In honor of Bastille Day, July 14, France’s independence day, here is my list of five top French Revolution films, originally published on the We Are Movie Geeks.com website. In no particular order, not all the films are French and not all have to do with THE Revolution. but all celebrate French patriotism or the revolutionary ideals of Liberté, Égalité et Fraternité. Oddly, there are not a lot of great French films on the Revolution, although it certainly seems a subject ripe for an epic. Still, all these are great films, in the spirit of the day. Vive La France!
DANTON (1983)
The great French actor Gerard Depardieu stars as Danton, one of the early leaders of the Revolution but who fell from power as revolutionary leaders became more radical, in this excellent French film from Polish director Andrzej Wajda. It is considered one of the best films on the Revolution, but it was also a covert jab at the Polish Communist regime of the time.
TALE OF TWO CITIES (1935)
There are several film versions of Englishman Charles Dickens’ novel about the French Revolution, but the 1935 black-and-white version starring Ronald Coleman and Basil Rathbone was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and many film experts consider it the best screen version.
HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART 1 (1981)
Although it is only a portion of this Mel Brooks’ comedy classic, it has the craziest French Revolution story. Brooks himself plays both a pampered, oblivious Louis XVI (“It’s good to be the king”) and his peasant lookalike, the “piss-boy.” Chaos, and great comedy, ensues when the Revolution breaks out.
FAREWELL, MY QUEEN (2012)
Many films about the French Revolution focus on the royals at Versailles, including Sofia Coppola’s unsuccessful but gorgeous MARIE ANTOINETTE, but this French costume drama views events through the eyes of a servant in the palace, expected to serve and even die for her queen, although she has more in common with those storming the Bastille.
LES MISERABLES (1935)
A story about an earlier but failed revolution in Paris, but Victor Hugo’s great story touches on the same French themes that led to the Revolution. There are several screen versions, including the 2012 musical version based on the Broadway version of the story and a 2000 English-language French version starring Gerard Depardieu and John Malkovich. The 1935 one was a Best Picture Oscar nominee, stars Fredric March and Charles Laughton and with photography by Greg Toland (Citizen Kane). Hugo’s novel is a long book, and there is also an excellent 1934 French version that was originally released as three films in France, as nearly 3-hour version in the U.S., and later restored as a nearly 5-hour version by the director.
NAPOLEON (1927)
Okay, it is not about the French Revolution but Abel Gance’s great silent epic does focus on a most revolutionary figure in French history, and it is a revolutionary film in cinema history. Without the French Revolution, there would have been no Napoleon, and the film is full of French national pride and epic brilliance by a legendary French director.
