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."