The famed film writer and critic reviews twenty-five essential French films, featuring Amélie, Belle du Jour, La Vie en Rose, and Au Revoir les Enfants. Like a full-bodied Bordeaux wine, Roger Ebert’s e-book original 25 Great French Films will reward you with a rich variety of full-length reviews of cinematic experiences. From such classics as Belle de Jour, Day for Night, and The 400 Blows to the sweeping drama (and beautiful scenery!) of Jean de Florette and its sequel Manon of the Spring, this e-book provides a perfect primer for those new to French films and a welcome refresher course for true Francophiles. And, as an added attraction, most of the reviews are accompanied with a clip of the movies’ trailers, including gems like Mr. Hulot’s Holiday and Jules and Jim.

Crime and punishment on the dark side of French society, as reflected in the silver screen.

Le Ciné Françs is an irresistible illustrated guide and primer to the best of French films, starting with the 1950s, through the spectrum of French New Wave, and on to modern-day confections. Starring the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, and Jeanne Moreau, and directed by iconoclasts such as Francois Truffaut, Eric Rohmer, and Jean-Luc Godard, French movies are as touching, beautiful, and romantic as they come in all of film. Le Ciné Françs captures their spirit in whimsical detail. Each movie is covered with a plot summary; back stories; and illustrations by author/artist Anne Keenan Higgins of highlight scenes, costumes, props, and characters that are as enchanting as the films themselves. This gorgeously gifty tribute to French cinema is not just for movie buffs or followers of international films, but for all who are enchanted by French culture.

Marcel Lucont, France's premier misanthropist and lover, introduces the reader to the British character as seen through the eyes of the French. From food and weather to television and pets, he shares his disdainful opinion on all things British and offers advice on just why the French do it so much better. The book features: "Dans La Rue", an eye-spy parody set on the British high street; "Tits of the Brits", a poem concerning the large British bust vs the petite French cup; "Stolen French", a guide to words the British have stolen from the French; "The British Joke", Marcel's take on British humour; and, "The Monarchy", including why the French got rid of theirs.

Cinema has been long associated with France, dating back to 1895, when Louis and Auguste Lumi_re screened their works, the first public viewing of films anywhere. Early silent pioneers Georges MZli_s, Alice Guy BlachZ and others followed in the footsteps of the Lumi_re brothers and the tradition of important filmmaking continued throughout the 20th century and beyond. In Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Philippe Rège identifies every French director who has made at least one feature film since 1895. From undisputed masters to obscure one-timers, nearly 3,000 directors are cited here, including at least 200 filmmakers not mentioned in similar books published in France. Each director's entry contains a brief biographical summary, including dates and places of birth and death; information on the individual's education and professional training; and other pertinent details, such as real names (when the filmmaker uses a pseudonym). The entries also provide complete filmographies, including credits for feature films, shorts, documentaries, and television work. Some of the most important names in the history of film can be found in this encyclopedia, from masters of the Golden Age_Jean Renoir and RenZ Clair_to French New Wave artists such as Fran_ois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard.

Sometimes there's just nothing more absorbing than watching a movie that truly looks at life on the dark side, revealing those dark parts of human nature that we find so facinating. In Roger Ebert's picks of 27 Movies from the Dark Side, he offers a varied selection from a look at the seamy side of life in L.A. in Chinatown to a backwoods murder gone wrong in Blood Simple. Throw in two classics from Alfred Hitchcock, Notorious and Strangers on a Train, and two French tours de force, Bob le Flambeur and Touchez Pas au Grisbiand you've got the primer on film noir.

The holidays—that time between Thanksgiving and New Year's—jam more "together" time together than any other time during the year. And all that being together calls for movies to watch together to celebrate the season or movies to watch alone to survive the season. From such classics to enjoy as a family like A Christmas Story,It's a Wonderful Life, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to more offbeat films like Home for the Holidays (the Thanksgiving family reunion from hell) and Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (an R-rated Santa Claus origin story crossed with The Thing), Roger Ebert's full-length reviews suggest a wide range of titles sure to please everyone on your list. Also included are thoughtful films like John Huston's rendering of James Joyce's The Dead, a poignant look at life and Joyeux Noel, based on the true story of a spontaneous cease-fire between German and Allied troops on Christmas Eve 1914. As a bonus, in the enhanced version, more than half of the reviews include a clip of the movie's trailer.

Wondering if the world is really going to hell in a handbasket? Then consider Roger Ebert's e-book original 33 Movies to Restore Your Faith in Humanity. Read Roger's full-length reviews of movies and rekindle your belief in the human spirit. From the out-of-the-world experience of E.T. to the outer space drama of Apollo 13 to the personal insights into ordinary people in Cinema Paradiso and Everlasting Moments, you'll be reassured that maybe there is hope for us all. Mix in historical dramas like The Bridge on the River Kwai and Gandhi, stories of personal heroism like Hotel Rwanda and Schindler's List, and the irresistible Up, and things will be looking, well, up!

The French New Wave cinema is arguably the most fascinating of all film movements, famous for its exuberance, daring, and avant-garde techniques. A History of the French New Wave Cinema offers a fresh look at the social, economic, and aesthetic mechanisms that shaped French film in the 1950s, as well as detailed studies of the most important New Wave movies of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Richard Neupert first tracks the precursors to New Wave cinema, showing how they provided blueprints for those who would follow. He then demonstrates that it was a core group of critics-turned-directors from the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma—especially François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, and Jean-Luc Godard—who really revealed that filmmaking was changing forever. Later, their cohorts Eric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Pierre Kast continued in their own unique ways to expand the range and depth of the New Wave. In an exciting new chapter, Neupert explores the subgroup of French film practice known as the Left Bank Group, which included directors such as Alain Resnais and Agnès Varda. With the addition of this new material and an updated conclusion, Neupert presents a comprehensive review of the stunning variety of movies to come out of this important era in filmmaking.