Name?)
Directed : Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaport
Written : Alexandre de La Patellière
Are you about to deal with diapers and bibs? Take a minute to peep into Vincent’s life. A slick real-estate agent is getting ready to be a dad. When hanging out with childhood pals to discuss the future kid’s name, jaws drop and there goes the scandal!
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 12: Les compères
Directed : Francis Veber
Written : Francis Veber
When your problem son runs away from home, first thing you do is…get into contact with your ex-lovers. Wait---what? How about to convince two old boyfriends – a ninny hypochondriac and a rough journalist – that each of them is the runaway’s father? When the police are out of action, two exes will do the job! But…what happens when they all meet up?
Available on: DVD
Day 13: De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté (The Beat that My Heart Skipped)
Directed : Jacques Audiard
Written : Jacques Audiard, ToninoBenacquista, James Toback
A film manual on how to make the right choices in your life. Will Thomas dive deeper into the criminal world? Or, will he get closer to his dream of becoming a … pianist? Find out!
Available on: DVD
Day 14: 17 filles (17 Girls)
Directed : DelphineCoulin, Muriel Coulin
Written : DelphineCoulin, Muriel Coulin
How to turn a small town into a chaotic mess? Camille will show you the way. When a high school chick accidentally gets pregnant, 16 of her classmates decide to do the same. Inspired by true events!
Available on: Netflix, Amazon Instant Video
Day 15: Trois couleurs: Bleu (Three Colors: Blue)
Directed : Krzysztof Kieslowski
Written : Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
“Troiscouleurs: Bleu” – a masterpiece created by Kieslowski – is a long-lasting trip from brokenness and misery to the “resurrection” of a woman’s soul. Julie is the only survivor of a car crash that killed her soulmate and their child. Truly a brilliant performance by Binoche!
Available on: DVD
Day 16: Les bronzés (French Fried Vacation)
Directed : Patrice Leconte
Written : L' Equipe du Splendid
The film focuses on six French tourists relaxing on the sunny African shores: the hilarious (un)couplings, the efforts to make out with a record number of ladies, the attempt at an open-relationship lifestyle, and other kinds of hilarity. See how these friends survive the vacation!
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 17: Les fugitifs
Directed : Francis Veber
Written : Francis Veber
A stunning comedy from the past century but still en vogue even now! A hare-brained and desperate bank-robber Francois takes Luca hostage during a bank hold-up. Here goes a chaotic car chase. How can recently released from jail Luca prove he’s not guilty? Will a 6-year-old autistic girl unite strangers?
Available on: DVD
Day 18: Tais-toi! (Ruby & Quentin)
Directed : Francis Veber
Written : Francis Veber
After getting thrown into prison, a gloomy outlaw Ruby runs into a dim-witted inmate Quentin. A walking ‘chatterbox’ befriends Ruby even though a criminal doesn’t really want it. But when Quentin reveals a brilliant escape plan, Ruby decides to make a break with him.
Available on: DVD
Day 19: La fille sur le pont (The Girl on the Bridge)
Directed : Patrice Leconte
Written: Serge Frydman
A beautiful love story. A perfect mish-mash of hopelessly romantic old movie bits. 22 year old Adèle feels like her life is nothing but a long line of miscalculations. No love. No luck. No money. No hope. Standing on a bridge and overlooking the Seine, Adèle is about to end her life. That’s when a romantic drama opens up. A knife-thrower Gabor talks Adèle into becoming his new human-being-target. Will the suicidal girl postpone her meet with Death?
Available on: DVD
Day 20 : Le dernier métro (The Last Metro)
Directed : François Truffaut
Written : François Truffaut
While staying in the occupied city of Paris, Marion needs to hide her husband – Jewish director Lucas Steiner – in the basement. What does it feel like walking on the razor’s edge?
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 21 : Le placard (The Closet)
Directed : Francis Veber
When there are tons of stories about gay men pretending to be straight to save their what-ever-it-may-be, “Le Placard” shows just the opposite! A tart comedy shows a man, who babbles around about his fake gayness to save his career. With the help of his neighbor, a phony gay man turns his life into a mess!
Available on: Netflix, Amazon Instant Video
Day 22: Jules et Jim
Directed : Francois Truffaut
Written : François Truffaut Jean Gruault
Before WWI, two pals Jim and Jules have a crush on the same dame. But the charming lady Catherine makes her choice – Jules! When the war is over, the old ‘gang’ meets up in Germany. Here’s where Catherine starts to have feelings for Jim… And there goes the love triangle carried through the years.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 23: : Le passé (The Past)
Directed : Asghar Farhadi
Written : Asghar Farhadi
A thickly knotted and realistic movie featuring the life of Parisian working class, “The Past” feels too slow sometimes - just as an everyday life does. A man from Iran wants his French wife and their kids to get back to his fatherland. How to face your past if your present is involved in a new relationship? Asghar Farhadi is a natural story-teller, who reveals how people wish to erase what’s behind them and live in the now.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 24: Möbius
Directed : Eric Rochant
Written: Eric Rochant
A sweet love affair with a pinch of bitterness. Perfect recipe!
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 25 : Amour & turbulences (Love Is In The Air)
Directed : Alexandre Castagnetti
Written : Vincent Angell, NirinaRalanto, Brigitte Bémol, Julien Simonet, Alexandre Castagnetti
On a flight from NYC to Paris, ex-couple Antoine and Julie find out they're seated beside each other, for the first time since their break-up. Can they patch things up over the course of one flight?
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 26 : Les petits mouchoirs (Little White Lies)
Directed : Guillaume Canet
A melodramatic, near-fatal affair focuses on Parisian friends going on vacation. An automobile accident leaves one of them on a hospital couch. The friendship-bonds are severely tested. At times, it’s charming. At times, it makes you cry out. Still a good movie to watch.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 27: 20 ans d'écart (It Boy)
Directed : David Moreau
Written : David Moreau, AmroHamzawi
Alice, the 38-year-old fashion glam magazine editor, meets young and sweet Balthazar---a sweet guy who is barely 20 years old. Then a quick photo, where Balthazar and Alice are (or aren’t?) kissing goes viral on Twitter. But Alice’s chief likes the idea that the woman has a crush on someone way younger. Realizing that the key to her promotion is in her hands, Alice starts her own game. But trifling with love has rough consequences.
Available on: DVD
Day 28 : La boîte noire (The Black Box)
Directed : Richard Berry
Written : Eric Assous, ToninoBenacquista
Blurred images spark in Arthur’s brain. Strangers’ voices buzz in his head. Did he have a car accident? Or … didn't? Did he run over a boy in the street or…not? And how come he appears to be near Cherbourg when his home is in Paris? Is he really conscious? A nurse from the hospital take notes of everything Arthur says while being delirious. When Arthur opens up her notebook, its time to investigate.
Available on: DVD
Day 29: Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie)
Directed : Luis Buñuel
Written : Luis Buñuel
Luis Bunuel adds up another masterpiece to his solid record! A virtually plotless, somehow surreal and bizarre tale of so-called well-to-do couples. A long series of blurred dreams focused on six bourgeois-type people and their failure to have a meal. As the plot lines thickens, the dreams dive into the other dreams. Still, they never belong to a single dreamer exclusively.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
Day 30 : Michael Kohlhaas (Age of the Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas)
Directed : Arnaud des Pallières
Written : Christelle Berthevas, Arnaud des Pallières
A handsomely photographed and beautifully made 16th-century era story. The plot reveals Michael Kohlhaas, a horse dealer, who’s happily married. Then the “dark lord” appears. When the ruler treats Michael unjustly, he raises the sword to restore his rights!
Available on: Netflix, Amazon Instant Video
Day 31 : Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (Welcome to the Land of Shtis/Welcome to the Sticks)
Directed : Dany Boon
Written : Dany Boon, Alexandre Charlot
No need to expect something artistically and revolutionary groundbreaking in the “Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis” plot. But still, this is what you call the biggest movie hit from the land of cheese and wine! A tale of a postman, who hopes to move to the Côte d'Azur, but appears in the north instead. A contagiously funny comedy about love, misconception and real friendship. You’ll like it for its self-deprecating humor.
Available on: Amazon Instant Video
P.S. You would be doing me a HUGE FAVOR by sharing it via Twitter or Facebook.
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Mes films preferes sont CASH, Amelie Poulain, tous les films de Audrey Totu, Et apres etc. J’aime le cinéma francis.
Merci Lidia pour vos suggestions. Je n’ai pas encore vu (ou alors je ne m’en souviens plus ahah)
[…] A list of popular movies of all times produced in France, varied in genres, plots and chronology. March edition […]
Il faut ajouter “la tête en friche “
This site looks good. Viewing films in French always helps one learn.
Thank you Larry and yes watching movies is always a great way to learn
Mome, L’intouchable, L’auberge espagnol, Maman, Je vais bien ne t’en fais pas etc tec are my favorit french films
De très bons films.
Jean de Florette or Manon of the Spring
Excellent choice.
Merci, Frédéric! C’est une bonne liste! J’aime aussi le film “Le fils de l’autre”.
Merci, Frédéric! You’re the “bee’s knees” 🙂
Haha merci Christina.
J’ai adore aussi: ‘Samba’, ‘Les pouppees russes’, ‘Casse-tete chinois’, ‘Petit Nicolas, ‘Les Vacances de petit Nicolas’, ‘L’avis de Mistral’, ‘La rencontre’ 🙂
Pourquoi tous ces très vieux films?
Pourquoi pas. Il y a aussi beaucoup de films récents dans cette liste. 🙂
Hi Frédéric,
Thanks for the nice list! Still, I missed any Ozon movie on the list, and… Belle de Jour?
Netflix had “Les aventures extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec” and “The Visitors”. I’m not sure if either is still available for streaming, but I think they may both be. “A Cat in Paris ” (which is animated) is on Netflix also, but I don’t think they have the French voice track, only the English, which baffles me, since it’s a French animated film and the DVD is available in French with English subtitles.