Wes Anderson names his 10 favourite French movies
The vibrant world of American filmmaker Wes Anderson has long bewitched audiences across the globe with his picture-perfect symmetrical cinematography helping to herald a new appreciation for indie cinema. Such style has led to some of the most imaginative films of modern cinema, from the comedy-caper ingenuity of Bottle Rocket to the charming grace of The French Dispatch.
Praised for his meticulous, idiosyncratic form of filmmaking, inspired by dozens of directors and artists across the globe, Anderson draws attention to the craft of cinema as well as the iconic actors who occupy his space. Collaborating closely with a dedicated crew of actors, including Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton and Jason Schwartzman, Anderson has almost created a genre from his own idiosyncratic style.
Though his style might appear organic, Anderson was heavily inspired by French cinema in his youth, naming the likes of François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Louis Malle as particular influences. Enamoured by their experimentation and vibrant creativity during the new wave era of the 1960s, Anderson instilled a similar sense of cinematic revolution in the 1990s with his own distinct style.
Now, many decades later, Wes Anderson has revealed his ten favourite French movies of all time, revealing this in a conversation with Sight and Sound in their issue, which details the 100 greatest movies of all time, as voted for by 1,639 participating critics in BFI’s decennial poll.
“Like most of us (I think?), I don’t actually have ten favourite movies,” Anderson told the magazine, exclaiming: “I thought I would pick ten favourite French ones (because I am listing this list in France). I will start with number zero, in fact: David Golder (Julien Duvivier).” So eager to get going that he included Duvivier’s 1931 classic in his introduction, Anderson went on to name the ten films that managed to earn a place on his esteemed list.
Shedding light on more contemporary French movies, as well as esteemed classics, Anderson starts by picking out the seminal films whose legacies are unmatched. He begins with Jean Renoir’s undisputed masterpiece La Grande Illusion from 1937, a WWI film about the soldiers of a prisoner of war camp, before jumping to the next decade and choosing Henri-Georges Clouzot’s police procedural drama Quai des Orfèvres.
Next comes one of Anderson’s most well-known flicks, Max Ophüls’ Madam de…, a glamorous, vibrant romance that tells the story of a particularly special pair of earrings. A highly-enjoyable, romantic drama with some nicely realised comedic moments threaded throughout, Ophüls’ distinct style makes the story feel like a fleeting romance caught in suspended animation.
Take a look at the full list of Wes Anderson’s favourite French movies below.
Wes Anderson’s 10 favourite French movies
- La Grande Illusion (Jean Renoir, 1937)
- Quai des Orfèvres (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1947)
- Madam de… (Max Ophüls, 1953)
- Vivre sa vie (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962)
- The Man Who Loved Women (François Truffaut, 1977)
- Loulou (Maurice Pialat, 1980)
- Vagabond (Agnès Varda, 1985)
- Olivier, Olivier (Agnieszka Holland, 1992)
- It All Starts Today (Bertrand Tavernier, 1999)
- Kings & Queens (Arnaud Desplechin, 2004)
Other notable additions to the list include Jean-Luc Godard’s Vivre sa vie, François Truffaut’s The Man Who Loved Women and Vagabond from the masterfully joyous mind of Agnès Varda.
