Best French Films of the 1990s

Renaissance

Bold initiatives taken by the French government and television executives in the late 1980s resulted in an increased level of funding for the French film industry which paid off handsomely in the following decade. As France recovered from its economic slump box office receipts enjoyed a steady growth, bringing about a sudden renaissance on both the commercial and auteur fronts. Mainstream comedy hits such as Les Ripoux and Les Visiteurs had no difficulty drawing massive audiences, whilst lavish period dramas (Le Bossu, Beaumarchais l'insolent, Indochine) restored the prestige of French cinema. Meanwhile, a new generation of auteur (Olivier Assayas, Robert Guédiguian, André Téchiné, Claire Denis, Claude Miller, Bruno Dumont) made their entrance, engaging with the most pressing social issues of the time - racism, immigration, youth alienation and the continuing fragmentation of French society. The age of the auteur had arrived. For a more complete list consult our best films index and complete films index.

Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

Image depicting the film Cyrano de Bergerac

Gérard Depardieu gives a towering performance as the famous swordmaster and poet Cyrano de Bergerac in this lavish swash-buckling film version of Edmond Rostand's play.

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La Gloire de mon père (1990)

Image depicting the film La Gloire de mon pere

With its beautiful images of Provence and heart-warming scenes of family life, this film evokes the wonder and frustration of childhood, as seen through the eyes of a young Marcel Pagnol.

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Le Mari de la coiffeuse (1990)

Image depicting the film Le Mari de la coiffeuse

A dark but seductively compelling portrait of obsessive love between a hairdresser and her husband. In arguably his best film, Patrice Leconte perpetuates the tradition of poetic realism and bleak existentialism.

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Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991)

Image depicting the film Les Amants du Pont-Neuf

With its extraordinary melange of hard-edged realism and glittery fairytale, this depicts a poignant love story involving two homeless people. The film has some remarkable visuals and features a stunning Juliette Binoche.

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La Belle noiseuse (1991)

Image depicting the film La Belle noiseuse

Jacque Rivette's masterwork in which an ageing artist struggles to complete a painting he abandoned years ago. An austere but compelling work with excellent performances from Michel Piccoli and Emmanuelle Béart.

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Delicatessen (1991)

One of the icons of French cinema in the 1990s, Delicatessen paints a disturbing vision of the future, where people resort to canabalism and the world is policed by frogmen. Brilliantly imaginative.

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La Double vie de Véronique (1991)

Image depicting the film La Double vie de Veronique

With some unsettling dream-like cinematography, Kieslowski tells a simple but hauntingly unreal love story, in which the experiences of one woman are inexplicably marked by the tragic death of another.

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Hors la vie (1991)

A graphic portrait of the experiences of a journalist who is taken hostage during the war in Lebanon. Despite the harrowing images, the film conveys a profound sense of humanity.

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Conte d'hiver (1992)

This is perhaps the best known of the films in Rohmer's acclaimed Four Seasons series. Each film provides a compelling portrait of a character trying to cope with a period of emotional isolation.

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Les Visiteurs (1993)

This hilarious farce featuring a time-travelling knight and his vassal proved to be a staggering box office success in France. Unlike the sequel and the dire American remake, this film is genuinely funny.

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Les Roseaux sauvages (1994)

Image depicting the film Les Roseaux sauvages

A charming depiction of adolescence set in a boarding school in Provence during the Algerian war. Beautifully filmed and acted, this remains Téchiné's best work to date.

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Trois couleurs: rouge (1994)

Image depicting the film Trois couleurs: rouge

The third installment in Kieslowski's highly rated Three Colours cycle is surely the director's masterpiece, a captivating tale of repressed desire and impossible love, with eerie supernatural undercurrents.

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La Haine (1995)

One of the most contraversial and talked about films of the 1990s, La Haine paints a disturbing picture of racial intolerance and exclusion. The harsh editing and unsettlingly fluid photography give the film a rare dramatic intensity.

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Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995)

Image depicting the film Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud

Sublime performances from Michel Serrault and Emmanuelle Béart makes this a compelling and infinitely subtle romantic drama.

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L'Appartement (1996)

This unusual blend of thriller and romance benefits greatly from some great acting and some truly imaginative direction. A well-paced and captivating film where the audience is constantly surprised.

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Nénette et Boni (1996)

Image depicting the film Nenette et Boni

A keenly observed and potent depiction of estrangement and isolation, in which a young brother and sister are re-united.

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Le Huitième jour (1996)

Image depicting the film Le Huitieme jour

A stressed out business executive discovers a new lease of life when a Downs syndrome sufferer enters his life. A poignant and hugely uplifting film which dares to challenge our assumptions about the disabled.

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Le Bossu (1997)

This lavish swash-buckling comedy drama features some of the biggest names in French cinema (including Daniel Auteuil and Fabrice Luchini) and is a hugely entertaining period romp.

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On connaît la chanson (1997)

Image depicting the film On connait la chanson

Inspired by Dennis Potter, Alais Resnais uses the impromptu burst of song to liven up this complex romantic drama. The result is a bizarre but overall entertaining piece of cinema.

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La Classe de neige (1998)

Image depicting the film La Classe de neige

A shocking thriller which shows the danger of society's overly protective attitude towards children. Scenes of visceral horror reflect the tainted imagination of a boy who is conditioned to think the worst. An effective and disturbing work.

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Le Dîner de cons (1998)

Image depicting the film Le Diner de cons

The film version of Veber's long-running stage play proved to be a huge box office success in France. The scintillating dialogue and sparkling comic performances make this is a very entertaining film.

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La Vie rêvée des anges (1998)

Image depicting the film La Vie revee des anges

This poignant slice of life drama featuring two vulnerable young women trapped in their own dream world won critical acclaim for its director Erick Zonca and his two lead actors, Élodie Bouchez and Natacha Régnier.

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L'Humanité (1999)

Contraversial winner of the Grand Prize at Cannes in 1999, this presents a traditional crime thriller from the unique perspective of an emotionally traumatised police man. Dumont's minimalist cinematography exposes a work of great passion and humanity.

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Vénus beauté (institut) (1999)

Image depicting the film Venus beaute (institut)

Three women working in a posh beauty clinic lead troubled love lives in this popular multi-layered comedy drama. Nathalie Baye gives a sublime performance as a middle-aged woman who is unable to cope with love.

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