The 20 best French new wave films
by Ethan_Ford | created - 25 Oct 2016 | updated - 25 Oct 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Breathless (1960)
Not Rated | 90 min | Crime, Drama
A small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Van Doude, Jean-Luc Godard
Votes: 87,885 | Gross: $0.34M
2. The 400 Blows (1959)
Not Rated | 99 min | Crime, Drama
A young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.
Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier, Guy Decomble
Votes: 128,018
3. Paris Belongs to Us (1961)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Anne Goupil is a literature student in Paris in 1957. Her elder brother, Pierre, takes her to a friend's party where the guests include Philip Kaufman, an expatriate American escaping ... See full summary »
Director: Jacques Rivette | Stars: Betty Schneider, Giani Esposito, Françoise Prévost, Daniel Crohem
Votes: 2,716
4. Adieu Philippine (1962)
106 min | Drama, Romance
Paris, summer 1960. Michel is about to leave for Algeria for military service. He meets Liliane and Juliette, two inseparable friends. Michel goes on vacation to Corsica, where the two girls decide to join him
Director: Jacques Rozier | Stars: Jean-Claude Aimini, Daniel Descamps, Stefania Sabatini, Yveline Céry
Votes: 1,016
5. Web of Passion (1959)
Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Drama
A wealthy wine grower has trouble with his wife, his children, his best friend, and his mistress across the way, who is murdered.
Director: Claude Chabrol | Stars: Madeleine Robinson, Antonella Lualdi, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jacques Dacqmine
Votes: 1,415
6. Sign of the Lion (1962)
103 min | Drama
A French-American in Paris lives by sponging off his working friends, and throws a party using borrowed money when his rich American aunt dies, believing firmly in his horoscope.
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Jess Hahn, Michèle Girardon, Van Doude, Paul Bisciglia
Votes: 2,342
7. Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A pianist helps his brother escape from two gangsters, who retaliate by abducting their kid brother.
Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Charles Aznavour, Marie Dubois, Nicole Berger, Michèle Mercier
Votes: 20,622
8. Contempt (1963)
Not Rated | 102 min | Drama, Romance
A French writer's marriage deteriorates while working on Fritz Lang's version of "The Odyssey", as his wife accuses him of using her to court favor with the film's brash American producer.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, Michel Piccoli, Giorgia Moll
Votes: 36,013 | Gross: $0.04M
9. Brigitte et Brigitte (1966)
75 min | Comedy
A twenty minute documentary about the two smallest French villages. Then, Paris, 1960s. Two girls named Brigitte from the two villages share an apartment and study at the Sorbonne.
Director: Luc Moullet | Stars: Colette Descombes, Françoise Vatel, Claude Melki, Michel Gonzalès
Votes: 205
10. The Soft Skin (1964)
Not Rated | 113 min | Drama, Romance
Pierre Lachenay is a well-known publisher and lecturer, married with Franca and father of Sabine, around 10. He meets an air hostess, Nicole. They start a love affair, which Pierre is hiding, but he cannot stand staying away from her.
Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Jean Desailly, Françoise Dorléac, Nelly Benedetti, Daniel Ceccaldi
Votes: 8,413
11. Vivre sa vie (1962)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama
Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, André S. Labarthe, Guylaine Schlumberger
Votes: 34,973
12. The Cousins (1959)
Not Rated | 112 min | Drama
A pair of cousins share a flat, but animosity begins to build between the two when a woman gets involved.
Director: Claude Chabrol | Stars: Gérard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Juliette Mayniel, Guy Decomble
Votes: 3,246
13. Pierrot the Fool (1965)
Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Graziella Galvani, Aicha Abadir
Votes: 36,919
14. Jules and Jim (1962)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama, Romance
Decades of a love triangle concerning two friends and an impulsive woman.
Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, Henri Serre, Vanna Urbino
Votes: 44,393
15. Band of Outsiders (1964)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Anna Karina, Claude Brasseur, Danièle Girard, Louisa Colpeyn
Votes: 27,045 | Gross: $0.04M
16. The Good Time Girls (1960)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Four Parisian women navigate the world of romance and daily life looking to fulfill their dreams but often find real-life to be inescapable.
Director: Claude Chabrol | Stars: Bernadette Lafont, Clotilde Joano, Stéphane Audran, Lucile Saint-Simon
Votes: 3,179 | Gross: $0.01M
17. A Married Woman (1964)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, Romance
A superifical woman finds conflict choosing between her abusive husband and her vain lover.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Bernard Noël, Macha Méril, Philippe Leroy, Christophe Bourseiller
Votes: 4,339
18. Le Beau Serge (1958)
Not Rated | 98 min | Drama
After long absence, a man returns to his hometown only to find his best friend has become an alcoholic.
Director: Claude Chabrol | Stars: Gérard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Michèle Méritz, Bernadette Lafont
Votes: 3,763
19. Le bel âge (1960)
100 min | Comedy, Drama
Paris ,Spring :Jacques ,38 , has just broken up with the beautiful Alexandra.He has bitter memories and he begins to deludes himself.A few months later,in Saint-Tropez ,he watches,amused, ... See full summary »
Director: Pierre Kast | Stars: Loleh Bellon, Marcello Pagliero, Ursula Kubler, Boris Vian
Votes: 77
20. A Woman Is a Woman (1961)
Not Rated | 84 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An exotic dancer is desperate to become a mother and accepts her reluctant boyfriend's suggestion that she be impregnated by his best friend.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Henri Attal
Votes: 19,187 | Gross: $0.10M
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