Best French Films of the 1970s

The Decade of the Policier

A slew of high-profile political and judicial scandals to hit France in the 1970s, together with a growing public awareness of environmental and social concerns, resulted in a massive politicisation of French cinema. Some filmmakers lent their support to the abolition of the death penalty; others began exposing the truth about France's complicity in the Holocaust and atrocious handling of the Algerian War. This new political assertiveness wasn't confined to auteur cinema, it also had its impact in the commercial arena, most notably with the development of the classic French policier, which now took on a chilling political dimension. The crime-thriller became the most popular genre in France during the 1970s, with many talented directors (Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Deray, Georges Lautner, Alain Corneau), eager to profit from this bandwagon, usually with the complicity of the decade's two biggest French screen icons - Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. For a more complete list consult our best films index and complete films index.

Le Cercle rouge (1970)

This stylish mix of film noir and western became one of the definitive policiers of the 1970s, crafted by perhaps the only French film director to truly master the genre.

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Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972)

The most celebrated and outlandish of Buñuel's no holds barred assaults on the French middle-classes is a masterpiece of surrealist comedy.

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La Maman et la putain (1973)

The one truly great film from the last of the New Wave directors is this intellectual yet profoundly spiritual film about one man's search to find an absolute love, free from all social constraints.

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La Nuit américaine (1973)

Perhaps the best film about film making, this sophisticated and highly entertaining bitter-sweet comedy earned François Truffaut his Oscar.

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Lancelot du Lac (1974)

Bresson's minimalist telling of the Arthurian legend is in stark contrast to the traditional film reprersentations of the story, but by showing far less, the director says a great deal more.

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Le Juge et l'assassin (1976)

Fine performances from Philippe Noiret and Michel Galabru, plus some beautiful conematography, make this a memorable and original period drama.

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Monsieur Klein (1976)

A war-time drama in which an unscrupulous art dealer is drawn into a Kafkaesque nightmare. Made as a stylish policier, with a fine performance from Alain Delon, this is a compelling film.

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Cet obscur objet du désir (1977)

In his final film, Buñuel has lost none of his daring and creativity. A bizarre mix of romantic comedy and anti-bourgeois satire, in which two beautiful actresses take turns to play the same lead character.

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La Dentellière (1977)

A poignant and closely observed study of a tragically doomed romance. A young Isabelle Huppert portrays the vulnerability and despair of a naive adolescent with shocking believability.

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La Cage aux folles (1978)

Based on Jean Poiret's hit stage play, this was one of the funniest French films of the 1970s. With outrageously camp performances, it became a cult film in both France and the United States.

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Buffet froid (1979)

This extremely bizarre black comedy is one of the most popular films from Bertrand Blier, a true maverick of French cinema. Some great acting makes this a compelling surreal masterpiece.

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Série noire (1979)

No other film captured the mood of France in its social and economic decline of the late 1970s than this superb black comedy, in which Patrick Dewaere gives probably his best performance.

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