Amelie!
umm what else
Manon de la source is very good (you have to watch Jean Flourette first thought) the film has emmanuelle beart in it.
La gloire de mon pere is excellent
anything with audrey tautou is good, especially amelie and a very long engagement (un tres longue dimanche de fiancelles)
hope that helps
sorry if i didn't spell everything correctly!
Some of my favorites:
Anything by Eric Rohmer
"A Sunday in the Country"
"Diva"
"Rules of the Game"
"The Grand Illusion"
"A Heart in Winter"
A lot of people like "Amelie"
"Beauty and the Beast"
"Children of Paradise"
It is hard to recommend something without knowing more about you. But, in addition to some of those previously recommended, I would add these as a few I have enjoyed and/or appreciated over a range of styles:
Zouzou (1934) a lame story featuring the incredible Josephine Baker.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026023/
Princess Tam Tam (1935) another Baker vehicle.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026891/
Krzysztof Kieslowski's Trois couleurs:
Blue (1993) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108394/
White (1994) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111507/
Red (1994) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111495/
Nikita (1990) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100263/
The Milky Way (1969) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066534/
Sans toit ni loi (Vagabond) (1985) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089960/
Orpheus (1950) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041719/
That should keep you busy awhile and give you a start on figuring out which directors and genres you might want to look into further.
Three classics:
Cyrano de Bergerac http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099334/
Jean de Florette http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091288/
Manon des sources http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091480/
*Jean de Florette* is one of my all-time favorite movies. Certainly Gerard Depardieu's best, with unbelievable performances by Daniel Auteuil and Yves Montand. Of course you will also want to watch the sequel, Manon de Sources
share- Well, obviously some other movies by Sautet ("Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud", "Les choses de la vie").
- Truffaut has some great movies as well ("Baisers volés", "Jules & Jim", "Domicile conjugale", "Tirez sur le pianiste", "Fahrenheit 451").
- "Paris nous appartient" by J. Rivette is very good.
- "Le feu follet", "Au revoir, les enfants" and "Ascenseur pour l'échafaud" by Louis Malle.
- Clouzot's "Les Diaboliques"
Could any hell be more horrible than now and real?
-Jim Morrison
Okay, does Le Auberge Espagnole count??
'Cause it does have French, but also a lot of other languages. And is a bit happier, with a good soundtrack.
La Cage aus Folles.
Blue and Red I would definitely watch and White too. I didn't like White as much. And Jet Lag.
I agree with others' recommendation of Trois Couleurs: Rouge, and would add another film by the same director, La Double Vie de Veronique. Some other French faves:
Play Time
Jules et Jim
Une Vieille Maîtresse
Etre et Avoir
A Bout de Souffle
Ponette
Manon des Sources
Sous le Sable
Regarde la Mer
Belle de Jour
Jeux d'Enfants
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See a list of my favourite films here: http://www.flickchart.com/slackerinc