Thursday, December 19, 2019

These Are Some of My Very, Very Favorite Movies, Part 1 (French Cinema) (France)





By James V. Ruocco

French cinema.
The French language.
Nothing quite like it.

Artistic.
Romantic
Creative.
Unexpected.
Masterful.

So much to see and choose from.

Listed below are some of my French favorites.

Laissez les Francais nous dire ce dont nous avons besoin.

The Films:


Purple Noon (Plein soleil)

(1960) director: Rene Clement
Cast: Alain Delon, Marie Laforet, Maurice Ronet


Any Number Can Win (Melodie en sous-sol)

(1963) director: Henri Verneuvil
Cast: Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, Viviane Romance, Claude Cerval, Maurice Biraud


Day for Night  (La Nuit americaine)

 (1973) director: Francois Truffaut
Cast: Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Valentine Cortese, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Francious Truffaut

And Now My Love (Toute une vie)

 (1974) director: Claude Lelouch
Cast: Marthe Keller, Andre Dussollier, Charles Denner, Carla Gravina


Jules and Jim (Jules e Jim)

 (1962) director: Francois Truffaut
Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, Henri Serre

Elle

 (2016) director: Paul Verhoeven
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Anne Consigny, Laurent Lafitte, Christian Berkel


Au revior les enfants (Goodbye, Children)

(1987) director: Louis Malle
Cast: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejto, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Irene Jacob


Lacombe, Lucien
\
 (1974) director: Louis Malle
Cast: Pierre Blaise, Aurore Clement, Therese Giehse, Holger Lowenadler



The Last Metro (Le Dernier Metro)

(1980) director: Francois Truffaut
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, Heinz Bennent


La Piscine (The Swimming Pool)

(1969) director: Jacques Deray
Cast: Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Jane Birkin, Maurice Ronet


Les violons du bal (Violins at the Ball) 

(1974) director: Michel Drach
Cast: David Drach, Marie-Jose Nat, Jean Louis Trintignat, Christian Rist, Nathalie Roussel



The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)

 (1964) director: Jacques Demy
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, Marc Michel



The Young Girls of Rochefort (Le Demoiselles de Rochefort)

(1967) director: Jacques Demy
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Francoise Dorleac, Gene Kelly, George Chakiris, Danielle Darrieux, Grover Dale


With a Friend Like Harry... (Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien)

(2000) director: Dominik Moll
Cast: Laurent Lucas, Sergi Lopez, Mathilde Seugner, Sophie Guillemin


The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups)

(1959) director: Francois Truffaut
Cast: Jean-Pierre Leaud, Albert Remy, Patrick Auffay, Claire Maurier


Borsalino

(1970) director: Jacques Deray
Cast: Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Rouvel


Le Samourai


(1967) director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Cast: Alain Delon, Francois Perier, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier


Manon of the Spring (Manon des Sources)

 (1986) director: Claude Berri
Cast: Emmanuelle Beart, Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil



A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noel)

 
 (2008)  director: Arnaud Desplechin
Cast: Catherine Denueve, Mathieu Amalric, Chiara Mastroianni, Anne Consigny



8 Women (8 femmes)

 (2002)  director: Francois Ozon
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, Ludvine Sagnier


This column is dedicated to my mother Frances Capizzi Ruocco who adored Alain Delon. He was her favorite French film star. "He is very beautiful," she would often say. "But he can also act which makes him even more beautiful."  

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