tip for those learning french...

...or any language.

I spend quite a bit of time listening to audio and watching films
(mainly because no one will talk to me :-)) and had found it
invaluable to be able to slow down movies without affecting the pitch;
I've been using a software called totalrecorder but unfortunately it's
not free.

I've very recently discovered a freeware that does the job really well
- VLC player. Perhaps you already use this player? If not, check it
out. If you're already familiar with VLC and aren't aware of the
speed change without pitch change then give it a try - I couldn't have
progressed without it (prefs/audio/'enable time stretching audio'
should be ticked).