Never viewed a film w/sub-titles: Considering Criterion's Insomnia or The Vanishing (1 Viewer)

[Jon Robertson]

I don't get the hoo-hah over Run Lola Run - it was fun, but didn't leave the lasting impression some others did.
However, foreign films aren't a genre - they're equally, if not more diverse than English-language cinema. You really need to work out the kind of films you enjoy, then just look for those from wherever you can.
Three foreign films I would save from a burning house are Le Trou, Rififi and The Killer (it's a mere coincidence that they're all crime films), but it really is up to you.
However, as you can see, people at HTF love coming up with suggested lists, so if you really get stuck we're right behind you.
I can guarantee that you're about to make the biggest transition of your film-watching career - embrace it, and don't be scared of watching anything and everything: you only have to watch anything once, and who knows, it might be your new favourite film.

Not subbed, but my fave foreign film would be Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell starring Peter O'Toole . You'd need a region free player capable of PAL conversion however. Cheers.

OK, cool news time.
The DVD was shot over three nights, and I was in the third row on the last night, almost rupturing myself with laughter. I have the ticket stub to prove this. I did not pay £500, as the man on the commentary track seems to think, but used my initiative and picked up a returned ticket for £30 that morning.
I can only share your opinion - it's a deeply treasured DVD of mine: Peter O'Toole's performance is a tour-de-force to say the very least and Keith Waterhouse's script is nothing less than sheer dynamite, drifting from the painfully hilarious to the touching melancholic at the drop of a hat.
For O'Toole fans out there worrying about PAL-speedup, then don't: it was shot on PAL digital video - I know, because I was there!

 

[Bob_L]

John:

Since you like thrillers, I'd also recommend Kurosawa's "High and Low," a contemporary (well, 1960s) police drama. Excellent.

"The Vanishing" is a great recommendation. Truly disturbing movie. Director Sluizer's American remake was a gelding by comparison.

In the action category, the John Woo films are required viewing: "The Killer" and "Hard Boiled" are good places to start. And, of course, Jackie Chan made two decades of brilliant action films before hitting big in the US. Check out the "Police Story" series.

I envy you coming to these films for the first time. You're really going to enjoy yourself. I also admire you for expanding your viewing outside of the mainstream. Good man! You will be rewarded with some of the greatest viewing experiences of your life.

 

[ChrisMatson]

Ken's link is great.
Some of my favorite foreign movies are:
Amelie; The Widow of St. Pierre; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Blue; White; Red (The Colors Trilogy); and Das Boot.

 

[John Fieldstadt]

As I said before: WOW!!!!

I've always just scanned over the thread topics in the software section before, mainly reading threads related to mainstream American films. Based on the response I've gotten in such a short time it's quickly becoming obvious to me that I've ignored a subject near and dear to alot of people's hearts (funny how blind we can be some times). This is definitely becoming one of those experiences where when I start to learn about it I realize how much MORE I have to learn about it!!! (I went through the same thing here a few years ago when I was putting my HT together).

Keep the suggestions coming! I appreciate everyone's input and enthusiasm on this topic. I can see I've got somemore homework to do. I'll keep you up to date and let you know the choices I've made.

 

[Cees Alons]

If you want to look at a somewhat older film too, I can recommend Purple Noon (1960). It has recently been (visually) restored by Martin Scorcese and was released on DVD two weeks ago. The film is based on the same book as "The Talented Mr. Ripley", and - except perhaps for the last minute - can stand the comparison with this recent film. It is very attractive to compare those two films (40 years apart!) anyway.
Recommended in French (with English subtitles, if you wish).
Cees

 

[Mike H]

I'd recommend Brother. It's half english, half japanese, with subtitles. A good introductory title to subtitles.

It is defintely action based.

mike

 

[SteveK]

As an update to my previous post, it turns out that "Babette's Feast" is to be shown on Sundance Channel (part of the Showtime package on Dish and DirecTV) in March.

Sundance Channel is frequently a good source for foreign films. The movies are (usually) shown in their OAR and with subtitles as opposed to dubs. It also features the smaller, independent domestic productions. The Sundance Channel is the primary reason I subscribe to the Showtime package on Dish. I wish they offered the option of subscribing ONLY to the Sundance Channel rather than the entire Showtime pacakge, but they don't. If it weren't for Sundance, I'd cancel Showtime immediately.

Once again, enjoy your quest!

Steve K.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Most subtitled fare is usually foreign. In our cases, John, any film outside the U.S. Using this as the basis of my criteria, I'd watch The Vanishing. Personally, I don't like it because it left me unsatisfied, but you might.
As for recommendations:
Cinema Paradiso
- Awesome, and the farthest thing from artsy-fartsy, a stigma often associated with foreign films. As a matter of fact, watch it with a girlfriend. If she has a pulse, she'll find Toto cute.
Yojimbo
- An easy introduction to Akira Kurosawa. Story and plot are easy to follow, and you can appreciate the cinematic genius at the same time.
The Seven Samurai
- An extremely great flick, but might be too daunting for newbies, considering its length (3+ hours)
Das Boot
- I don't know how it does it, but this film manages to keep my attention span for 3+ hours. Awesome submarine movie.
While I'll get killed for saying this, avoid French films like the plague. They're extremely convoluted and artsy fartsy. Asians and Italians know how to do it better.

 

[JohnS]

I'm going to throw in a couple more!
Le Million
The Dinner Game
The Visitors(the orig. French version of Just Visiting)

 

[John Fieldstadt]

Well after reviewing all the responses and reading a number of reviews of those titles suggested I've made a decision.
I figure that since this is something new to me and since I know how I usually react to things I've chosen two titles that I feel will capture my interest without being too drastic a change (something that might drive me away). My thoughts are that I will gradually wean myself from my mainstream viewing habits (altough not give them up completely) and work my way from there. A number of titles sounded interesting, and I'd definitely like to check out the classics but this will all come in time.
So for now I've ordered Run Lola Run (never heard of it before this thread but it sounds intriguing and in line with my tastes) and The Vanishing (also sounds intriguing and also it caught my eye originally and I have a pretty good track record of picking out titles I've never seen before and liking them).
Thanks again for all the suggestions. I'll let you know what I think of them.

 

[Lars Vermundsberget]

I'm not giving any recommendations here. Even though it's certaily a good thing that you plan to "widen your horizons", I can't help but think that the term "foreign movies" is a very, very, very wide generalization.

This thing about subtitles: Since I'm from a small country with a relatively small production of popular movies, it turns out that the majority of the movies I've watched in my lifetime have subtitles. It's not hard at all when you get used to it (given that you don't have problems reading). If you watch enough movies in a certain foreign language, it's even going to make it easier to learn/understand that particular language...