Discover French cinema : An intro

A while ago, I posted a review of "The Artist", and it was a reasonably successful post. As a film buff born and bred in France, it has always been a slight disappointment to know that some of my favourite movies never left France and are stuck behind the language barrier. 

So it always gives me great pleasure when I discover that some French classics are made available outside of France, usually with subtitles, either in the cinema or on DVD or Bluray, or in the UK for example, on streaming services such as Curzon on demand. The demand for more, and better quality content, and with the democratization of foreign culture I hope we will see more and more.

So I decided to start a little series about some of my favourite French movies, most of them famous in France but virtual unknowns in the UK (or elsewhere). I will limit myself to review movies I know are available n DVD or Bluray in the UK (and they are generally available in other territories too), and also to movies I personally love.


I will try extremely hard to not be elitist in my choice of movies. From black and white classics to comedies, no movie is out of my range. It's not like I'm short of options anyway. The French cinema industry has always been very creative and productive, and has a very diverse output. Sure, these movies are not Hollywood blockbusters, but you'd be amazed at the amount of Hollywood movies and directors inspired by French movies. And of course, now, quite a few French directors work in Hollywood, but got their movie education the same way I got mine : By watching French movies.

I hope you will find these reviews interesting and that they will inspire you to discover these movies, and more of the output of the French cinema industry. It needs all the help it can get!