(Return to Foreign Language Resource Center page.)

These movies qualify as full-length feature films
that can be used for the personal response paper requirement
for the French 1L or 2L lab courses.


This is a list of movies available in the Foreign Language Center, to be used in the FLC by students enrolled in French classes at Mission College. Keep in mind that these are foreign films. Content of a violent or sexual nature may be different from American films with which you are familiar. For your information, the film's rating has been listed whenever possible.

Amélie is the delightful story of a painfully shy waitress working at a tiny Paris café who makes a surprising discovery that changes her life forever, with a ripple effect that helps her to help others in sometimes unexpected ways. (DVD In French with English and Spanish subtitles, 122 minutes, Rated R.)

Après vous Antoine, a restaurant headwaiter; takes a shortcut through a park one night and spots Louis, a despondent, lovelorn stranger, attempting to kill himself. Antoine intervenes -despite Louis’s vehement protests- and hustles him home to his apartment. And it isn’t long before Antoine has decided to fix all that is wrong in Louis’s life. But an unexpected twist of fate upsets Antoine’s grandiose plans for Louis’s "rehabilitation." (DVD In French with English subtitles, 110 minutes, Rated R.)

Argent de Poche (Small Change) is François Truffaut's tribute to the joys, yearnings, pains and wonders of childhood. In the quaint town of Thiers, children deal with issues as simple as puppy love and school and as complex as hunger and crime. When the truth behind one little boy's petty thievery is revealed, a shockwave is sent through this picturesque town that helps everyone to finally see the children for who they truly are. (DVD In French or Spanish with English, French and Spanish subtitles, 105 minutes, Rated PG.)

Ponette is the story of a child sent to live with her relatives where she experiences the hopes, dreams and fears following the death of a parent. Ultimately, it is her faith, love and strength of character that enable Ponette to triumphantly overcome her tragedy. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 92 minutes, Not Rated)

Les Poupées Russes is the sequel to L'Auberge Espagnole. Xavier is now 30, making his living in Paris, ghost-writing celebrity autobiographies and scripting soap operas, while the manuscript of his Barcelona novel languishes in neglect. A chance meeting could be the answer to his career and love life, but Xavier's lack of direction and willpower threaten to turn his good fortune to ultimate heartbreak. Will he ever bring his life into focus? (DVD in French with English subtitles, 129 minutes, Not Rated)

La Promesse, a film from Belgium, is the extraordinary story of a boy's ascendance to grace. Under the conscienceless guidance of his father, 15-year-old Igor appears destined to a life of petty crime. All changes, however, when Igor delivers an uncompromising promise to Hamidou, an immigrant who accidentally falls to his death while working for Igor's father, Roger. As Roger scrambles to cover up the accident, Igor suddenly finds himself torn between his loyalty to Roger and the agreement he had made with Hamidou. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 93 minutes, Not Rated.)

Ridicule is an entertaining tale of passion and deceit. In a desperate quest to save his hometown, a young man quickly learns that a sharp wit is the key to open any door in the Versailles court of Louis XVI. But his mission is complicated when he finds himself locked in a dangerous triangle with two very seductive ladies. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 103 minutes, Rated R.)

The Rules of the Game, a total box-office failure when first released, is now widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Jean Renoir's masterpiece is a scathing critique of corrupt French society cloaked in a comedy of manners. Amorous intrigue abounds at a weekend hunting party, where the refusal of one of the guests to play by the class-based rules sets off a chain of events that ends in tragedy. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 106 minutes, Not Rated.)

Sade. It is the year 1794, and the Reign of Terror has entered its bloodiest phase. Deemed immoral and unworthy of society, the Marquis de Sade faces execution by Robespierre's regime, but finds temporary respite at a sanitarium for aristocrats awaiting the guillotine. (DVD In French with English subtitles, 100 minutes, Not Rated.)

Sugar Cane Alley. This story, set in 1930s Martinique, is both lyrical and powerful. Writer-director Euzhan Palcy tells the story of a young boy who is orphaned at the age of 11 and sent to live with his grandmother, who works on one of the island's sugar cane plantations. She realizes he has no future if he stays on the plantation. So she does what she can to keep him in school and away from the back-breaking labor to which she's devoted her life. Can he rise above his humble beginnings? (DVD, French with English subtitles, 107 minutes, Not Rated.)

Tais toi! (Ruby and Quentin) Quentin is a troubled prisoner who likes talking to the other prisoners, yet he always ends up offending others and starting fights. But Quentin is gifted with the extraordinary power where no one can beat him up. None of the other prisoners is willing to room with him, except the killer Ruby, who never says a word or gets mad. The two prisoners hit if off and escape from the prison ... with unexpected results. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 84 minutes, Not Rated)

The Taste of Others. A sexy comedy about good taste ... and bad manners! The lives and loves of several completely opposite men and women artfully intersect in what becomes a delightfully funny web of romantic entanglements. (DVD in French with English subtitles. 112 minutes, Rated R for language and drug content.)

Three Colors Trilogy by Krzysztof Kieslowski:
Bleu (Blue). Juliette Binoche stars as a young woman left devastated by the unexpected death of her husband and child. She retreats from the world around her, but is soon reluctantly drawn into an ever-widening web of lies and passion as the dark secret of her husband's life begins to unravel. (DVD In French with English subtitles, 98 minutes, Rated R)
Blanc (White). Starring Julie Delpy, White is the mysterious tale of a man whose life disintegrates when his wife of six months deserts him. Forced to begin anew, he rebuilds his life, only to plan a dangerous scheme of vengeance against her. (DVD In French and Polish with English subtitles, 92 minutes, Rated R)
Rouge (Red). Red stars Irène Jacob as a young model whose chance meeting with an unusual stranger leads her down a path of intrigue and secrecy. As her knowledge of the man deepens, she discovers an astonishing link between his past ... and her destiny. (DVD In French with English subtitles, 99 minutes, Rated R)

Three Men and a Cradle/Trois hommes et un couffin. Three clueless and hedonistic bachelors are forced to trade dames for diapers when an infant is left on their doorstep. This hilarious farce was one of the most popular French comedies of the 1980s, and it inspired the blockbuster American re-make Three Men and A Baby. (DVD in French with English subtitles. Not Rated; 106 minutes.)

Time Regained tells the story of the life of Marcel Proust, intermingled with the stories of his literary characters, until reality and fiction become intertwined. (DVD in French with English subtitles. Not Rated; 158 minutes.)

Tous les matins du monde, one of the most celebrated films to explore the art of music, presents an all-star international cast in a provocative tale of romance, lust, desire, and devotion. Based on the lives of 17th-century French composer Sainte Colombe and his protogé Marin Marais, this cinematic masterpiece also features a classical soundtrack performed and conducted by Jordi Savall. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 115 minutes, Not Rated.) [Note: A second disk contains interviews with the director, actors, and musical director; a 65-minute documentary about Jordi Savall; and a "Making of" featurette.]

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg). Filmed in the 1960s in France, this is a unique and interesting movie: all of the dialog is sung. It's a great way to improve comprehension; the pronunciation is very clear and well-articulated. You may recognize some of the songs which later became popular hits in English. (DVD in French with English subtitles. 90 minutes; No Rating.)

Va Savoir (Who Knows?). A comedy about the romantic misadventures of a theatre director and his leading lady, whose already-complicated relationship becomes even more difficult when they become entangled in the lives of four other people. (DVD in French with English subtitles. 154 minutes; Rated PG-13.)

Les Vacances de M. Hulot (M. Hulot’s Holiday). Pipe-smoking Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati's endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati's wildly funny satire of vacationers determined to enjoy themselves includes a series of precisely choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats and firecrackers. This is a superior work that ranks among all-time classic comedies. (DVD in French with English subtitles. 87 minutes.)

Van Gogh. Jacques Dutronc stars as Vincent Van Gogh, the introverted and tormented post-impressionist artist, in this strikingly beautiful and critically-acclaimed cinematic masterpiece. Nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival and winner of the César Award for Best Actor, Van Gogh is a dramatic and moving portrait of one of the most beloved and influential artists of all time. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 159 minutes, Rated R.)

La Vie en Rose. The unflinching true story of the life of France's "Little Sparrow," Edith Piaf. She came from the streets of Paris and survived using the only gift she had. From a very difficult childhood, Piaf became a legendary icon of 20th-century France; she embodied the voice of a nation and captivated the world. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 141 minutes, Rated PG-13.)

La Vie Promise (The Promised Life). Isabelle Huppert stars as Sylvia, a weary prostitute who suddenly makes contact with her estranged teenage daughter. Fleeing the French Mediterranean, they head north. Hounded by memory lapses and desperate not to see her daughter repeat her own mistakes, Sylvia tries to re-discover her once promising past. (DVD in French with English subtitles, 94 minutes, Not Rated.)

Les Visiteurs (The Visitors). A hilarious time-travel comedy about a medieval knight and his faithful servant who find themselves zapped to the present day. In their quest to return to their own time, they launch an assault on their former castle, now a luxury hotel! (DVD in French with English subtitles. 107 minutes; Rated R.)

With a Friend Like Harry. A suspenseful psychological thriller about a couple on vacation who meet up with a man who claims to have known the husband in high school. In a series of unexpected twists, the man's motives become suspect and the trip becomes more and more dangerous. (DVD in French with English subtitles. 116 minutes, Rated R for language, some violence, and a scene of nudity.)

The Widow of Saint-Pierre. A story of revenge, fear, and redemption. A convict on the isolated island of Saint-Pierre becomes a political pawn while awaiting the arrival of a guillotine and an executioner from France. (DVD in French with English subtitles. 108 minutes; Rated R.)

Women. Five international stars of the cinema portray professionally and emotionally intense women whose secrets, fears and desires are woven into their close web of friendship. Never simple, and always intriguing, these women's lives are filled with confrontation, love and loss. In the end they form a kind of safety net for each other, where emotional maturity and honesty become the fabric of their collective lives. DVD in French with English subtitles, 97 minutes, Not Rated)


FRENCH MOVIES
THAT COULD BE VIEWED
AT HOME OR IN A MOVIE THEATER

Here is a partial list of French movies that will also qualify for your French 1L or 2L Lab requirement, if you watch them at home or at a movie theater. We do not have these films in our Foreign Language Center collection yet, but most of these may be found at video rental stores (such as Blockbuster or NetFlix). This is not a definitive list; if you find another film that you want to use, please clear it with your instructor. Even though some of these films have English titles, to qualify for the requirement, the spoken dialogue for all films MUST be in the French language, unless otherwise approved by your lab instructor. It is OK if they have subtitles in English (or your native language other than French).

Keep in mind also that these are foreign films. Content of a violent or sexual nature may be different from American films with which you are familiar.

A Nous la Liberté
Around Midnight (directed by Bertrand Tavernier)
Beau Père (directed by Bertrand Blier)
La Bête Humaine (directed by Jean Renoir)
Bondé sauvé des eaux
Buffet Froid (directed by Bertrand Blier)
Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie
Cousin, Cousine
Les Diaboliques
La Femme Nikita (the original French film directed
      by Luc Besson, not the American TV series)
Les Fugitifs
Gazon Maudit
Le Genou de Claire
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (directed by Bertrand Blier)
 Going Places (directed by Bertrand Blier)
Le Grand Blond avec une Chaussure Noire
Hiroshima, Mon Amour (directed by Alain Resnais)
Un Indien dans la Ville
My Dinner with André (directed by Louis Malle)
My Man (directed by Bertrand Blier)
La Nuit de Varenne
Orpheus (directed by Jean Cocteau)
Rendez-vous in Paris (directed by Eric Rohmer)
La Retour de Martin Guerre
Shoot the Piano Player (directed by FrançoisTruffaut)
Sunday in the Country (directed by Bertrand Tavernier)
Too Beautiful For You (directed by Bertrand Blier)
La Totale!
Un Homme et une Femme


(Return to Foreign Language Resource Center page.)