French film photo galley for 1950

French films of the 1950s

Le Rouge et le noir (1954)

This 1954 film from director Claude Autant-Lara is probably the most well-known and finest adaptation of Stendhal’s complex literary masterpiece, Le Rouge et le noir. Beautifully filmed in Eastmancolor, with captivating acting performances and a script that vividly evokes Stendhal’s celebrated novel, the film exemplifies the French quality period drama for this decade... [More...]

Si Versailles m'était conté (1954)

Towards the end of his career, writer and film director Sacha Guitry made three major historical films, each of which earned him critical acclaim and each of which has retained an enduring popularity. Si Versailles m’était conté is arguably the best of the three, although its sister films Si Paris nous était conté and Napoléon are also highly regarded... [More...]

Touchez pas au grisbi (1954)

Although not quite in the league of Jacques Becker’s best films, Touchez pas au grisbi occupies an important placing in French cinema history. Firstly, it firmly re-established Jean Gabin as a leading figure in French cinema after his temporary decline into near-obscurity during the 1940s. More significantly, it established the crime thriller as a major genre in French cinema... [More...]

Bob le flambeur (1955)

Whilst lacking the sombre hard-edged impact of some of Melville’s latter gangster films, Bob le flambeur is an impressive early outing for the director in his most successful genre. The sense of tension and suspense is there, as in all of Melville’s thrillers, but somehow this is a much lighter, more relaxed approach... [More...]

Chiens perdus sans collier (1955)

Chiens perdus sans collier is director Jean Delannoy’s rare attempt to tackle real social issues, although he is noticeably less successful than in his other films. This is in spite of the fact that the film is competently made and features some creditable acting performances. The film looks good, it makes entertaining viewing... [More...]

Gas-Oil (1955)

The main interest value of this lightweight French thriller probably lies in its impressive cast list. Jean Gabin is on fine form and exudes charm and charisma, having managed a spectacular come-back with Jean Becker’s Touchez pas au Grisbi two years earlier. His co-star is none other than Jeanne Moreau, who would soon become one of the icons of French cinema... [More...]

L'Affaire des poisons (1955)

In contrast to many French period films, L’Affaire des poisons is a decidedly dark, humourless affair, having perhaps more in common with the contemporary thriller genre than the tradition of historical drama. It is based on a collection of documents which described a real-life incident which took place in 17th Century France... [More...]

La Grande bagarre de Don Camillo (1955)

For this, the third in the series of Franco-Italian Don Camillo films, the directorial baton passed from Julien Duvivier to veteran Italian director Carmine Gallone. Fernandel and Gino Cervi continue to play the roles they had made their own in the previous Don Camillo outings, although both are ill-served by a much weaker script than they had previously enjoyed... [More...]

Le Port du désir (1955)

Le Port du désir is a film which was clearly influenced by contemporary American film noir and has much in common with another worthy example of French film noir, Du rififi chez les hommes (directed by Jules Dassin), which was released the same year. What is striking about both of these two films, and what sets them apart from the vast majority of noir-influenced French crime-thrillers... [More...]

Le Printemps, l'automne et l'amour (1955)

This lesser known Fernandel comedy features the great French comic hero in one of his most poignant roles. The fragility of the May to September love affair is beautifully characterised, with enchanting performances from Fernandel and Nicole Berger, although it is perhaps Claude Nollier’s portrayal of the sharp-tongued and manipulative sister-in-law who steals the show.... [More...]

Les Diaboliques (1955)

Les Diaboliques is considered by many to be the most suspenseful thriller ever made, easily in the same league as Hitchcock’s better films. Although the film begins quite slowly and innocently, it very quickly becomes thoroughly compelling, to the point that the viewer dare not take his eyes off the screen for a second... [More...]

Les Grandes manoeuvres (1955)

This is a fine tragicomic romantic film from arguably the most romantic of all the great pre-WW2 French film directors, René Clair. It has the distinction of being Clair’s first film to be made in colour, and it unites two great acting legends of French cinema – Michèle Morgan and Brigitte Bardot... [More...]

Les Héros sont fatigués (1955)

War-time heroes reduced to mercenary activities in some remote colonial backwater. The desperation of a passionate woman to escape a loveless marriage and find some meaning in her life. A tale of lost idealism, ruthless greed, hopeless dreams... These are the ingredients which make up Yves Ciampi’s compelling film... [More...]

Lola Montès (1955)

Max Ophüls’ final film is his most visually stunning, whilst evoking the cinematographic brilliance of his earlier masterpieces, La Ronde and Madame de… Although made in the notoriously ephemeral Eastmancolor, the surviving prints of the film are well-preserved and show that the director had a complete grasp of the new medium in this his one and only colour film... [More...]

Marianne de ma jeunesse (1955)

Marianne de ma jeunesse is an unusual departure for Julien Duvivier, yet it is easily one of his finest, most evocative films, showing a rare glimpse of his more human side. In contrast to the director’s more familiar dark psychological dramas and cynical thrillers, this is a romantic fable, having a charm, tenderness and visual style that is more recognisably Cocteau than Duvivier... [More...]

Napoléon (1955)

The scope of this film and its scale are breathtaking – but the end result is only partially successful. Even in his formidable epic of the 1920s, Abel Gance was unable to cram the whole of Bonaparte’s life into just one film. Sacha Guitry aims to achieve just that, in a truly lavish project, but the objective is just too ambitious... [More...]

Nuit et brouillard (1955)

Commissioned by the French Committee for the History of the Second World War, Nuit et brouillard is widely recognised as the film which provides the most potent depiction of the horrors of the Holocaust. Even knowing about the atrocities committed in the Nazi concentration camps is not enough to prepare you for the trauma of watching this film... [More...]

Razzia sur la Chnouf (1955)

Jean Becker’s 1953 film Touchez pas au grisbi allowed actor Jean Gabin to re-invent his screen persona, becoming the tough patriarchal figure that would predominate in his post-WWII film career. In Razzia sur la Chnouf, Gabin appears to reprise the role he played in Grisbi , playing opposite Lino Ventura who also starred in that earlier film... [More...]

Du rififi chez les hommes (1955)

One of the few films of the film noir genre which can genuinely be described as a masterpiece, Du rififi chez les hommes occupies a pivotal position in French cinema history. It was the first truly successful attempt to import the American film noir genre into French cinema and it provided the template for numerous other films... [More...]

Elena et les hommes (1956)

On the surface this appears to be a virtual remake of La règle du jeu, Renoir’s 1930s classic. Whilst there are many similarities, in terms of the characters and plot, the films are actually only superficially similar, and there is no doubt that Éléna et les hommes is no where near as good as that earlier film... [More...]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8