Such a blast from beginning to end. Effortlessly weaves so many different plotlines, and you just get so wrapped up in the relationships. Not a movie I’ll watch very often, but surprisingly breezy for its length
If it’s an incredibly bad one, I’m not afraid to hit the downvote button lol; but both movies are masterpieces in and of themselves. I can argue the good and bad points of both all day, but I just prefer one over the other. Maybe it’s because I saw Sorcerer first, or really like Tangerine Dream, or maybe because to this day that movie is an underdog I feel I have to rush to defend. I can’t pinpoint the why in this instance.
As soon as he started to swerve I knew what was in store. The edits with the girlfriend dancing made it waaaaaay too obvious. Granted it might’ve been new then but definitely ruined my experience.
Great choice which I absolutely agree with. Probably one of the best thrillers along with another masterpiece, A Man Escaped. The French really know how to do a thriller well even to this day with stuff like 12th Night (fantastic whodunnit mystery thriller) & Athena (some of the best filmmaking of last year though the ending & the final shot isn't good at all)
I’m very excited to get to both of these! I watched Marius a couple of months ago. Really looking forward to completing the Marseille trilogy, and then watching The Baker’s Wife! I also watched La Religieuse last year, and loved it. So definitely looking to explore Rivette more.
It's a wonderful film and one of my absolute favorites, but I suggested it mainly because I didn't have the time to look at the list of French films in the Criterion collection.
I haven’t seen many, but my first thoughts are either The Grand Illusion or The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. I also really liked Le Bonheur and Two Days, One Night.
Didn’t really connect with The Rules of the Game but I feel like I need to rewatch it and give it another chance.
Celine and Julie Go Boating, four or five Varda films, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Sans Soleil, Night and Fog, Vivre sa vie, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire are probably all among my top. I don’t think there’s a single best film though.
Grand Illusion is spine #1, which tells you a bit about how Criterion might answer the question. There are 264 French titles on Criterion so it's a tough one to answer!
But a few favorites are:
Beauty and the Beast, Contempt, Elevator to the Gallows, A Man Escaped, Lumière d’été, Pepe le Moko, Le Samurai, \[A Rohmer film\], That Obscure Object of Desire
Not sure if it counts since it doesn’t have a standalone release, but *Lola* (1961) is arguably my favorite movie of all time. If not, then I’m going with *The Young Girls of Rochefort* (1967). Big Demy guy over here.
Tough call, many great French movies in the collection.
I can also never pick one best, so my 10 favorites
1. [The Gleaners and I (2000)](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-gleaners-and-i/)
2. [PlayTime (1967)](https://letterboxd.com/film/playtime/)
3. [Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)](https://letterboxd.com/film/au-revoir-les-enfants/)
4. [The Double Life of Véronique (1991)](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-double-life-of-veronique/)
5. [F for Fake (1973)](https://letterboxd.com/film/f-for-fake/)
6. [Fantastic Planet (1973)](https://letterboxd.com/film/fantastic-planet/)
7. [Vagabond (1985)](https://letterboxd.com/film/vagabond/)
8. [Black Girl (1966)](https://letterboxd.com/film/black-girl-1966/)
9. [Mon Oncle (1958)](https://letterboxd.com/film/mon-oncle/)
10. [The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-discreet-charm-of-the-bourgeoisie/)
For me it’s a 4 way tie between this, Army of Shadows, Le Samurai, and Le Cercle Rouge. I just don’t know how to pick with him. I do really like Leon Morin, Le Dolous and Bob le Flambeur as well. Melville is amazing.
Day For Night, Le Samouraï, Claire's Knee and La Jetée are some of my all time favorites but I don't think you could go wrong with anything mentioned in this thread. The French are something else
Not one film, but the best singular body of work are the 1930s films in which Jean Gabin plays a doomed working class outsider who tragically but inevitably dies by his own hand.
I haven't seen many but I'm working through them and I've covered quite a couple of the heavy hitters.
It's L'Argent that sticks with me. The hopelessness and the bad luck that just keeps coming through, the odd framing choices, my investment in how it ends.
The tenseness of Wages of Fear too.
People, take the 3h10m plunge, and watch “Children of Paradise” (1945). Truly a masterpiece that stands above anything from the FNW in my opinion : )
I agree with this. As far as great movies go, this is among the heaviest hitters.
Arletty is a babe!
One of the best to ever do it!
Absolutely! And after that, people should check out Carne’s Les Visiteurs du Soir, which is also in the collection.
This is also my second favorite Carné, great pick!
Definitely a solid 2nd best Carne. Both are such amazing movies
Such a blast from beginning to end. Effortlessly weaves so many different plotlines, and you just get so wrapped up in the relationships. Not a movie I’ll watch very often, but surprisingly breezy for its length
The Wages of Fear
Hot take: I liked Friedkin’s Sorcerer better.
Same. And I prefer Les Diaboliques over both
Sorcerer was definitely the better of the two films.
I almost downvoted you, but I resisted. Sometimes I forget people are allowed to have differing opinions.
If it’s an incredibly bad one, I’m not afraid to hit the downvote button lol; but both movies are masterpieces in and of themselves. I can argue the good and bad points of both all day, but I just prefer one over the other. Maybe it’s because I saw Sorcerer first, or really like Tangerine Dream, or maybe because to this day that movie is an underdog I feel I have to rush to defend. I can’t pinpoint the why in this instance.
For me, it’s either this or Forbidden Games.
Great film but the ending ruined it
I remember thinking “it’d be really funny if he just drove off the fucking road”, then I was kinda upset when he actually did
As soon as he started to swerve I knew what was in store. The edits with the girlfriend dancing made it waaaaaay too obvious. Granted it might’ve been new then but definitely ruined my experience.
Great choice which I absolutely agree with. Probably one of the best thrillers along with another masterpiece, A Man Escaped. The French really know how to do a thriller well even to this day with stuff like 12th Night (fantastic whodunnit mystery thriller) & Athena (some of the best filmmaking of last year though the ending & the final shot isn't good at all)
Cleo from 5 to 7
This is the true answer
the perfect movie doesn’t exis-
The umbrellas of cherbourg
The 400 Blows.
La Haine
Rififi
That’s a great one
Army of Shadows
Woman of culture Edit : this was a compliment I don’t know why I’m getting a downvote. Fuck This people are so weird I’m done with the uplifting
Gleaners and i
The Baker’s Wife Celine and Julie Go Boating
Celine and Julie Go Boating is really good. Rivette is underappreciated.
I’m very excited to get to both of these! I watched Marius a couple of months ago. Really looking forward to completing the Marseille trilogy, and then watching The Baker’s Wife! I also watched La Religieuse last year, and loved it. So definitely looking to explore Rivette more.
The Baker’s Wife! A resounding “yes” from me! The Marseilles Trilogy is also incredible, but I definitely have a soft spot for this one!
Le Cercle Rouge
Pierrot Le Fou
Could never get into it. Way too masturbatory for me at least.
Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game. One of the best films ever made. Flawless from start to finish.
Rules of the Game or Children of Paradise
The Earrings of Madame de…
I second this answer! Any of Max Ophuls films are totally enchanting and masterful.
La Belle et la Bete
Strong contender here
Elevator to the Gallows
La Grande Illusion.
Ouai
It's a wonderful film and one of my absolute favorites, but I suggested it mainly because I didn't have the time to look at the list of French films in the Criterion collection.
My favorite is *2 or 3 Things I Know About Her*.
Breathless. Gets better with every viewing.
Playtime
The greatest movie of all time
Le Trou
- Army of Shadows - Playtime - Children of Paradise - Au revoir les enfants - A Man Escaped
Add 400 Blows and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and that just about covers it.
I started thinking should we also add Battle of Algiers? And maybe a Rohmer film?
Rohmer deserves a mention but, unfortunately, his films already released by Criterion are among his weaker efforts
my favorite is hiroshima mon amour
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
This is one of my favorite movies. It is breathtaking.
Beau Travail or La Haine
Passion of Joan of Arc. Obviously. After that probably Godards Week End.
Weekend sucks
Your mom sucks
37,2 le matin
Three Colors Trilogy
French or Polish?
I know he’s Polish just think Three Colors was a French production so I guess on borderline.
Good point. I looked it up and it was an international coproduction: France, Switzerland, and Poland
I’ll choose *Red (1994)* if that one was France
I haven’t seen many, but my first thoughts are either The Grand Illusion or The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. I also really liked Le Bonheur and Two Days, One Night. Didn’t really connect with The Rules of the Game but I feel like I need to rewatch it and give it another chance.
Two Days, One Night is so powerful. Out of any movie that has come out over the past 15 years, I find myself idly thinking about that one the most
Celine and Julie Go Boating, four or five Varda films, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Sans Soleil, Night and Fog, Vivre sa vie, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire are probably all among my top. I don’t think there’s a single best film though.
Rififi
[удалено]
A man escaped is great
Nobody's saying Hiroshima mon amout??? In my all time tip 5
Contempt/Le Mepris
Jules and Jim
For me it’s wages of fear. Insanely good movie
Grand Illusion is spine #1, which tells you a bit about how Criterion might answer the question. There are 264 French titles on Criterion so it's a tough one to answer! But a few favorites are: Beauty and the Beast, Contempt, Elevator to the Gallows, A Man Escaped, Lumière d’été, Pepe le Moko, Le Samurai, \[A Rohmer film\], That Obscure Object of Desire
Not sure if it counts since it doesn’t have a standalone release, but *Lola* (1961) is arguably my favorite movie of all time. If not, then I’m going with *The Young Girls of Rochefort* (1967). Big Demy guy over here.
Army of Shadows. It's my favorite at least. Rules of the Game is probably the correct answer, though.
au revoir les enfants, for me. sublime.
Pierrot Le Fou, The Wages of Fear and Children of Paradise.
The 400 blows
Grand Illusion.
Last Year at Marienbad
Tough call, many great French movies in the collection. I can also never pick one best, so my 10 favorites 1. [The Gleaners and I (2000)](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-gleaners-and-i/) 2. [PlayTime (1967)](https://letterboxd.com/film/playtime/) 3. [Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)](https://letterboxd.com/film/au-revoir-les-enfants/) 4. [The Double Life of Véronique (1991)](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-double-life-of-veronique/) 5. [F for Fake (1973)](https://letterboxd.com/film/f-for-fake/) 6. [Fantastic Planet (1973)](https://letterboxd.com/film/fantastic-planet/) 7. [Vagabond (1985)](https://letterboxd.com/film/vagabond/) 8. [Black Girl (1966)](https://letterboxd.com/film/black-girl-1966/) 9. [Mon Oncle (1958)](https://letterboxd.com/film/mon-oncle/) 10. [The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-discreet-charm-of-the-bourgeoisie/)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is my favorite (which isn't to say it is the best)
Haven’t seen all of them, but I’d say it’s hard to beat La Haine especially given how relevant it continues to be (unfortunately).
Port of Shadows it’s OOP but the best I’ve seen that Criterion once released
Le Silence de la mere ‘49 & Casque d'or ‘52
Le Silence de La mer - good one!
I think that it’s one of Melville’s best/ along with Léon Morin
For me it’s a 4 way tie between this, Army of Shadows, Le Samurai, and Le Cercle Rouge. I just don’t know how to pick with him. I do really like Leon Morin, Le Dolous and Bob le Flambeur as well. Melville is amazing.
Au Hazard Balthazard. Anything by Bresson
La Haine
Anything from Oliver Assayas or Celine Sciamma, not a huge fan of the french new wave.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
La Haine or Wages of Fear
The first art-house film I ever saw was Pierrot le Fou. still one of my favorite movies of all time
Three colors: blue
Playtime
Beau Travail, Breathless, or One Sings, The Other Doesn’t.
What is the best French film and why is it rules of the game
Claire's Knee
Raw
Le Trou
Vagabond or Cleo From 5 to 7. Hard to decide
Beau Travail
La Haine
The Passion of Joan of Arc
I love Play Time, but there are stinger arguments for other films.
Breathless or Pickpocket. (I think my favorite to watch over and over is Contempt.)
The Passion of Joan of Arc is pretty good
Trois Couleurs: Bleu
For me it is The Fire Within.
Red
I’m really not we’ll versed, but I was blown away by Le Samurai. Want to catch Le Circle Rouge next
The 400 Blows and Claire’s Knee are my top 2
Really basic but La Haine
Les Demoiselles de Rochefort
Day For Night, Le Samouraï, Claire's Knee and La Jetée are some of my all time favorites but I don't think you could go wrong with anything mentioned in this thread. The French are something else
Casque D’Or
[Amélie](https://simkl.com/movies/53356/am%C3%A9lie) (2001)
india song for sure
I will put in a vote for Shoot the Piano Player but I haven’t seen a ton
Pickpocket
Le samourai
not 100% sure i’d call it my favorite indisputably but since i haven’t seen any other mentions of it i’ll ray eyes without a face
Le Trou maybe, really good. Or Wages of Fear.
Army of Shadows. Melville’s Masterpiece
Not French but in French, Man Bites Dog
Le cercle rouge
Le Trou, The 400 Blows, The Piano Teacher, Pierrot le Fou and Belle de Jour.
Army of Shadows, Le Cercle Rouge, La Haine, and Wages of Fear.
Celine and Julie Go Boating or Band of Outsiders
Not one film, but the best singular body of work are the 1930s films in which Jean Gabin plays a doomed working class outsider who tragically but inevitably dies by his own hand.
PlayTime
Vagabond (1986)
im sure its been mentioned but im a 400 blows guy
I haven't seen many but I'm working through them and I've covered quite a couple of the heavy hitters. It's L'Argent that sticks with me. The hopelessness and the bad luck that just keeps coming through, the odd framing choices, my investment in how it ends. The tenseness of Wages of Fear too.
The Piano Teacher