Skip to content
CineRank

Best French Movies of the 1980s

This collection ranks 1,726 movies from France released in the 1980s. The list is ranked using a weighted combination of audience ratings, vote volume and popularity data, so movies with only a handful of votes never outrank widely acclaimed films. At the top sits Cinema Paradiso.

1,726 qualifying moviesRanked using a weighted combination of ratings, vote volume and popularity data

  3. 3

    Ran

    1985· 2h 40m· ja

    8.01.9K
  9. 9

    Shoah

    1985· 9h 26m· fr

    8.2223
  13. 13

    The Mission

    1986· 2h 5m· en

    7.41.6K
  15. 15

    Betty Blue

    1986· 2h 0m· fr

    7.2472
  16. 16

    The Big Blue

    1988· 2h 48m· fr

    7.41.6K
  19. 19

    The Bear

    1988· 1h 37m· fr

    7.1520
  23. 23

    Vagabond

    1985· 1h 46m· fr

    7.3366
  24. 24

    Frantic

    1988· 2h 0m· en

    6.71.2K
  27. 27

    The Road

    1982· 1h 50m· tr

    7.3131
  30. 30

    Time Masters

    1982· 1h 20m· fr

    7.2187
  31. 31

    Valmont

    1989· 2h 17m· en

    6.7308
  32. 32

    El Sur

    1983· 1h 34m· es

    7.7154
  33. 33

    Ace of Aces

    1982· 1h 40m· fr

    7.0344
  35. 35

    La Chèvre

    1981· 1h 34m· fr

    7.1719
  37. 37

    Danton

    1983· 2h 16m· fr

    6.8175
  38. 38

    L'Argent

    1983· 1h 25m· fr

    6.9300
  41. 41

    Beau Pere

    1981· 2h 3m· fr

    6.4153
  42. 42

    Mauvais Sang

    1986· 1h 59m· fr

    7.1284

Related collections

Frequently asked questions

How many french movies were made in the 1980s?

1,726 France productions from the 1980s have real rating data.

How are these french films ranked?

By a weighted score combining audience ratings, vote volume and popularity. Movies with very few votes are statistically shrunk toward the global average, so they cannot dominate the top of the list.

What is the best french movie of the 1980s?

Cinema Paradiso currently holds the #1 position.