Although this film now feels very dated and just a tad ridiculous (almost the parody of
a French bedroom farce), it was hugely popular when it was first released in France... [More...]
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... [More...]
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... [More...]
The 1950s was when French film noir was in its heyday. The genre was both
remarkably popular in France and occupied a dominant place in French cinema of this decade.
Jusqu’au dernier is one film which epitomises... [More...]
Although nearing the end of his film-making career, Renoir still managed to deliver this
charming satirical comedy. Whilst the film lacks the punch and intensity of the
great director’s earlier films... [More...]
Although the latter part of his career was blighted by some notable
misfires and unfair comparison with the work of his younger
contemporaries (New Wave directors such as François Truffaut)... [More...]
What was originally envisaged as a serious gangster thriller ended up as a classy comedy
thriller, the first in what would become a popular sub-genre in French cinema in the late
1960s... [More...]
The familiar Jean-Pierre Melville themes of honour, loyalty and redemption underpin this hard-edged
policier which sees the formidable pairing of Lino Ventura and Paul Meurisse... [More...]
