4d klu9 on NeoDB @klu9
created a collection

Cinéma du Look

13 movies  

A term invented to describe the 1980s-mid1990s work of a cohort of French film directors, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Luc Besson & Leos Carax, heavily influenced by New Hollywood, making "films that had a slick, gorgeous visual style and a focus on young, alienated characters," & which in turn influenced directors abroad such as Michael Mann, Wong Kar-wai, Tom Tykwer, Doug Liman & Nicolas Winding Refn.

This list goes from Diva (1981) to Léon (1994). If you know of any more cinéma du look films, please tell me. I've seen several of these decades ago, & rewatched a few (Diva, Subway, Betty Blue) around 2021, I think. Want to watch the lot.

What about after León?

  • Beineix was disappointed with the reception of his later feature films & pivoted to documentaries. He passed away in 2022.
  • Carax's Les Amants du Pont-Neuf had so many production & budget issues (apparently it ended up being the most expensive French film ever at the time), that his feature film career fell off significantly after that.
  • And Besson? He kept on making feature films, but rather than film critics referring to them as "cinéma du look", they just referred to them as "Besson films" or "Besson's style".

Hypotheses (I am not an expert) why the term cinéma du look seems rarely used for films after Léon:

  • There was no longer a cohort of feature film makers to group together under that term, just Besson.
  • The characteristics of that style had diffused & influenced enough other film makers that the term would no longer be useful for distinguishing a specific group of films & film makers.

Info on additional links

  • JustWatch is a site to find licensed streams & downloads (ad-supported, subscription, rental, purchase). Default is streams etc in the US, but you can pick other countries on the film's page.
  • OK.ru/video is a Youtube-like video platform. You don't need an account to watch videos but occasionally you might get a pop-up saying "log in to continue". If so, just refresh the page & you should be able to continue watching without logging in.
  • Knaben is a search engine for files shared on the Bittorrent filesharing system. You need a Bittorrent program (like Qbittorrent) to download files. In some countries, it is advisable to only use Bittorrent with a VPN to avoid problems with your ISP. I link only to results for the film in general, you'll have to choose a specific file yourself.
  • Opensubtitles.org is a site to find subtitles in various languages. I link to the film in general, you'll have to choose a specific subtitle file yourself.
cover

Movie

Diva (1981)
Diva
Jean-Jacques Beineix actor: Frédéric Andréi / Richard Bohringer …
other title: La diva / Diva: Paixão Perigosa
Jules, a young Parisian postman, secretly records a concert performance given by the opera singer Cynthia Hawkins, whom he idolises. The following day, Jules runs into a woman who is being pursued by armed thugs. Before she is killed, the woman slips an audio cassette into his mail bag...
cover

Movie

The Last Battle (1983)
Le Dernier Combat WikiData IMDb TMDB
Luc Besson actor: Pierre Jolivet / Jean Bouise …
other title: Le dernier combat / Der letzte Kampf …
The plot explores the devastation of civilization and issues of brutality, hostility and isolation. Pierre Jolivet stars as the main character (identified only as "The Man" in the end credits) who is menaced by "The Brute" (played by Jean Reno) on his journey through a world filled by people rendered nearly mute by some unknown incident.
cover

Movie

The Moon in the Gutter (1983)
La Lune dans le caniveau WikiData IMDb TMDB NeoDB
Jean-Jacques Beineix actor: Gérard Depardieu / Nastassja Kinski …
other title: 明月照沟渠 / La Lune dans le caniveau …
A dockworker seeking revenge on the killer of his sister finds himself the object of desire for two women.
cover

Movie

Boy Meets Girl (1984)
Boy Meets Girl
Leos Carax actor: Denis Lavant / Mireille Perrier …
other title: Paixões Cruzadas / Chico conoce chica …
In Paris at night, a young aspiring filmmaker grapples with heartbreak after his girlfriend leaves him for his best friend. After a failed attempt to confront his friend, he wanders the streets and encounters a girl who has just been abandoned. Their paths cross at a party, bringing together two tormented souls.
cover

Movie

Subway (1985)
Subway IMDb TMDB Douban NeoDB
Luc Besson actor: Isabelle Adjani / Christopher Lambert …
other title: Subway. En busca de Freddy / 地下铁 …
Fred, a raffish safe blower, takes refuge in the Paris Metro after being chased by the henchmen of a shady businessman from whom he has just stolen some documents. While hiding out in the back rooms and conduits of the Metro, Fred encounters a subterranean society of eccentric characters and petty criminals.
cover

Movie

Betty Blue (1986)
37°2 le matin WikiData IMDb TMDB NeoDB
Jean-Jacques Beineix actor: Jean-Hugues Anglade / Béatrice Dalle …
other title: Betty Blue - 37,2 Grad am Morgen / 37°2 Le Matin …
A lackadaisical handyman and aspiring novelist tries to support his younger girlfriend as she slowly succumbs to madness.
cover

Movie

The Night Is Young (1986)
Mauvais Sang
★ 7.4 13 ratings
Leos Carax actor: Juliette Binoche / Denis Lavant …
other title: Rosso sangue / Má Raça …
Two aging crooks are given two weeks to repay a debt to a woman named The American. They recruit their recently deceased partner's son to help them break into a laboratory and steal the vaccine against STBO, a sexually transmitted disease that is sweeping the country. It's spread by having sex without emotional involvement, and most of its victims are teenagers who make love out of curiosity rather than commitment.
cover

Movie

The Big Blue (1988)
Le Grand Bleu
★ 7.8 5 ratings
Luc Besson actor: Jean-Marc Barr / Jean Reno …
other title: Vertigem Azul / Im Rausch der Tiefe …
Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy-adventure. Jacques and Enzo are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to the bewilderment of scientists, Jacques harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing pattern in the water, so that his vital signs more closely resemble that of dolphins than men. As Enzo persuades a reluctant Jacques to compete against him in a free diving contest — determining who can dive deeper and longer without scuba gear — Jacques meets Johana, a beautiful insurance investigator from America, and he finds that he must choose between his love for her and his love of the sea.
cover

Movie

Roselyne and the Lions (1988)
Roselyne et les lions WikiData IMDb TMDB
Jean-Jacques Beineix actor: Isabelle Pasco / Gérard Sandoz …
other title: Rosalyn und die Löwen / Roselyne et les lions …
Thierry drops out of school to apprentice as a lion tamer at the zoo where he meets Roselyne, who shares his passion. They fall in love and when he loses his job, the young lovers journey across France finding odd jobs at several circuses. In Germany, they fall under the tutelage of ageing big cat trainer, Klint, and while they are closer to realising their dreams, they find that their success drivers them part.
cover

Movie

La Femme Nikita (1990)
Nikita
Luc Besson actor: Anne Parillaud / Tchéky Karyo …
other title: Nikita / Nikita - Dura de Matar …
A beautiful felon, sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a policeman, is given a second chance – as a secret political assassin controlled by the government.
cover

Movie

Night and Day (1991)
Nuit et jour
Chantal Akerman actor: Guilaine Londez / Thomas Langmann …
other title: Notte e giorno / Nuit et jour …
Jack and Julie live in a bare Parisian flat. By day, they make love; by night, Jack is a taxi driver while Julie wanders the city. One day, Julie meets Joseph, the daytime cabbie, and soon Julie spends her nights with Joseph and her days with Jack.
cover

Movie

The Lovers on the Bridge (1991)
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf
★ 7.5 11 ratings
Leos Carax actor: Juliette Binoche / Denis Lavant …
other title: Gli amanti del Pont-Neuf / Os Amantes da Ponte Nova …
Set against Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, while it was closed for repairs, this film is a love story between two young vagrants: Alex, a would be circus performer addicted to alcohol and sedatives and Michele, a painter driven to a life on the streets because of a failed relationship and an affliction which is slowly turning her blind.
cover

Movie

Léon: The Professional (1994)
Léon: The Professional
★ 8.1 56 ratings
Luc Besson actor: Jean Reno / Natalie Portman …
other title: Leon / Leon: The Professional …
Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.
Reply Quote Oct. 5, 2026