La Femme de chambre du Titanic (1997) Directed by Bigas Luna
Drama / Romance
aka: The Chambermaid on the Titanic
Film Synopsis
In the spring of 1912, in a village in the Lorraine region of France, Horty
once again wins the annual race organised by the owner of the foundry where
he works. His prize is a trip to Southampton, England, to see the RMS
Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage to North America. Horty has barely
been in the town five minutes when he meets Marie, a young woman who is to
leave on the luxury liner the next day as a chambermaid. With nowhere
to sleep, Marie gladly accepts Horty's offer to spend the night in his bed.
The next morning, Horty wakes up and is surprised to find that Marie has
left him without saying goodbye. The ship has already departed, and
neither Horty nor Marie has any inkling of the terrible disaster that lies
ahead...
In the 1940s, the shadowy, skewed visual style of 1920s German expressionism was taken up by directors of American thrillers and psychological dramas, creating that distinctive film noir look.
With so many great films to choose from, it's nigh on impossible to compile a short-list of the best 15 French films of all time - but here's our feeble attempt to do just that.