And by that I dont mean their shoes match their handbags.
Carl Theodor Dreyers movie concentrates entirely on the trial for heresy that sent Joan to the stake.
This is about accusations and guilt, and how far faith can be tested.
The faces look so contemporary in this movie.
She changes from vulnerability to insanity in a moment.
Joan suffers so visibly; there is a transparency to her.
Whether you are religious or not, the effect is overwhelming.
The gentry meet at a country house for a hunting expedition.
They have affairs, which must not be talked about.
Its below their standing to get involved in such things.
Theres a great scene in this movie that takes place after dinner when the guests come together for entertainment.
They leap into the audience and terrorize them, but everyone sits still and laughs.
After all, that is what is expected of them.
Nobody can break from social convention.
And we sit and watch the entertainment too.
In this version, Orpheus is a poet who has run out of inspiration.
This movie is so inventive, and strange, and its all about the big questions.
Is love stronger than death?
Can a person love death more than life?
What is the nature of happiness?
Its a mixture of fairy tale and absolute seriousness.
Its a very traditional looking movie with a soapy Hollywood-feel that is at odds with the controversial subject matter.
This makes the outbursts of the jealous headmistress ugly and difficult to watch.
This is not about showing us kissing or heavy-petting, or breaking boundaries.
Its about the normality of having a schoolgirl crush, for whatever gender.
He is the ultimate outsider mistrusted, given strange, conflicting advice.
He received anonymous letters and bears slights from the village children.
Its painful to watch his suffering.
Director Robert Bresson gives us the face of actor Claude Laydu to watch through these random events.
There could not be a Travis Bickle without this country priest.
Its also easy to imagine it was an influence on HanekesThe White Ribbon.
He could make you sit bolt upright in your seat, unable to take your eyes from the screen.
Not a shot is wasted.
We see the fear behind the machismo, the desperation behind the posturing.
We emotionally invest in these men even as we know they might be blown to bits in a moment.
Its a grimy, frightening, gut-wrenching experience but you wouldnt want to miss a moment of it.
Out of all the films Ive seen, this one is the most memorable.
Its also the only truly great movie that I wish had never been made.
Its impossible to look away.
ButNight and Fogis the most powerful movie he shot.
Francois Truffaut thought so; he called it the greatest movie ever made.
And yet, its not a movie to be watched more than once.
InThe Red Balloon,you see Paris with fresh eyes.
The color is intense.
Throughout the movie, Lamorisses direction is as playful as the balloon.
Not only did Lamorisse make beautiful films, but he also co-created the board gameRisk.
Thats not at all related, but I just had to throw it in here.
The key moments ofThe 400 Blowsoccur when nothing seems to be happening at all.
Her father attempts to graft the faces of other women onto her own.
We cant see her expression, but the eyes tell us what we need to know.
The thing I love most aboutEyes Without A Faceis the score.
It has a joking quality that makes your skin crawl.
An absolute original,La Jeteeis a short movie almost entirely made up of stills.
It documents a mail-apocalyptic nightmare where humanity survives in tunnels under the surface of the Earth.
Its as contemptuous of the plot-driven demands of the modern audience as it is of Hollywood.
This is the only time Godard made a big budget movie with American money.
Everything is about money and power.
Palance is very funny, declaring himself a god and using his secretary as a table.
Fritz Lang appears as himself, looking dignified and lost in this age of fast cars and chequebooks.
At the time this movie was made, Brigitte Bardot was the sex-kitten of the world.
And its still an amazing piece of work.
The clients are ugly, strange, downright weird and she accepts them all.
Luis Bunuel made a spectacularly non-judgemental movie.
Shes not unhappily married she simply is unable to verbalize what she desires.
So the camera speaks for her.
It shows us her fantasies and it never feels degrading.
He brings her fresh meat, and she gives him a cigarette lighter as a present.
But she soon discovers the lighter at the scene of a grisly murder…
If you think this sounds like a Hitchcock movie, Id have to agree.
Were in the position of knowing more than her, and it makesLe Bouchera really uncomfortable movie.
You should hate it, but you watch it, and you laugh.
Perhaps its because Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere are just so good in it.
They are clownish, charismatic, sometimes caring.
Then his cancer, in human embodiment, knocks on the door and comes to visit.
His work remains as interesting and divisive as ever.
This is a really short movie nine minutes long.
Its a car journey through the streets of Paris just after dawn with deserted streets.
You see the road unfold before you as you rush past landmarks and wind your way up to Montmartre.
Movies based on theatrical plays often struggle to transcend the fixed structure of the stage.
They arent ashamed of who they are the staginess comes naturally to them.
It has a powerful message wrapped in a light-hearted comedy, and the message of acceptance endures.
Theres a Shakespearean quality to this tragedy.
Everything is big: the landscape, the performances, the weather, and the arc of the plot.
Jean is such a good-hearted character that he cant see a conspiracy.
His own open, enthusiastic nature is his fatal flaw.
But you knew that already, right?
More Depardieu, this time as Frances most famous lover.
This movie has the best subtitles of any movie Ive watched.
There are a number of Hollywood versions ofCyrano de Bergerac.I think my favorite isThe Truth About Cats & Dogs.
Nikita is a young woman with no future.
What a stylish movieNikitais, but also with real substance.
A future without killing.
I think sometimes the coolness ofNikitais remembered more than the message.
And the soundtrack by Eric Serra is perfect.
But its also an uplifting experience and it finishes on a note of amazing positivity.
which seems to me to be the exact opposite of the movie.
If ever theres a movie that doesnt merit exclamation marks on the cover, itsThree Colors: Blue.
Theres not a better feel-good movie in the world thanAmelie.
Idiosyncrasies are cherished and weirdnesses celebrated, and Audrey Tautou defines adorable for a whole new generation.
I think that would have still made for an excellent movie, but a very different one in tone.
Amelieis all about not being afraid to get out and meet people, to be part of life.
So next time you meet someone new, ask them what their favorite movie is.
you might tell a lot from the answer.
If they obsess overThe Seventh Seal,chances are theyre not going to be such an upbeat person.
But if they sayAmelie,you know youre going to get on with them.
It would be impossible not to, right?
And they might even own a garden gnome or two.
The voyeuristic quality of filmmaking has been tackled in many ways.
Michael PowellsPeeping Tomand E. Elias Merhiges excellentShadow of the Vampirecome to mind.
This isnt a thriller, and as with any Haneke movie theres not much point in expecting a resolution.
Hes not going to tell you what to think or even what he thinks about contemporary living.
But he does make you examine it, objectify it, just as Anne and Georges are being objectified.
Its a movie that makes you realise that, nowadays, nothing is really hidden at all.
I mentioned earlier thatEyes Without A Facehas been a hugely influential movie.
Were in Paris in 2025, and it looks all noirish and moody.
Our hero is a policeman (Albert Dupontel) who is investigating the death of an illegal immigrant.
The trail leads him to a deeply scary plastic surgery clinic that is not only concerned with faces.
Its quite happy to tamper with your memory and identity as well.
Delicacyisnt a romantic comedy.
It is very funny and charming, and the leads have great chemistry.
But its not traditional sexual chemistry, and were not talking about a great love here.
The direction is subtle and low-key; it enables us to immerse in the story.
And the last thing I should say about it is that it has a wonderful ending.
