It's rather amazing that it took human civilisation only 70 years to 'become visual'. Television revolutionised our evenings and learning. Until those flickering grey images flooded our front rooms, we were happy to read, play or listen to the radio as we read and played.
An occasional night at the cinema was a big occasion in those days. Films didn't debut as frequently as they do today. Fans had to wait weeks - if not months for the new releases. Meanwhile, older generations bemoaned the brain rot such fare would surely bring.
How far we've come in such a short time! Now, we have a glut of visual entertainment at our disposal, available for streaming on every electronic device. Far from rotting our brains, these displays can help us learn. Indeed, you can learn French from your sofa by watching French films in their original language.
French Movies to Watch to Learn French
Movies and TV series are immersive experiences, which makes them the perfect way to build your French vocabulary and hone your listening skills. Not only do you get to hear native speakers engage in dialogue but you get cultural information, too. And if you watch films and series with the subtitles on, you can practise your French reading skills as you enjoy the show.
To reap the benefits of learning through watching, start with shows and movies you've already seen. Whether you stream them on Netflix or another service, you can usually set language and subtitle preferences. The best part is, because you already know the story, you can focus on the language learning aspects while still keeping up with the entertainment.
After watching the show a few times with the subtitles on, turn them off. Your ear should be tuned to the language's rhythm, which you can mimic to improve your French pronunciation.
Though reading the news in French is a great way to improve your reading skills, it falls short of reading French films' subtitles. That type of French reading is more academic in nature. By contrast, reading subtitles exposes you to everyday French that native speakers use. Now, you only need a catalogue of film titles to make your selections from.
Funny French Movies to Watch and Learn
French cinema excels at comedy. You might notice that the jokes and timing are different than typical Aussie fare because the French love visual and situational comedy. They're not much on wordplay, though, which is perfect for your language-learning needs. And if you want to keep learning in a playful vein - why not try out some French-learning games?
Amélie Poulain
If you like light-hearted comedy with a heart of gold, Amélie Poulain is for you. It’s the story of a young girl who doesn’t see the world quite as we do. As she tries to solve the mystery of the man whose portrait constantly pops up in the bin beside the photomat, she gently touches the lives of those around her.
Les visiteurs
If you're on the lookout for a fun family farce, Les Visiteurs will deliver. It is the story of a medieval French nobleman, played by Jean Reno, and his servant who somehow end up in 20th-century France. Adopted by one of his descendants, Béatrice, the Count de Montmirail must try and get home all the while turning Béatrice’s life upside-down.
Iconic French Movies to Learn French
France arguably gets the credit for starting the film industry. After all, if it weren't for Auguste and Louis Lumière, film magic might not have developed as early as it did (pun intended). The Lumière brothers made some of the world's first moving picture films.
However, they thought moving pictures would remain a novelty. After their initial success, they abandoned filmmaking to focus on film colourisation processes.
We owe the Lumière brothers much for the visual storytelling we now take for granted. They gave a century's worth of artists a new medium to dazzle us with and dazzle they did. Here are two of the top films my mate taking French lessons Sydney can't stop talking about.
La règle du jeu
Cinephiles consider the 1937 film La Grande Illusion the best French film of all time. But director Jean Renoir wasn't ready to rest on his laurels. Two years later, he unleashed The Rule of the Game, a cinematic comedy of manners that started as a box office disaster. Renoir directed this film and starred in it.
It presents a tangled triangle of desire centred around the aristocratic Christine. A most remarkable aspect is that the soundtrack comes from someone or something within the film - a phonograph, a band, etc. It has since earned a cult following and is even sometimes studied in art school.
Le Salaire de la peur - the Wages of Fear
This is the king of psychological thrillers. Henri-Georges Clouzot co-wrote and directed this masterpiece in 1950. It describes the lives and trials of desperate men trapped in a remote southwestern town in the US.
They're made to transport highly unstable nitroglycerin in the most unsafe way possible to extinguish a fire in the oil fields. This film won the Palme d’Or at the International Film Festival at Cannes and the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
Action French Movies to Watch to Learn
It often feels like the American film industry dominates, especially when it comes to thrillers and action movies. But French cinema has its own brand of psychological thriller and action-filled narrative films. If these are your kind of stories, get ready for a nice evening in front of the telly.
Léon the professional
Léon is a touching tale of the friendship between a professional killer, his houseplant and a young girl. It stars Jean Reno and Natalie Portman in her debut role, with Luc Besson directing. After her family is murdered by a corrupt DEA agent (played by Gary Oldman), Léon takes in the young girl, teaching her his trade. She takes care of his household and teaches him to read while kindling revenge fantasies.
la Femme Nikita
Director Besson strikes again with another young woman dedicated to creating mayhem. Teen junkie Nikita commits murder while robbing a pharmacy; the court sentences her to prison but her government sees her potential. She undergoes intensive training and thrives in her career as a government assassin until one mission falls apart. Critics panned this film but audiences loved it.
Classic French Movies to Learn French
You might have noticed that these French movie titles are not capitalised the way titles for English films are. I learned the fascinating reason why during my French lessons Brisbane: it's because no rule exists to standardise titles in French. Thus, you'll find titles capitalised as ordinary sentences and titles that skip the article but capitalise the next word. Other times, French titles follow English capitalisation rules.
This lack of a rule is strange for a language and culture that seemingly has rules for everything, including what makes for good cinema. These two classics might be a bit advanced if you're a beginner French student. Still, they are well worth the watch.
Cyrano de Bergerac
The classic Edmond Rostand play tells of a young musketeer in love with the précieuse, Roxane. Cyrano de Bergerac, a savant and poet afflicted with a very long nose, endeavours to help him win his love. Gérard Depardieu, as Cyrano, was nominated for a César for his performance.
Jean de Florette
Depardieu strikes again as Jean de Florette. He does his level best to make his farm a success despite the two schemers who want his property. My mate watched it in their French class Melbourne, describing it as a tragi-comedy. I'll see that for myself when my French skills improve.
Animated French Movies to Watch to Learn
Strictly speaking, animation films are not ideal for learning a language, since the lips are not quite as well synced as in real life. But if your household includes young French learners or you are a fan of the genre and appreciate the artistry, you'll love these French animation films.
Kirikou and the Sorceress
Drawing on a West African folktale, Kirikou et la sorcière is the story of young Kirikou, whose village is plagued by drought and cursed by an evil sorceress. Kirikou finds out that she is evil because a thorn in her back is causing her pain. With the help of friends he makes along the way, Kirikou manages to remove the thorn and cure the sorceress, saving his village and becoming an adult in the process.
The Astérix films
There is a whole series of animated Astérix films (and several live-action ones). The least of them is the first film, which suffers from somewhat wooden storytelling. The best are Astérix and Cleopatra, Astérix Legionnaire and Astérix and the Normans, which we watch during French lessons last semester. All of them are charming, simple narratives with a lot of cartoon violence against Romans.
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