SCREEN: French twist  Todd Hill By Todd Hill Staten Island
Advance  Brit thespian Kristin Scott Thomas has loved French
cinema for so long  Kristin Scott Thomas took some time on
Monday, the one day she has off from her Broadway gig, to talk
about something she has been doing routinely, without fanfare,
for many years.  The English actress, now 48, has been making
French films for nearly three decades, during which she's also
been a full-time resident of France. The American press has
suddenly taken notice of this aspect of Thomas' career with
considerable enthusiasm.  The actress best known in this country
for the 1996 film "The English Patient," and in this town at
present for her performance in the highly praised stage
production of Chekhov's "The Seagull," appears in two French
films this year that have gotten noticed over here -- this past
summer's "Tell No One" and "I've Loved You So Long," which opens
tomorrow in Manhattan.  Anyone who sees these two movies will
note that Thomas speaks flawless, accent