What are the best foreign (non-English OSL) films? (1 Viewer)

[Dmitry]

A couple more Italian gems by Federico Fellini:

Amarcord (Available, Criterion)
Nights of Cabiria (Available, Criterion).

 

[Steve O]

After all of the rave reviews, I can't find Cinema Paradiso anywhere. Some online "scalpers" have new, unopened versions for $65 to $90 -- but I'm not willing to pay that much for a movie sight-unseen. I really want to purchase this DVD, but my local retailers told me it's out-of-print in Region 1.
Why on earth would they stop printing a DVD that won an Oscar for best foreign film?
On Amazon.com the film averaged 5 out of 5 stars based on 131 customer reviews!!! Yet they stop pressing the DVD. Sometimes I completely don't understand how the world works.

 

[Ted Lee]

steve o -

roger ebert has a good essay on cinema paradiso on the suntimes website, but i can't seem to get on it right now.

in case you didn't know, a new release of the movie is out - it's like an hour longer or something and develops in more detail the romance angle between the boy and that gal (can't remember either name).

i assume it'll be available on dvd at some time. possibly someone else will know for sure.

anyway, check ebert's site when you get a chance...it's out there.

 

[Steve O]

Thanks for the great information! I've picked up Chungking Express (Cantonese) sight-unseen based on the reviews here and love it. I especially love the second story, ... a great romantic comedy with very likable characters! I also rented Run Lola Run (German). That was a one-of-a-kind movie alright, and very enjoyable. Worth a second viewing (or sixth, as the case may be, since there are three variations on the story within the same film).
There are a couple of books out there that compile the best foreign films cross-referenced by language, but I find that they don't seem to have many of the newer films listed. Plus (a credit to this forum), I've found the information here more credible and reliable.
There are many languages not mentioned yet. Please keep your comments coming! Here's the template again (reprinted from the top of this thread):
==============================
OSL:
Title:
I love this film because:
DVD availability:

==============================
Thanks again! I very much appreciate all of your help!!!

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Another recommendation in addition to the many good ones given above: Diabolique!

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I should mention that Shall We Dance is not available on DVD yet, and the US VHS tape is cut by 15 min for no reason

 

[Brian W.]

My votes go for:

French - The 400 Blows (my very favorite foreign film)
Japanese - Rashomon
German - "M"
Italian - Amarcord

That's all that comes to mind at the moment.

 

[george kaplan]

As long as people are adding more films to the list, I'll add the following (that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet):

Rififi (French)
Hard-Boiled (Chinese)
Open City (Italian)
The Killer (Chinese)

 

[Steve O]

Although nobody voted for it yet, last year's Beijing Bicycle (Mandarin) was superb!
OSL: Mandarin (Chinese)
Title: Beijing Bicycle
I love this film because: It delves deeper into the characters' hearts and minds than most modern films, which is very refreshing. People can identify with both of the people involved in the moral dilemma -- neither is cast as the villain. This film is also beautifully shot and directed.
DVD availability: Available now (Columbia Tristar)

 

[Steve O]

I'm very interested in why people liked these foreign films. Reviewing films is such a subjective art, since what moves you depends on so many different factors that influence your life. Usually though, when I hear the reasons, I can tell if I'll like the film too.
If it's not too much trouble, I would very much like to hear why each of you love these foreign films.
Thank you so much for your help! So far, the recommendations have been excellent.

 

[James_M]

Can't pick just one! Some Asian recommendations:
http://www.dddhouse.com for most of your HK DVD shopping needs.
OSL:Japanese
Title: Kurosawa movies: Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Throne of Blood, Red Beard and more
I love these films because: Japan's greatest director. Is explanation necessary? Some of the three hour ones test your endurance though.
DVD availability: some good criterions, poor R0 quality mei ah versions.
OSL: Japanese
Title: Castle of Cagliostro
I love this film because: Japan's greatest animation director, Hayao Miyazaki's first movie. Lupin is a thief with a heart. It's lots of fun. Miyazaki makes good use of the characters.
DVD availability: Available in R1
OSL: Japanese
Title: Grave of the Fireflies
I love this film because: Serious anime drama about young a boy and his sister trying to survive in Japan during WWII.
DVD availability: CPM R1 available, soon to be released in collector's edition
OSL: Mandarin
Title: To Live
I love this film because: Zhang Yimou covers a married couple's life from the 40's to 80's in China. Gong Li's in it.
DVD availability: Try ebay or hkflix.com
I've got too many Cantonese films to list so I'll try to keep it short and list inexpensive films.
OSL: Cantonese
Title: The Killer, A Better Tomorrow
I love this film because: Both awesome John Woo gunplay flicks with pretty good melodramatic stories to match. Plus they both got Chow Yun Fat in it.
DVD availability: In R1 and R0
OSL: Cantonese
Title: Dragons Forever
I love this film because: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao. The three peking opera school brothers in their best movie yet. Good kung fu action. No really great stunts but exciting fights.
DVD availability: in R0 at dddhouse.com
OSL: Cantonese
Title: Fong Sai Yuk
I love this film because: Jet Li the happy go lucky comedic hero? Yes, get Jet as you've never seen him before. Not in a bad ass role or in a villianous role but in a movie that combines comedy, drama, romance, and action all in one. Mostly wire-fu but a fun classic movie.
DVD availability: dddhouse (don't get the dubbed abomination called "the legend")
OSL: Cantonese
Title: Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon, Game of Death
I love this film because: Bruce Lee, the greatest martial arts actor of all time. You know what I mean.
DVD availability: MANY diff versions out there.
OSL: Cantonese
Title: Diary of a Big Man
I love this film because: Chow Yun Fat... the comedian??? See Chow Yun Fat as you've never seen him before in a totally outrageous comedy. Chow Yun Fat sings?? It's funny.
DVD availability: dddhouse
OSL: Cantonese
Title: God of Cookery
I love this film because: Stephen Chow, the HK superstar comedian in a cooking comedy that's recognized as one of his best films.
DVD availability: dddhouse
OSL: Cantonese
Title: Prodigal Son
I love this film because: Yuen Biao does Wing Chun style. Awesome martial art fights and not too bad of a story.
DVD availability: dddhouse
OSL: ??? (chinese)
Title: Shaolin Challenges Ninja
I love this film because: Even though it's dubbed in english and pan and scanned (usually spells death to any movie) the movie incredibly faces match after match of Chinese martial arts vs. Japanese martial arts. And they are sweet. Gordon Liu is awesome in this Shaw Bros classic.
DVD availability: R1
OSL: Cantonese
Title: Autumn's Tale
I love this film because: Chow Yun Fat in a sweet romance movie that takes place in 80's New York? Not too bad
DVD availability: dddhouse
OSL: Cantonese
Title: Hong Kong 1941, All About Ah Long, Prison on Fire
I love this film because: Chow Yun Fat dramas.
DVD availability: dddhouse

 

[Justin_S]

Here are some excellent foreign horror films that are must sees in my book:
THE VANISHING (Dutch)
RING (Japanese)
AUDITION (Japanese)
DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE (aka CEMETERY MAN) (Italian)
ONIBABA (Japanese)
THE NAMELESS (aka LOS SIN NOMBRE) (Spanish)
THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (Spanish)
UZUMAKI (Japanese)
CURE (Japanese)
KAIRO (Japanese)
OPEN YOUR EYES (Spanish)
THESIS (Spanish)
SUSPIRIA (Italian)
PHENOMENA (Italian)
OPERA (Italian)
TENEBRE (Italian)
LISA AND THE DEVIL (Italian)
CAT O'NINE TAILS (Italian)
LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (Spanish)

 

[george kaplan]

Well, for myself, it's not going to be the "usual" reasons for liking a foreign film. Although the films I list have great acting, and are great 'art', and some of them have 'deep meaning', I listed them because they manage to have all of those things AND still be entertaining. I'm not saying that the other films aren't entertaining, just that what one finds entertaining is a subjective thing, and it's the fact that I have fun watching them over and over that led me to list them.

 

[Steve O]

James_M --
Thanks so much for the thought put into your "best of Asia" list! I think that I'm going to check out Grave of the Fireflies. Anime tends to be hit-or-miss with me, since some the themes tend to be way out there. However, the anime style coupled with real-life subject matter (such as WWII Japan) sounds very interesting.
Justin_S --
Although I've not seen it, many people have told me that Open Your Eyes is a better version of the American remake, Vanilla Sky. I'll have to check it out for myself. I thought that it was more along the "fantasy/surreal/drama" lines than falling into the "horror" genre, though. Does the Spanish film have more of a horror slant than the American film?
George K. --
For me, I just need to be able to care about the characters and identify with them at some level. That is usually what makes me like a film, ... and why I'm having a difficult time connecting with many American films today, since the latter tend to focus less and less screen time on character development. Don't get me wrong, though -- I still love my occasional action-adventure and I'm also a sci-fi nut! It's just that the ones that I like to "sink myself into" need more of the human side.
Thanks again for the feedback!!!
By the way, ... I'm still looking for the best Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Hindi films. Any recommendations?

 

[Justin_S]

Steve O, yeah, OPEN YOUR EYES does fall more into the fantasy/drama genres, but it definitely does have some horror aspects in it, and I love the film, so I recommended it along with the rest. I also think the definition of horror can be a little more open, so I think OPEN YOUR EYES can be classified as a horror film of sorts.

 

[Steve_Ch]

Since most of the "big guns" (Seven Samurai, Children of Paradise,...) have been mentioned multiple times, here are a couple that's slightly off the beaten path, Tampopo (Japanese) and Z (in French and I don't think it even has an English sound track).

 

[Michael Taylor]

OSL: Swedish
Title: The Seventh Seal
I love this film because: The theme of the film is thought provoking, the performances are excellent, the story is dramatic with moments of levity. The plot - A man returning from the Crusades is questioning the existance of God. He is searching for the answer while he plays a game of chess with the Grim Reaper.
DVD availability: Criterion

OSL: Japanese
Title: Rashomon (My first choice would be Seven Samurai but others have already mentioned it. Red Beard, also previously listed in this thread is an excellent, moving story.)
I love this film because: This film started the whole practice of telling the same story from several different perspectives. It is based on a literary source (I can't remember which), but I don't think this particular way of telling a story had been attempted in cinema before. Toshiro Mifune's performance is great and the story is very interesting.
DVD availability: Criterion

OSL: French
Title: The City of Lost Children
I love this film because: It has a very unique visual style.
DVD availability: Columbia/Tristar

OSL: Norwegian
Title: Insomnia (1997)
I love this film because: I like the way the plot unfolds, Stellan Skarsgard's performance is great in that you can see the character's gradual decline from lack of sleep and guilt over what he has done.
DVD availability: Criterion

OSL: German
Title: Run Lola Run
I love this film because: The story is told three different times based where little things that happen in them have a ripple-effect in how the story plays out. The director, Tom Tykwer, obviously likes to play with cause and effect because he does it to a smaller extent in "The Warrior and the Princess".
DVD availability: Columbia/Tristar

 

[Steve O]

Jeff Adkins --
I checked out the nehaflix.com site for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. I can't believe how cheap the DVDs are on that site (I believe $6.99 for this title)! Based on your experience, is this a pretty reputable site? Also, do you have any other recommendations for films from India? I was very surprised at how many there were that looked interesting. Quite a few love stories, it seems.
How good are the production values of these films (you had mentioned in an earlier post the quality of the sets and music)?
Several of my closest friends are from India. I'll have to ask them if they've seen these movies or have any other recommendations.
Thanks again!

 

[Lew Crippen]

Just ran across this thread. You have been given some excellent suggestions. A few more:
Frencb:
La Règle de jue/Rules of the Game, Jean Renior;s 1939 masterpiece. Unlike La Grande illusion, which was already recommended, I don’t think that this is available on DVD. Search it out anyway, as many critics consider this Renior’s best.
La Belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast, absolute piece of magic by Jean Cocteau. This can be viewed as an outright fairy story, or a film, filled with symbolism. Either way it’s a visual treat.
Italian
La Strada/The Road, an early Fellini film, but one that is filled (IMO) with many of his trademark themes, such as the circus, but here they are fresh, not shopworn. Stars, surprisingly Anthony Quinn and, unsurprisingly, his wife Giuleitta Masina.
l’Avventura/The Adventure, an Antonioni film that is long, slow and difficult, but worth every effort. This was made well before Blow Up and The Red Desert and I think it the film that he first demonstrates his full abilities.
Farsi:
Ta’m e guilass/Taste of Cherry, one of a number of recent fine films from Iran. And one, admittedly not to everyone’s taste, it has received mixed comments and reviews ever since it was screened at Cannes. The pace of this film, makes that of L’Avventura seem frantic by comparison. The film has rewards for some, if not for the many. Fortunately Criterion has made this easily available.
Cantonese:
Chong qing sen lin/Chungking Express, is perhaps not as beautiful a film as Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love, but is a movie that takes you on a ride and never lets you off. I’ve never figured out if I intellectually like this movie or not. But it is one that I love.
Japanese
Suna No Onna/Woman of the Dunes where the protagonist is given a Sisyphusian task of shoveling sand. A very erotic (at least to me) film, that examines the meaning of life, or if indeed life has a meaning. The director, Hiroshi Teshigahara and the film are not so well known now, but this was all the rage when released back in the mid-60s.

 

[Don D]

OSL: French
Title: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg / The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
I love this film because: Jacques Demy has a completely unique voice as a director and this is his masterpiece. It's a musical in which every line of dialogue is sung -- which may be initially a shock, but once you settle into the film it's hard not to be completely rivited by its imagery and simple beauty. Even if you aren't fond of musicals, you must see this one. This is not a feel-good musical comedy from Hollywood -- it's very French, exquisite, and bittersweet. Les Parapluies de Cherbourg received five academy award nominations, and launched the career of Catherine Deneuve.
DVD availability: YES!