Category: French
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LE CHARME DISCRET DE LA BOURGEOISIE aka THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE
“The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” is a 1972 surreal satirical comedy directed by Luis Buñuel in which a group of affluent friends repeatedly attempt—and continually fail—to sit down and enjoy a proper dinner together. Through a series of absurd interruptions, dreams within dreams, and bizarre coincidences, Luis Buñuel constructs a sharp critique of upper-middle-class…
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MAÎTRESSE
“Maîtresse” is a 1976 drama directed by Barbet Schroeder. The film stars Gérard Depardieu, Bulle Ogier, André Rouyer, and Roland Bertin. It’s a controversial film that explores an intense, complicated relationship between a working-class man and a professional dominatrix in Paris. Blending raw realism with provocative subject matter, the film examines sexuality, power, love, and…
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MASCULIN FÉMININ
“Masculin Féminin,” directed in 1966 by Jean-Luc Godard, is a seminal work of the French New Wave—a playful yet probing exploration of youth, politics, pop culture, and sexual relationships in 1960s Paris. Subtitled “15 faits précis” (“15 precise facts”), the film unfolds as a loose mosaic of vignettes rather than a conventional narrative, capturing the…
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CALMOS aka FEMME FATALES (NSFW)
Calmos (also known as Femme Fatales, 1976), written and directed by Bertrand Blier, is a surreal and satirical comedy that takes the classic “battle of the sexes” trope and pushes it to absurd extremes with a dreamlike logic. The film begins with Paul (Jean-Pierre Marielle), a Parisian gynecologist who is exhausted and disillusioned after years…
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LE COUPLE TÉMOIN aka THE MODEL COUPLE (NSFW)
“Le Couple témoin,” also known as “The Model Couple,” is a satirical French comedy directed by William Klein in 1977. The film presents a unique blend of social experiment and absurdist critique, following an ordinary couple selected by the French government to live under constant surveillance in a “model apartment,” which is a prototype of…
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LA PLANÉTE SAUVAGE aka FANTASTIC PLANET
“La Planète sauvage” (also known as “Fantastic Planet”) is a 1973 René Laloux-directed French-Czechoslovak animated allegory set on the strange world of Ygam, home to the gigantic, blue-skinned alien species known as the Draags. Humanity—here called the Oms—are tiny, animal-like beings, often kept as pets or exterminated as pests. The film follows an Om named…
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LE FEU FOLLET aka THE FIRE WITHIN
“Le Feu Follet,” aka “The Fire Within,” is a 1963 French drama directed by Louis Malle and based on the 1931 novel “Le Feu Follet” by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle. The film is regarded as one of Malle’s finest films and a poignant exploration of depression, alienation, and existential despair. Set in Paris in the…
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SHORT FILM: FANTASMAGORIE
“Fantasmagorie” is widely considered the first fully animated film in history. It was created by French cartoonist and animator Émile Cohl in 1908 and runs for approximately one minute and forty five seconds . This silent, experimental short film is a pioneering work in hand-drawn animation and a landmark in early cinema. The film opens…
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JULES ET JIM aka JULES AND JIM
“Jules et Jim” is a 1962 Romantic drama and seminal film of the French New Wave directed by François Truffaut. It is based on the semiautobiographical novel by Henri-Pierre Roché and is renowned for its lyrical style, poetic narration, and emotional depth.Set primarily in the years before, during, and after World War I, the story…
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UN MOMENT D’EGAREMENT aka IN A WILD MOMENT
‘Un Moment D’Egarement’ (In a Wild Moment) is a provocative French dramedy directed by Claude Berri, released in 1977. The film explores desire, betrayal, and the complexities of parenthood and aging masculinity. Pierre (played by Jean-Pierre Marielle) and Jacques (played by Victor Lanoux), two middle-aged friends, decide to take a summer holiday together in Corsica.…
