Think of modern French cinema and you may think of groundbreaking directors such as Godard and Truffaut, or international box-office hits like Amelie. Yet the French cinema is one of the liveliest and most varied in the world and, thanks to online DVD rental, it is now possible for movie-lovers everywhere to have access to the same wide range of films that French audiences enjoy. To help you get started, here are five very different films on a French theme: some well known, some less so, each of them perfect to enjoy with a glass of wine!

Cyrano de Bergerac, dir. Jean-Paul Rappeneau (1990)

This film adaptation of Rostand’s classic, so true to the original that it barely departs from the script, was an instant success, winning 30 awards and launching its star Gérard Depardieu to international fame. In this case, the fuss is entirely justified. Depardieu makes the role of Cyrano his own; murmuring rather than declaiming the verse, he transforms the famous balcony scene from a theatrical set-piece into a captivating moment of emotional rawness and vulnerability. For all the lavishness of this film there is nothing extraneous; even the presence of a single child actor, who owes his role in the script to Rappeneau rather than Rostand, contributes to the overall impact in a way that is neither mawkish nor overly contrived. Every member of the ensemble turns in a strong performance, with a particular mention for Jacques Weber’s insiduous but ultimately sympathetic Comte de Guiche. The magic of this Cyrano is in the degree of intimacy and passion that pervades the film as a whole: making it cathartic rather than simply tragic. A bold but respectful interpretation of one of the touchstones of European theatre.

If you like this film, you might enjoy: La Reine Margot (Chereau, 1994) , Jean de Florette (Berri, 1986), Manon des Sources (Berri, 1986), Le Colonel Chabert (Angelo, 1994), Le Comte de Monte Cristo (TV mini-series, 1998)