Topic: French Revolution

Direction Abel Gance

Cast Albert Dieudonné · Gina Manès · Edmond Van Daële · Antonin Artaud

Synopsis Napoleon (1927) is a sweeping biographical film that chronicles the life of Napoleon Bonaparte over a span of roughly 16 years. The narrative begins with Napoleon's formative years, highlighting his early strategic prowess in a schoolyard snowball fight. The film...

Direction Robert Enrico · Richard T. Heffron

Cast Klaus Maria Brandauer · Jane Seymour · François Cluzet · Jean-François Balmer

Synopsis The French Revolution (1989) chronicles the tumultuous events of the French Revolution, beginning with King Louis XVI's decision to summon the Estates-General in 1789 to address France's financial crisis. The film's initial segment unfolds from 1789 to August 10, 1792,...

Direction Peter Brook

Cast Patrick Magee · Ian Richardson · Michael Williams · Clifford Rose

Synopsis Marat/Sade (1967) is set within the confines of the Charenton mental asylum, where the infamous Marquis de Sade is confined. Seeking to engage his fellow inmates, de Sade proposes staging a theatrical performance. The asylum's administrators consent, provided he adheres...

Direction Jean Renoir

Cast Pierre Renoir · Lise Delamare · Louis Jouvet · Léon Larive

Synopsis The Marseillaise (1938) is a cinematic journey inspired by the brief yet impactful Popular Front government, featuring Pierre Renoir as Louis XVI. This film, directed by Jean Renoir, offers a unique perspective from the common people, chronicling the French Revolution...

Direction Philippe Agostini · Raymond Leopold Bruckberger

Cast Jeanne Moreau · Alida Valli · Madeleine Renaud · Pascale Audret

Direction D.W. Griffith

Cast Lillian Gish · Dorothy Gish · Joseph Schildkraut · Frank Losee

Synopsis Orphans of the Storm (1921) follows the journey of Henriette and Louise, two young women who, despite being foundlings, are nurtured as sisters. When Louise loses her sight, Henriette vows to protect and care for her forever. Their path leads...

Direction Jack Conway

Cast Ronald Colman · Elizabeth Allan · Edna May Oliver · Reginald Owen

Synopsis A Tale of Two Cities (1935) is a meticulously crafted film adaptation of Charles Dickens' renowned novel set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. The story revolves around Sydney Carton, a once-promising lawyer whose life has spiraled into dissipation....

Direction Andrzej Wajda

Cast Gérard Depardieu · Wojciech Pszoniak · Anne Alvaro · Roland Blanche

Synopsis Danton (1983) is a cinematic exploration of the tumultuous French Revolution, directed by Andrzej Wajda, who masterfully weaves a narrative that mirrors the political unrest in Poland during the 1980s. Gérard Depardieu portrays Georges Danton, a charismatic leader beloved by...

Direction Doug Shultz

Cast Edward Herrmann · George Ivascu · Rodica Lazar · Tomi Cristin

Direction Ettore Scola

Cast Jean-Louis Barrault · Hanna Schygulla · Marcello Mastroianni · Harvey Keitel

Synopsis That Night in Varennes (1982) unfolds in June 1791, as the renowned but controversial novelist Restif de la Bretonne observes Queen Marie-Antoinette’s lady-in-waiting discreetly departing from Paris. This sighting leads him to believe that King Louis XVI and his family...

Direction Philip Kaufman

Cast Geoffrey Rush · Kate Winslet · Joaquin Phoenix · Michael Caine

Synopsis Quills (2000) invites you to a dark and twisted narrative that blends virtue and vice, humor and horror, love and explicit erotica, and the harsh realities of censorship. It delves into the unbreakable spirit of human creativity. This is a...

Direction Ernst Lubitsch

Cast Pola Negri · Emil Jannings · Harry Liedtke · Eduard von Winterstein

Synopsis Passion (1919) unfolds the tale of Madame DuBarry, the beloved companion of Louis XV of France, and delves into her romantic entanglements during the tumultuous era of the French Revolution.

Direction Harold Young

Cast Leslie Howard · Joan Gardner · Merle Oberon · Raymond Massey

Synopsis The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) is an adaptation of the renowned novel by Baroness Orczy, chronicling the adventures of Sir Percy Blakeney. By day, he is perceived as a fashionable and carefree British nobleman, but under the cover of darkness, he...

Direction Clive Bradley · Adam Deats · Sam Deats · Tam Lu

Synopsis Castlevania: Nocturne (2023) follows Richter Belmont, a member of the renowned Belmont family of vampire hunters, as he unites with an eclectic group of hunters and sorcerers to avert a cataclysmic event during the tumultuous era of the French Revolution.

Direction W.S. Van Dyke

Cast Norma Shearer · Tyrone Power · John Barrymore · Robert Morley

Synopsis Marie Antoinette (1938) chronicles the tumultuous journey of Marie Antoinette from her engagement and marriage in 1770 to her ultimate fate in 1793. Initially portrayed as a naive Habsburg teenager, she finds herself in a foreign land, living a secluded...

Direction Éric Rohmer

Cast Lucy Russell · Jean-Claude Dreyfus · François Marthouret · Alain Libolt

Synopsis The Lady and the Duke (2001) presents a fragmented narrative centered around Grace Elliott and Philippe, the Duke of Orleans, amidst the tumultuous backdrop of the French Revolution. The story begins in 1790, where the two are depicted as close...

Direction Eric Besnard

Cast Grégory Gadebois · Isabelle Carré · Benjamin Lavernhe · Guillaume de Tonquedec

Synopsis Delicious (2021) is set in France, 1789, on the brink of the Revolution. A talented chef, recently dismissed by his employer, crosses paths with an extraordinary young woman. Together, they embark on a journey that empowers the chef to break...

Direction Sacha Guitry

Cast Jean Marais · Georges Marchal · Jean-Pierre Aumont · Brigitte Bardot

Synopsis Affairs in Versailles (1954) chronicles the captivating history of the opulent Versailles Palace, beginning with its establishment by Louis XIII and its subsequent expansion under the reign of the powerful Louis XIV. The narrative delves into the personal intrigues and...

Direction Patrick Lau · Simon Langton

Cast Richard E. Grant · Elizabeth McGovern · Martin Shaw · Ronan Vibert

Direction Ralph Thomas

Cast Dirk Bogarde · Dorothy Tutin · Paul Guers · Marie Versini

Synopsis A Tale of Two Cities (1958) follows the life of Sydney Carton, a British lawyer who is discontented and unfulfilled. He becomes captivated by Lucie Manette, but she chooses to marry Charles Darnay instead. When Darnay travels to Paris to...