Jean Dasté

A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

Dir. Jean Renoir · With Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim

Newly married couple Juliette and ship captain Jean struggle through marriage as they travel on the L'Atalante along with the captain's first mate and a cabin boy.

Dir. Jean Vigo · With Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté

Michel Simon gives one of the most memorable performances in screen history as Boudu, a Parisian tramp who takes a suicidal plunge into the Seine and is rescued by a well-to-do bookseller, Edouard Lestingois. The Lestingois family decides to take in the irrepressible bum, and he shows his gratitude by shaking the household to its foundations. With Boudu Saved from Drowning, legendary director Jean Renoir takes advantage of a host of Parisian locations and the anarchic charms of his lead actor to create an effervescent satire of the bourgeoisie.

Dir. Jean Renoir · With Michel Simon, Marcelle Hainia, Sévérine Lerczinska

In a repressive boarding school with rigid rules of behavior, four boys decide to rebel against the director on a celebration day.

Dir. Jean Vigo · With Jean Dasté, Robert le Flon, Du Verron

At Bertrand Morane's burial there are many of the women that the 40-year-old engineer loved. In flashback Bertrand's life and love affairs are told by himself while writing an autobiographical novel.

Dir. François Truffaut · With Charles Denner, Leslie Caron, Nelly Borgeaud

The true story of Victor of Aveyron. In a French forest circa 1798, an abandoned child — feral, filthy and mentally impaired — is found. Dr Jean Marc Gaspard Itard becomes interested in the case and patiently attempts to civilise the boy.

Dir. François Truffaut · With Jean-Pierre Cargol, François Truffaut, Françoise Seigner

In the seacoast town of Boulogne, antique furniture saleswoman Hélène lives with her stepson, Bernard, who's back from military duty in Algiers. An old lover of Hélène's comes to visit, Alphonse, with his niece Françoise; he too is back from Algiers, where he ran a café. Bernard speaks of his fiancée, Muriel, whom Hélène has not met. The past is obscured by guilt, misperceptions, and missed possibilities. Appearances deceive, things change. As Hélène and Alphonse try to sort out a renewal, everyone seems off-kilter just enough to hint that all cannot end well.

Dir. Alain Resnais · With Delphine Seyrig, Jean-Pierre Kérien, Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée

A philosophy professor has an illicit affair with one of his students, a bright yet troubled girl who lives alone.

Dir. Jean-Claude Brisseau · With Vanessa Paradis, Bruno Cremer, Ludmila Mikaël