The 45 best french movies
by boulkoroum-farid-153-827726 | created - 20 Aug 2015 | updated - 20 Sep 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Children of Paradise (1945)
Not Rated | 189 min | Drama, Romance
The theatrical life of a beautiful courtesan in 1830s Paris and the four men who love her.
Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur, Pierre Renoir
Votes: 21,165
2. Les Visiteurs du Soir (1942)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
In medieval France, the Devil intervenes when one of his two envoys, sent to seduce and deceive mortals, falls instead for a victim.
Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Arletty, Marie Déa, Fernand Ledoux, Alain Cuny
Votes: 2,461
3. The Wages of Fear (1953)
Not Rated | 131 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
In a decrepit South American village, four men are hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck, Folco Lulli
Votes: 66,526
4. Martyrs (2008)
R | 99 min | Horror
A young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.
Director: Pascal Laugier | Stars: Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï, Catherine Bégin, Robert Toupin
Votes: 106,323
5. Any Number Can Win (1963)
118 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A career con artist reunites with his wife but has already planned his next move: one daring last heist that will set him up for life. However, there is no such thing as a foolproof plan.
Director: Henri Verneuil | Stars: Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Claude Cerval, Viviane Romance
Votes: 4,143 | Gross: $1.00M
6. The Night Caller (1975)
R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Commissaire Letellier and Inspector Moissac are tracking Minos, a serial killer whose victims are women.
Director: Henri Verneuil | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Denner, Adalberto Maria Merli, Rosy Varte
Votes: 4,315
7. Le schpountz (1938)
Passed | 160 min | Comedy
Meeting a movie team on location near his house, a young man gets a lot of encouragement for his dreaming career as a movie star in what was only sarcasm from the members of the team. This ... See full summary »
Director: Marcel Pagnol | Stars: Fernandel, Orane Demazis, Fernand Charpin, Léon Belières
Votes: 786
8. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A beautiful young woman takes her father's place as the prisoner of a mysterious beast, who wishes to marry her.
Directors: Jean Cocteau, René Clément | Stars: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély, Nane Germon
Votes: 28,067 | Gross: $0.30M
9. Diabolique (1955)
Not Rated | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The wife and mistress of a loathed school principal plan to murder him with what they believe is the perfect alibi.
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel
Votes: 69,357 | Gross: $1.09M
10. Fantomas (1964)
Not Rated | 104 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
The best men of France - a brave journalist and an extremely energetic commissioner - attack the trail of a mysterious criminal mastermind.
Director: André Hunebelle | Stars: Jean Marais, Louis de Funès, Mylène Demongeot, Jacques Dynam
Votes: 12,019
11. The Cabbage Soup (1981)
102 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
2 buddy farmers are visited by aliens who like their domestic cabbage soup.
Director: Jean Girault | Stars: Louis de Funès, Jean Carmet, Jacques Villeret, Claude Gensac
Votes: 9,569
12. The Sucker (1965)
111 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Criminals have chosen an ordinary man to carry drugs and jewels in his car across the border. The problem is that this man turned out too much ordinary.
Director: Gérard Oury | Stars: Bourvil, Louis de Funès, Venantino Venantini, Henri Génès
Votes: 8,038
13. Serie Noire (1979)
Not Rated | 116 min | Crime, Drama
Franck Poupart is a slightly neurotic door-to-door salesman in a sinister part of Paris' suburbs. He meets Mona, a teenager, who's been made a prostitute by her own aunt. Franck would like ... See full summary »
Director: Alain Corneau | Stars: Patrick Dewaere, Myriam Boyer, Marie Trintignant, Bernard Blier
Votes: 3,505
14. La Chèvre (1981)
91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A daughter of a millionaire, distinguished by incredible bad luck, goes missing. The idea how to find her is either insane or brilliant - to send after her an equally unlucky person.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Pierre Richard, Gérard Depardieu, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Corynne Charbit
Votes: 10,623
15. The Fugitives (1986)
95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Jean is taken hostage at a bank by a foolish bank robber. As Jean left prison an hour earlier, the police assume he's the robber. Everything goes comically wrong. The robber's little daughter joins the fugitives.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Pierre Richard, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Carmet, Maurice Barrier
Votes: 7,885
16. Santa Claus Is a Stinker (1982)
88 min | Comedy
Two neurotics, working for a suicide hotline on the night of Christmas Eve, get caught up in a catastrophe when a pregnant woman, her abusive boyfriend, and a transvestite visit their office.
Director: Jean-Marie Poiré | Stars: Anémone, Josiane Balasko, Marie-Anne Chazel, Christian Clavier
Votes: 10,486
17. The Visitors (1993)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Fantasy
A medieval knight and his servant ask a familiar wizard to move them back in time to prevent father-in-law's accidentally killing. Instead, they fly away to the 20th century.
Director: Jean-Marie Poiré | Stars: Christian Clavier, Jean Reno, Valérie Lemercier, Marie-Anne Chazel
Votes: 37,959 | Gross: $0.70M
18. Gramps Is in the Resistance (1983)
102 min | Comedy, Music, War
Bourdelle, a family of musicians, refuse to play for Germans during the war. They would like to liberate France using all possible means.
Director: Jean-Marie Poiré | Stars: Christian Clavier, Michel Galabru, Roland Giraud, Gérard Jugnot
Votes: 3,390
19. 36th Precinct (2004)
Not Rated | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
2 cops are promised by the retiring chief of the Paris police that the one, getting the violent gang robbing armored trucks, will get his job. The 2 will do whatever it takes to get the promotion, even if it means breaking the law.
Director: Olivier Marchal | Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, André Dussollier, Valeria Golino
Votes: 18,257
20. Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008)
R | 133 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life and death as France's Public Enemy No. 1 in the 1970s.
Director: Jean-François Richet | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric, Samuel Le Bihan
Votes: 31,221 | Gross: $0.28M
21. Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008)
R | 113 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life before the early 1970s and the events that led to him being declared Public Enemy No. 1 in France.
Director: Jean-François Richet | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Cécile de France, Gérard Depardieu, Gilles Lellouche
Votes: 35,278 | Gross: $0.55M
22. A Prophet (2009)
R | 155 min | Crime, Drama
A delinquent Muslim man struggles to get by in prison until he is taken under the wing of a powerful mob boss. But his gradual rise through the mob's ranks brings him in conflict with his mentor.
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb
Votes: 102,157 | Gross: $2.08M
23. Assassin(s) (1997)
128 min | Crime, Drama
Old professional killer Wagner seeks someone to teach what he knows as long as he is already dying, and he chooses Max, young and passionless thief to be his successor.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Michel Serrault, Mathieu Kassovitz, Mehdi Benoufa, Robert Gendreu
Votes: 2,227
24. La haine (1995)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama
24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili
Votes: 196,248 | Gross: $0.31M
25. Le repas des fauves (1964)
99 min | Drama, War
Set in World War Two occupied France. Several people gather at a house to celebrate a woman's birthday. Some German soldiers are killed outside. The Gestapo inform the group that they must ... See full summary »
Director: Christian-Jaque | Stars: Francis Blanche, Boy Gobert, Antonella Lualdi, Adolfo Marsillach
Votes: 205
26. The Eighth Day (1996)
118 min | Comedy, Drama
An unusual and wonderful friendship develops between a busy but unhappy salesman and a resident of a mental asylum.
Director: Jaco Van Dormael | Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Pascal Duquenne, Miou-Miou, Henri Garcin
Votes: 10,078 | Gross: $0.33M
27. Les trois frères (1995)
105 min | Comedy
Three half-brothers are reunited at their mother's funeral. After being told of their inheritance they quickly spend the money, only to find out that they will not receive it after all. The... See full summary »
Directors: Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan | Stars: Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan, Pascal Légitimus, Antoine du Merle
Votes: 7,426
28. The Professional (1981)
Not Rated | 108 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Victim of a plot which has resulted in his imprisonment in a Central African jail for two years, a French secret agent arrives in Paris to settle accounts.
Director: Georges Lautner | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly, Cyrielle Clair, Marie-Christine Descouard
Votes: 17,256
29. Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! (1966)
G | 132 min | Adventure, Comedy, War
Several ordinary Frenchmen go on an epic voyage through the occupied country to the free zone as they help British pilots avoid German captivity.
Director: Gérard Oury | Stars: Bourvil, Louis de Funès, Claudio Brook, Andréa Parisy
Votes: 20,197
30. The Sicilian Clan (1969)
GP | 122 min | Crime, Drama
An ambitious young mobster plans an elaborate diamond heist while seducing the daughter of a ruthless mob patriarch as a determined police commissioner closes in on all of them.
Director: Henri Verneuil | Stars: Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Lino Ventura, Irina Demick
Votes: 9,144 | Gross: $3.00M
31. The Raven (1943)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A French village doctor becomes the target of poison-pen letters sent to village leaders, accusing him of affairs and practicing abortion.
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Ginette Leclerc, Micheline Francey, Héléna Manson
Votes: 10,891 | Gross: $0.03M
32. The King and the Mockingbird (1980)
Not Rated | 83 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A chimney sweep and a shepherdess seek to escape from the clutches of a tyrannical king.
Director: Paul Grimault | Stars: Jean Martin, Pascal Mazzotti, Raymond Bussières, Agnès Viala
Votes: 5,545 | Gross: $0.03M
33. Don't Die Too Hard! (2001)
92 min | Comedy
Two brave but brainless window cleaners try to escape the Montparnasse tower in Paris during a hostage situation.
Director: Charles Nemes | Stars: Eric Judor, Ramzy Bedia, Marina Foïs, Serge Riaboukine
Votes: 5,634
34. The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973)
G | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy
A bigoted Frenchman finds himself forced to impersonate a popular rabbi while on the run from a group of assassins - and the police.
Director: Gérard Oury | Stars: Louis de Funès, Miou-Miou, Suzy Delair, Marcel Dalio
Votes: 14,769 | Gross: $0.95M
35. The Little World of Don Camillo (1952)
107 min | Comedy
A determined priest and a Communist mayor develop a grudging friendship in spite of their official rivalry.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Fernandel, Gino Cervi, Vera Talchi, Franco Interlenghi
Votes: 4,845
36. Les Misérables (1958)
210 min | Drama
Jean Valjean, convicted of a minor crime, spends the rest of his life being pursued by a cruel and unrelenting policeman, Javert.
Director: Jean-Paul Le Chanois | Stars: Jean Gabin, Bernard Blier, René Fleur, Julienne Paroli
Votes: 1,780
37. The Jackpot! (1991)
102 min | Adventure, Comedy
A secret agent uses his professional skills for tracking his family, and faces the unexpected consequences.
Director: Claude Zidi | Stars: Thierry Lhermitte, Miou-Miou, Eddy Mitchell, Michel Boujenah
Votes: 1,831
38. Would I Lie to You? (1997)
100 min | Comedy, Romance
The sentimental and comedic adventures of Eddie, a non-Jew trying to pass as Jewish though totally ignorant of Jewish traditions, as he works in a Jewish community.
Director: Thomas Gilou | Stars: Richard Anconina, Richard Bohringer, Amira Casar, Vincent Elbaz
Votes: 4,895
39. Dog Day (1984)
101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A fugitive on the run from the law, and carrying several million dollars, hides out in the home of a farm family. The tables turn when the family proves to be even more criminally oriented ... See full summary »
Director: Yves Boisset | Stars: Lee Marvin, Miou-Miou, Jean Carmet, Victor Lanoux
Votes: 1,194
40. My Father's Glory (1990)
G | 105 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
At the end of the nineteenth century, little Marcel lives with his parents in the Provence countryside. During his holiday, Marcel meets Lili, a local boy who knows all the secrets of the hills, and the two become fast friends.
Director: Yves Robert | Stars: Philippe Caubère, Nathalie Roussel, Didier Pain, Thérèse Liotard
Votes: 7,043 | Gross: $1.71M
41. My Mother's Castle (1990)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Biography, Comedy
Every holiday Marcel and his family go to their cottage near Marseilles. During one of these holidays he meets Isabelle, a pretty but conceited girl... Adapted from the cult classic novel from Marcel Pagnol.
Director: Yves Robert | Stars: Julien Ciamaca, Philippe Caubère, Nathalie Roussel, Didier Pain
Votes: 5,644 | Gross: $1.48M
42. The Umbrella Coup (1980)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A womanizer balances his wife, mistress, and love interest.
Director: Gérard Oury | Stars: Pierre Richard, Valérie Mairesse, Christine Murillo, Gordon Mitchell
Votes: 3,122
43. So Long, Stooge (1983)
100 min | Crime, Drama
A story of an odd friendship - and the unexpected consequences.
Director: Claude Berri | Stars: Coluche, Richard Anconina, Agnès Soral, Mahmoud Zemmouri
Votes: 3,137
44. The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez (1964)
90 min | Comedy, Crime
Gendarme Ludovic Cruchot is re-assigned to the French Riviera seaside resort town of Saint-Tropez where petty criminals and his own daughter give him a hard time.
Director: Jean Girault | Stars: Louis de Funès, Geneviève Grad, Michel Galabru, Christian Marin
Votes: 13,827
45. Paris, I Love You (2006)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Through the neighborhoods of Paris, love is veiled, revealed, imitated, sucked dry, reinvented, and awakened.
Directors: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Daniela Thomas, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Leonor Watling, Ludivine Sagnier, Fanny Ardant
Votes: 74,540 | Gross: $4.86M
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