The movie that tells the life story of French singer Édith Piaf, “La Vie En Rose” (2007), makes its official big screen debut this weekend, after having been screened at film festivals earlier this year. This week, Dinner & a Movie takes a look at films and eateries touched by the bleu, blanc, et rouge in the city. Kick back with a glass of Beaujolais this weekend and enjoy a little bit of France in New York.

DINNER

At Café Cluny, bistro stalwarts like duck confit and braised beef know their job and do it well. Two confited legs of duck ($23) have buttery, crisped skin enclosing dark, savory meat. If their reduction is too salty, that just adds to the hearty, flavor-crammed mood; roasted brussels sprouts on the plate lend a fresh crunch without compromising the dish’s vigor. A cap of foie gras on beef short ribs is less incongruous there than, say, on pizza, but still it doesn’t add much to the dish beyond glitz (and ratcheting a cheap cut to $28). Indeed, it almost gets lost melting among the tender shreds of beef, which hardly need more richness — their classic wintry depth is permeated with wine and fat. (284 W. 12th St. at West 4th Street, 212-255-6900). — Paul Adams (Reviewed December 13, 2006)

The Sun also selects:

Gavroche — An oasis on a busy stretch of 14th Street, Gavroche serves up well-executed traditional French dishes include coq au vin and steak frites, but it also offers three different kinds of planches, platters of charcuterie, cheese, or smoked fish, and a delicate appetizer of wild mushroom ravioli with white truffle oil. (212 W. 14th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-647-8553)

Régate — The cuisine of this tiny Lower East Side restaurant is inspired by the Île de Ré, an island off of the west coast of France. Besides the reasonable wine list, a short and sweet tapas list, and a perfectly shaken Manhattan, the restaurant also serves a satisfying bowl of mouclade de la couarde, steamed mussels doused in a cream sauce seasoned with saffron. (198 Orchard St., between Stanton and Houston streets, 212-228-8555)

La Bonne Soupe — A small haven away from the bustle of Midtown West, La Bonne Soupe is known for turning out bistro classics like les omelettes and les hamburgers. But the restaurant also offers a sharable cheese fondue, spiked with just enough white wine, and a chocolate fondue for those diners who want to gild the dinner lily. (48 W. 55th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-586-7650)

MOVIES

Olivier Dahan’s “La Vie En Rose” (2007) follows the life of French chanteuse Édith Piaf as she was born in poverty, raised by a father who worked in the circus, and achieved fame worldwide while living in Paris and New York. Despite Piaf’s great fame and admiration, she could not avoid succumbing to the temptations of celebrity, becoming a morphine addict and dying of cancer in 1963. (Friday, 7, 8, and 9:45 p.m., Angelika Film Center, 18 W. Houston St. at Mercer Street, 212-995-2000, $11 general, $7.50 children and seniors)

Ninety-eight-year-old director Manoel de Oliveira celebrates the release of his latest French-language film, “Belle Toujours” (2006), which follows the saddening fate of an unrequited love between the single and free Henri and Séverine, a young housewife who works at a brothel to satisfy her sexual appetite while avoiding her wheelchair-bound husband. Séverine is unsure whether or not Henri has disclosed her secret to her husband. After 30 years, Henri attempts to rekindle the flame between himself and his love, but he finds Séverine has changed over the years as she contemplates joining a convent after the death of her husband. (Friday, 6:20, 8:35, and 10:10 p.m., Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, 1886 Broadway, between 62nd and 63rd streets, 212-757-2280, $10.75 general)