Favorite foreign films?

[Jeebo]

Last edited Thu Aug 24, 2023, 10:20 PM - Edit history (1)

Here are my favorite foreign films:

Beauty and the Beast, 1946, French, Jean Cocteau director, Josette Day as Beauty, Jean Marais as the Beast. Imagine a painting of the well-known fairy tale that comes to life and moves. That's this movie.

Run Lola Run, 1998, German, Tom Tykwer director, Franka Potente as Lola. This movie is a relentless 80-minute roller coaster ride.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, 2007, French, Julian Schnabel director, Mathieu Amalric as Jean-Dominique Bauby. A sad and tragic true story but nevertheless uplifting because of what the central character was able to accomplish with what little he had.

The Wall, 2012, Austrian, Julian Polsler director, Martina Gedeck as the unnamed central character. This is one of the best science fiction movies ever made, in my humble opinion. I categorize it as science fiction because the title phenomenon can be explained only as coming from some mysterious extraterrestrial technology.

And three silent films:

Metropolis, 1927, German

Battleship Potemkin, 1925, Russian

The Passion of Joan of Arc, 1928, French, Maria Falconetti as the title character. When Joan of Arc was interrogated there were scribes present who took careful notes of the interrogation. Those notes survive and as I understand it were used essentially as the script for this film. That has a lot to do with how realistic this film is. It's so realistic that I have seen this movie only once and could not bear to watch it again, because of that burning at the stake scene at the end.

-- Ron

[cloudbase]

1. Life is Beautiful, 1997.

[CincyDem]

2. Some fun old Brit flicks.

The Long Good Friday. (Bob Hoskins & Helen Mirren)

Mona Lisa (Another Bob Hoskins with Michael Caine and Robbie Coltrane)

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (a fun little Guy Ritchie romp)

[Jeebo]

3. I meant foreign-language films.

But yes, British films -- and Australian, and New Zealand, and Canadian -- are foreign films, too, and there are some really good ones that come from those countries. "A Night to Remember" (1958) is, in my humble opinion, the best Titanic movie ever made.

But, again, I meant foreign-language films. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

-- Ron

[CincyDem]

4. Com'on man...have you watched The Long Good Friday.

Ya can't understand a darn word of it the accents are so thick. Need subtitles. Don't tell me that ain't a foreign language film.

[Beastly Boy]

5. My favorite films are all foreign

Satyricon by Fellini
Andrey Rublev by Tarkovsky
A Clockwork Orange by Kubrick
Berlin Alexanderplatz (miniseries) by Fassbinder
The Third Man by Carol Reed
The Magician by Bergman
Raise the Red Lantern by Zhang Yimou
Breathless by Jean-Luc Goddard

Not necessarily in that order.

[Permanut]

6. The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe.

And King of Hearts.

[mockmonkey]

7. I also liked

Run Lola Run

Mona Lisa

Metropolis, YouTube has a 3hr 41 minute version but no sound at all and I'm not really able to handle that.

I'll add:

The Wages of Fear: 1953, In the Central American jungle supplies of nitroglycerin are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers and on the rough remote roads the slightest jolt can result in death. I don't think I saw the remake, "Sorcerer". I read that Netflix is making a version of it.

Bread and Chocolate: 1974, Italian immigrant Nino steadfastly tries to become a member of Swiss Society no matter how awful his situation becomes.

Delicatessen: 1991, Centered on a post-apocalyptic society where food is scarce and used as currency. In an apartment building with a delicatessen on the ground floor. The owner of the eatery also owns the apartment building and is in need of a new maintenance man since the prior one "mysteriously" disappeared. A former clown applies for the job and the butcher's intent is to have him work for as little as possible.

[TexasBushwhacker]

10. I saw Sorcerer. It was great.

Including the Tangerine Dream soundtrack hammering away at your head.

[mockmonkey]

11. Cool

I think I'm going to watch it this weekend.

[TexasBushwhacker]

16. Crank up the volume. The soundtrack is mesmerizing.

Also, the overall color saturation is quite dark, so you may want to watch it in a darkened room.

[Tarzanrock]

8. Ten in no particular order

Grand Illusion
"M"
Das Boot
Godzilla
Aguirre, The Wrath of God
Rome, An Open City
All Kurosawa films with Mifune
Repulsion
All Quiet on the Western Front
Last Tango in Paris

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. Day for Night

The 400 Blows
Swept Away
Cinema Paridiso
The New Land

[mockmonkey]

14. Try not to cry...

at the joyous ending of Cinema Paradiso.

It reminds me of my Aunt in a weird way. She would read books and cut out the offensive parts "to protect others", I imagine.

My Aunt is really an awesome person, otherwise.

I told my Mom that my Aunt probably keeps all of the best parts in a drawer at home.

[mockmonkey]

12. There are so many great Foreign films

I've forgotten about so many Foreign films that others have listed in this thread.

I'll have to check out some old favorites and the new ones that others have enjoyed.

[ratchiweenie]

13. Agree, all Kurosawa films with Mifune and Fellini 81/2 and La Strada.

Also Dersu Usala by Kurosawa and Woman in the Dunes (the book is one of my all time favorites and the movie is very well done).

[geardaddy]

15. Painted Faces from Hong Kong

Ju Dou from China
Raise the Red Lantern from China
Hedd Wyn from Wales
Patagonia from Wales
Das Boot
Downfall from Germany

Those are just a few.

[bif]

17. "Aguirre the Wrath of God" Fitzcoraldo"

"Fellini's Amarcord" "Get out your Handkerchiefs" "Cinema Paradiso" and a ton of others.