The movies I’ve chosen to highlight are all French movies I’ve seen in my young years, somewhere between 7 and 14 years old.
They are what comes to mind when I think of great, memorable French movies. Not necessarily top box-office movies, we all know quality and sales have very little to do with one another.
This list reflects the order in which I saw these movies and what made them list-worthy to me.
Take a moment to dig these out on DVD or on classic television, they are so worth it. For a detail of the cast and full synopsis, just follow the link to the best movie reference online, www.imdb.com.
L’Ours, 1988 (The Bear).
The story of an orphan bear cub who tries to escape from hunters in the mountains of British Columbia. An animal movie with little dialogue but packed with action. And let’s not forget the photography which is simply breathtaking.
This is the first movie I saw in the movie theater; yes, I was 7 or so! What can I say, we did not go out much in rural France back in the 80′s… That was before the Internet though.
La Vie est un Long Fleuve Tranquille, 1988 (Life is a Long Quiet River).
One of the most talked-about movies of my young years, it’s the incredible change in fate for two very different families whose newborns were swapped at birth… when the mistake is revealed 12 years later. It’s without a doubt a classic and I couldn’t agree more with the critic:
A cleverly devised movie that captures perfectly dark French humor
Haven’t we all joked with our younger sibling when they were just old enough to understand but still young enough to naively believe, “we found you in a dumpster when you were a baby, you know“? No? Well, I have, but my brother forgave me. Moving on…
Le Grand Chemin, 1987 (The Grand Highway).
The adventures of a young Parisian boy whose life changes during a summer vacation in Brittany, while giving a new chance at life for the couple hosting him. This movie just stuck with me when I first saw it as a child, and seeing it as an adult puts the relationship between the characters in a new light; still brings back the same authentic emotions though. A childhood movie to treasure, a true keeper.
L’Arbre de Noël, 1969 (The Christmas Tree).
A dad whose young son is ill makes sure his little boy has the time of his life over the few months that are left for him to live. A simple drama, genuine and heartbreaking like the French can make them.
The saddest Holiday movie I’ve seen, one you can never forget.
Le Grand Bleu, 1988 (The Big Blue).
Make sure you watch the long version, not the edited one. Le Grand Bleu is a beautiful, magical movie, and it’s one of the best ever made by the French in my opinion. Ever.
I just cannot tell you what it’s about, because it isn’t just about that. It goes beyond friendship and rivalry. This drama, supported by a breathtaking soundtrack, will undoubtedly bring a lot of emotions to the surface…
La Grande Vadrouille, 1966 (Don’t look now: we’re being shot at).
French comedy at its best! Could not wrap up the list without two comic icons like De Funès and Bourvil.
Aside from the fact that the title of the movie was poorly translated when exported (La Grande Vadrouille literally means the big stroll), I am sure this must be a very hard movie to watch and understand for non-natives even with subtitles; however this is a great movie to learn French idioms and slang — and most of the characters’ blunders don’t require any accompanying captions anyway!
I probably first saw parts of this movie when I was much younger, but it wasn’t until my teen years that I remember seeing it in its entirety. French TV is not very creative and they will usually show this movie at least a couple times a year — so much so that every French person has probably seen this movie at least once!
You turn now… Have you seen or heard of any movies from this list?
Are there other French movies that stuck with you since you were a kid? I’d love to know, so leave a comment!
It's so good to have you back! Share your thoughts, I LOVE comments!
I’m in love with the title: Don’t look now: we’re being shot at
And I was all like OH I’LL RECOGNIZE THESE MOVIES. Um, not ONE! I need to attend the yearly french film festival here. Maybe attend twice a year.
Alex@LateEnough recently posted…Please Don’t Let My Son Read This When He Gets His Driver’s License
That’s funny, the twice a year comment I mean
I did not mean to call out the most famous French movies outside of our borders, so no worries the titles did not look familiar. My goal was to open the horizon though a few may be hard to find… I’ll take it back, I have faith in midstream piracy to gap the bridge where Amazon and Netflix can’t deliver…
Thanks for stopping by Alex. Tell me what you think if you get to see any of these!
I really just love your blog. The only movies I like to watch these days are foreign films and the French films are, of course, among my favorites. Adding these to the list.
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And again these may be a bit hard to find, I think “The Big Blue” is probably the most famous outside French borders. Incredible interpretation by Jean Reno (Remember “The Professional”? Love him. Love. Him.)
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Hmm… haven’t seen any of these movies but I could recognize some plot points adapted by our local soap operas (like the switching babies). French movies are quite rare in my part of the world, but thanks for the recommendations, I’ll check out too if these are ever featured in a French Film Festival here.
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Hi Jayme! I’m sure you will enjoy The Christmas Tree. Beautiful story between father and son. Makes you want to hug your child a little harder at night
I love family movies. Sprinkle some Christmas spirit on there, and I need the entire box of Kleenex!
Nope, couldn’t recognize them
Can’t say that there are any french movies that have stuck with me (haven’t seen enough in my short liftetime) but there are heaps of other well made movies which i don’t see me forgetting anytime soon.
Hey Peter! Because I was born and raised in France, I chose for my list to include French movies only, however I do remember many others that still stuck with me…
Seen “Festen”? — a rather popular Danish movie; that one, I’ll never forget.
I haven’t had the chance to watch a real good movie in a lonnngggg time (being a mom doesn’t help..
). I haven’t heard nor seen the movies that you mentioned. But, I watched “Au Revoir Les Infants” (released in 1987 I think) years ago. It’s about a friendship in boarding school during War World II.
I really really *love* that movie. It stuck with me forever.
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This is an amazing movie Lydia, thanks for reminding me of it, you just gave me goose pumps, no lies.
It is a beautiful movie, not your typical war flick.
Hi,
The Empress sent me over since I’m your long-lost twin (an American living in France).
Now, did you know Le Grand Bleu had a different ending in America? The guy came back up out of the water for the girl. Can you believe it? I’m not a big fan of french movies (I have culture shock this way), but La Vie est un grand fleuve was funny. My all-time, hands-down favorite is Le Diner des Cons, which shows a promising remake in the States right now, although it could never be as good as l’original.