By Anahit Behrooz
From its enchanting cities to its lilting love songs, France has long been considered the ultimate source of romance and love. It is therefore little surprise that the country's outstanding film industry has produced some of the most beautiful and honest depictions of love on the silver screen. From the whimsical to the tragic, we review some of France's most unmissable romantic films.
Amélie
One of the most popular and successful French films in recent years, Amélie (2001) has done much to raise the profile of French cinema in the international film industry. The film tells the story of the naïve and shy Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou), who determines to improve the lives of surrounding friends and strangers through secret and often quite complicated acts of kindness. Through her adventures, she encounters Nino Quincampoix, a kindred spirit and fellow dreamer, and attempts to overcome her reclusive nature and confess her love. Quirky and whimsical, Amélie is a charming portrayal of the awkward, sweet nature of first love and, more broadly, of the down-to-earth beauty of human relationships.
Amour
Amour (2012) is a devastatingly beautiful exploration of the realities of love and marriage beyond typical Hollywood ideas of romance and attraction. The film centers on Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), an old married couple in their eighties whose lives become suddenly complicated after Anne suffers a sudden stroke. A quietly challenging film, Amour does not shy away from reflecting the tragedy of watching a loved one suffer, yet remains ultimately uplifting in its depiction of love as a powerful force which transcends illness, unhappiness and mortality. Amour was critically acclaimed, winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The Artist
Set against the advent of talkies in 1920s Hollywood, The Artist (2011) - itself a black-and-white silent film - depicts the relationship between the famous George Valentin, a silent actor who struggles to make his way in the changing face of the film industry, and Peppy Miller, an aspiring actress and dancer who gains success even as Valentin's career fails. As a silent film, Dujardin and Bejo's chemistry cannot rest on charming speeches but must rather rely on an intense yet restrained physicality which heightens the romantic tension: through shy, flirtatious smiles, stolen glances and standing longingly a little too close to each other, Dujardin and Bejo are a throwback to the palpable chemistry of Old Hollywood leading actors.
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Another unflinching portrayal of the reality of love and relationships, Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) tracks the relationship between two women, Adèle (Adèle Exarchopolous) and Emma (Léa Seydoux), from the passionate and the sensual, to the gritty and heartbreaking. Through the women's evolving romance, writer and director Abdellatif Kechiche explores the intersection between love and a myriad of contemporary social issues, including class, sexuality, ambition and freedom. Blue Is the Warmest Color is also notable for being the first film to have the Palme d'Or presented to both director and leading actors at the Cannes Film Festival.
Children of Paradise
A classic, poignant love story, Children of Paradise (1945) tells the tale of the beautiful courtesan Garance (Arletty) and her tangled, doomed love affairs with four different men, a mime (Jean-Louis Barrault), an actor (Pierre Brasseur), a thief Pierre François Lacenaire, and an aristocrat (Louis Salou). The film is notable not only for its portrayal of violent, tragic passions and tormented love, but also for the extraordinary conditions under which it was made; filmed during the German occupation of France in the 1940s, the film had to contend with censorship, time limits imposed by the Vichy government, budget constraints, and the concealment of several Jewish crew members.
The Girl on the Bridge
A twist on the typical boy-meets-girl Hollywood love story, The Girl on the Bridge (1999) features a unique and memorable meet-cute: Adèle (Vanessa Paradis) is prevented from committing suicide by Gabor (Daniel Auteuil), who persuades her instead to join his circus and become part of his knife-throwing act. Their work together is reflected in their romantic relationship; at times charming, at times daring, and full of erotic, unfulfilled tension. Paradis and Auteuil have a sizzling chemistry which sparks off the screen, and the poetry and magic of the romance is complemented by the film's old-fashioned black-and-white cinematography and fantastic direction.
Jules and Jim
A classic of the French New Wave, Jules and Jim (1962) is the story of two friends united by a shared love of art, beauty and the same woman. Catherine, played bewitchingly by Jeanne Moreau, catches the eye of both men, yet her impulsive, Bohemian nature sparks off passions and tensions between the three characters which culminate in a dramatic ending. Directed by François Truffaut, Jules and Jim is emblematic of many of the New Wave's innovative techniques of storytelling, including freeze frames, jump cuts, and voice over narration, and is thus the perfect film for both the romantic and the cinephile.
Love Me If You Dare
Starring Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet in their breakthrough roles, Love Me If You Dare (2003) tells a very surreal story of love, passion, and the cruel innocence of childhood - and beyond. Sophie (Cotillard) and Julien (Canet) are childhood friends who take turns challenging each other with outrageous dares; as they grow older and gradually fall in love, they find themselves unable to leave old habits behind, putting their love and happiness at risk for the sake of the game. Cotillard and Canet, who began their own romantic relationship on the set of this film, have undeniable chemistry, and bring this strange whimsical tale vividly to life. By turns shocking and charming, vicious and romantic, this beautiful film will not easily be forgotten.
The Story of Adele H.
Based on the diaries of Adèle Hugo, the daughter of Victor Hugo, The Story of Adele H.(1975) depicts the tragedy of Adèle's (Isabelle Adjani) unrequited love for a military officer. Having previously been in a relationship with the officer, Adèle is unable to let him go, pursuing her love for him to the point of obsession and insanity. Masterfully directed by François Truffaut, one of the leaders of the French Nouvelle Vague, the film depicts Adèle's love as an all-consuming force, and as a self-destructive yet self-made decision which encompasses all of Adèle's character to the point of tragedy.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Much like the film as a whole, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg's (1964) depiction of love is exuberant and colorful. Through its style, the film seeks to elevate the small, everyday details of life: the cinematography features bright, saturated colors and the costume and set design is vivid and charming, and every line of dialogue is sung by the characters, lending the film a grand, cinematic feel. The love story between the two main characters is thus transformed from a typical romance between two young lovers to a beautiful, dramatic relationship which lights up the screen. Starring a young Catherine Deneuve in one of her most famous roles, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is unmissable for its unique and uplifting portrayal of love.
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