I am currently on a cultural bender. For the past couple of weeks, I have been watching a lot of French-language films in various genres, from comedies, dramas, award-winners, and documentaries. So it makes sense for this 5x5 list to focus on French films, all featuring love as a prominent theme (though not all of these are considered romance, genre-wise). All of them are available on DVD.
Amelie (2001)
Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet
A shy waitress (Audrey Tautou) discovers a box of forgotten childhood memorabilia in her apartment. Taking it as a sign, she decides that she will improve the lives of others, from co-workers to complete strangers, while ignoring herself--until she bumps into Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz), who drops a photo on the street, resulting in a while goose chase that can only occur when someone falls in love.
La vie en rose (2007)
Dir. Olivier Dahan
One of France's most iconic performers, Edith Piaf led a life even more dramatic than her performances and emotionally draining songs. With a tough childhood and an even tougher times throughout her 48 years, Piaf overcame many obstacles to become one of the most recognizable singers in the world.
A breakthrough performance by Marion Cotillard, who won Best Actress at the Oscars in 2008, and escalated her career, appearing in numerous high-profile movies (Inception, Midnight in Paris, Contagion, The Dark Knight Rises) and awards-bait (Nine and Rust and Bone, which earned her nominations from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild). Cotillard channels Piaf with a tour de force charisma and fearlessness.
Here is a clip from the film, where Cotillard's Piaf performs "Non, je ne regrette rien"
http://youtu.be/y6Dz3-k1d9I?t=1s
Le scaphandrew et le papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) (2007)
Dir. Julian Schnabel
Based on a heart-rendering true story of a magazine editor's auto accident, the film is based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir, which was written using only his left eye. With the aid of an assistant and his therapist, he was able to write, edit, and revise the 134-page book over the course of 10 months.
The film, directed by artist Julian Schnabel, is in non-linear form, focusing on Bauby (portrayed here by Mathieu Amalric) before and after the accident, as we catch glimpses into his very active imagination, which he uses as a much-needed retreat when he is alone (notable scenes include having a fine seafood dinner with an attractive woman and trips to the beach and countryside). A box of tissues are needed nearby when viewing this, especially when his father (a wonderful turn from Max von Sydow) telephones him and tries to talk to him.
Three Colors: Blue (1993)
Dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski
The first of a trilogy based on the colors of the Frencg flag, Blue's theme is freedom. Julie (Juliette Binoche) has lost her composer husband and five-year old daughter in a car crash. After a failed suicide attempt, she decides to erase her life, selling their home and all their possesions (save for her daughter's chandelier made of bright blue beads) and moves to a run-down apartment in Paris. A neighbor, Lucille, befriends her, despite Julie not wishing to socialize with anyone, unless absoultely necessary.
Bonus: Emmanuelle Riva (Best Actress nominee for Amour) appears briefly as Julie's mother, whose memory is fading away, mistaken Julie for her sister, who died long ago.
Un homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman) (1966)
Dir. Claude Lelouch
In what could be the most mature romantic movie of the 1960s, A Man and a Woman has aged well with time.
Anne (Anouk Aimeé), a script supervisor for motion pictures, divides her time between Paris and the town where her daughter attends boarding school. Jean-Louis (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a race-car drive, has a son at the same boarding school. Both are widowed--Anne's husband died in a car accident; Jean-Louis' wife to suicide). When Anne misses her train to Paris, Jean-Louis offers to drive her home. They talk, get to know one another, and soon start a romance. The drama is a "study of moments between the time the two characters meet and the point at which they begin to read each other intuitively", as described elegantly by Netflix (these words actually appear on the DVD sleeve).
The film was a worldwide success. It set records in France and made $14 million in the United States in 1966. (This is equal to $97 million in 2012 dollars). It won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and two Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Foreign-Language Film. Aimeé was nominated for Best Actress (losing to Elizabeth Taylor for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and Lelouch was nominated for Best Director (losing to Fred Zinneman for A Man For All Seasons)
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