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February 22, 2012

Favorite Things - French Films

Instead of going to bed at a decent hour, I started listening to the sweet, jazzy voice of Nikki Yanofsky, and as I hummed along, I started thinking of Paris. As naturally follows such ponderings, I constructed playlist of french-themed songs for your listening pleasure, which you should listen to while you read the rest of this post! You won't regret it.

Today I'm going to talk about some of my favorite films, that is, my top four absolute favorite french or french-themed movies. Not only are they my favorite french films, they are some of my favorite films of all time.


This playlist will get you into the french mood:

L'amour a Paris by Hannah Wilson on Grooveshark



{ONE}
Paris, Je T'aime. This means: Paris, I love you, in French. To summarize, it is a collaborative work of many directors, who each created a short segment about love, in one of the most romantic cities in the world: Paris. However, not all of the shorts deal with romantic love; They branch into all sorts and types of love. It is such a beautiful film! Every time I watch it, I have a moment of pure peace and contentedness as the closing credits roll. It is a must-watch. If you see it for no other reason, see it because Natalie Portman and Elijah Wood are in it.

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{TWO}
Amélie, or the full title: Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain. The words I can use to describe this movie are: magical and quirky. Amelie has the most endearing personality, and her development from a timid girl to a brave woman ends up inspiring me to be more spontaneous and confident every single time I watch it. On top of the fantastic story line, every single camera shot is like a work of art, if you pause the film at any given moment, at any point in the film, you will have before you a perfectly composed and colored still image. The makers of this film used three dominant colors, next time/when you watch it, notice the colors (HINT: They're in the movie poster).

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{THREE}
French Kiss. I know what you're thinking. You're probably thinking that this movie poster looks old and lame. But I'm here to tell you: This movie is fantastic! Yes, it is a romantic comedy, and yes, it stars Meg Ryan, but the simple fact that something might be considered cliche doesn't automatically negate its merit! Take my word for it, and give this movie a shot. It's funny, it's charming, Meg Ryan is a goofball, and Kevin Kline makes a very entertaining pessimistic french man.

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{FOUR}
Midnight in Paris. By now, you've probably all heard something about this movie. It's been receiving a ton of attention lately, and for good reasons. I enjoyed watching this film immensely, because it's not your typical "go-back-in-time" flick. It's a smart and funny look into the past. It gives life to artists and writers that I had only read about in school. It sheds new light on an era that can seem so boring on paper. See it!

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Do you know of some other French movies? Tell me about them in the comments :)

12 comments:

  1. I think Amelie is wonderful and I also like French Kiss; for me there will never be an actress who can compare to the 1990's vintage Meg Ryan!
    The French movie that springs to my mind is La Haine, which shows the darker side of French life, in the Paris banlieu.
    Shot in black and white, it won't be to everybody's taste and the ending is a real shocker.
    Bonsoir:)

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    Replies
    1. I feel like Meg Ryan and I are friends in another life, she's just got something so unique and endearing about her!

      Ooh, thanks for the recommendation. I'll definitely look it up. :)

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  2. midnight in paris and amelie are the only ones i've seen. definitely looking the rest up! :) thanks. and while i'm here... i'll shamelessly plug my giveaway in case you're interested. disregard, if not ;P

    http://theymaysaythatimadreamer.blogspot.com/2012/02/dorothy-explorr-giveaway-giveaway.html

    dorothy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I could show you some new movies!

      And thanks for letting me know :)

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  3. Love all of these movies! I had the chance to visit Paris this past summer and it was amazing.

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    Replies
    1. That's amazing! I was lucky enough to go my sophomore year of High School, but I definitely would like to go back. Also on the top of my travel list is Amsterdam. Someday!

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  4. This post makes me fall in love with France even deeper...:)
    Midnight in Paris is amazing! I watched it with my room mate who is an English major and I an Art major and we both went into the movie not knowing anything about it, it was awesome!
    Oh, I've watched the short with Elijah Wood in it, because, well I'm slightly obsessed ;)

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    Replies
    1. I don't think either of you could have watched the movie with a more fitting person! That's perfect.

      Oh goodness, Elijah wood is such a cutie!

      Also, we have the same name, which I think is a sign that you are a pretty cool person. Nice to meet you!

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  5. I just now realized that the Amelie and French Kiss posters are both in Spanish! oops!

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  6. I love french films too =) I've seen almost all the ones u posted and I'm going to watch the missing ones =D thank u for sharing

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  7. I LOVE my french films. One of my personal favorites is Girl on a Bridge. Gorgeous, poetic, sensual... Sigh.

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    Replies
    1. I will definitely look into it, sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thanks!

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