Awaken your passion for cinema by (re)discovering black & white classics. Make yourself comfortable with a bowl of popcorn, and let yourself be carried away by these must-see works.
Here's a selection of cult films to see at least once in your life.
Must-see black and white films
Nosferatu (1922)
Director: F. W. Murnau.
Synopsis : The sinister Count Orlok, played by Max Schreck, settles in a town as a vampire, spreading terror and pestilence around him.
Why see it? A pillar of expressionist cinema and the vampire genre.
M le maudit (1931)
Director : Fritz Lang.
Synopsis : Peter Lorre plays a child murderer, hunted by both the police and Berlin's criminal underworld.
Why see it? A rare narrative tension, and Lorre's gripping performance.
La Règle du jeu (1939)
Director : Jean Renoir.
Synopsis : A weekend of madness paves the way for the collapse of a hypocritical haute bourgeoisie in the heart of a château.
Why see it? A profound social satire, memorable for its aesthetics and social criticism.
Citizen Kane (1941)
Director : Orson Welles.
Synopsis : Charles Foster Kane died, leaving a final note, "Rosebud". Interviews and flashbacks reveal his rise and fall.
Why see it? A cinema legend, for its innovative storytelling and revolutionary direction.
The Raven (1943)
Director : Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Synopsis : In a small town, a doctor is targeted by anonymous letters full of slander. A climate of suspicion sets in.
Why see it? A brutal portrait of a society plagued by paranoia.
The 39 Steps (1935)
Director : Alfred Hitchcock.
Synopsis : Richard Hannay becomes a reluctant hunter when a spy dies in his home. He flees to prove his innocence and foil a conspiracy.
Why see it? One of Hitchcock's seminal thrillers, combining suspense and humor.
Le Grand Sommeil (The Big Sleep) (1946)
Director : Howard Hawks.
Synopsis : Private detective Philip Marlowe, played by Bogart, is plunged into a complex investigation involving blackmail, murder and seduction.
Why see it? A dense, mysterious plot, with unforgettable Bogart-Bacall chemistry.
Monika (Summer with Monika) (1953)
Director : Ingmar Bergman.
Synopsis : Two teenagers escape their ordinary lives for a passionate summer in the Stockholm archipelago.
Why see it? A moving portrait of young, free love, filmed with sensitivity.
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Director : Federico Fellini.
Synopsis : Marcello Rubini moved to Rome from his home province in Italy to become a writer, but has now become a columnist for a sensationalist newspaper. So he makes the rounds of the places where he can pick up a few scoops to feed his column.
Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
Director : Agnès Varda.
Synopsis : An egotistical singer named Cleo has to wait two hours for the results of a medical examination. After a disturbing tarot card reading, she visits her friends, who all try to help her in any way they can.
