The UItimate Foreign Film Thread

[john voight]

Aight, there are just too many good movies to discuss, so I will just highlight a few of my favorites:

France is my favorite country when it comes to foreign films. My knowledge is limited ATM, so I may change and swing Japanese in the future.

My all time favorite French movie would have to be The Wages of Fear (1952). It is a story about a couple men who take on a suicidal job; transferring explosives over a unforgiving terrain. Drama/ Quasi Adventure

A second recommendation is François Truffaut's Antoine Series . 5 movies (The 400 Blows, Antoine and Colette, Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, Love on the Run) that dissect the love life of a guy. This is kind of a chick flick, I guess, b/c it deals with the crazy relationships this guy has. Spanning 20 years, the series is highlighted by Stolen Kisses, and Bed and Board.

Lastly, I would suggest The Phantom of Liberty (1974), this is like a French Monty Python. Extremely funny stuff.

Italian: L' avventura (1960) L' eclisse (1962) are two complementary pieces. They are grim observations about the loneliness, and lack of happiness ppl can experience. The first I like, b/c it is kind of a "mystery", while the second is more of an "observation".

Tons of Fellini movies, worth mentioning, I will say this: Satyricon (1969) is one of the most dazzling pieces of color I have seen. Truly a work of beauty in terms of theatrical-type art. Secondly, La Dolce Vita (1960) is probably the second best foreign film I have ever seen. It is a story about a paparazzi, and his experience in Italy. Upon watching this movie, I was simply overwhelmed; it had such a profound affect on me.

You cant go wrong with Marcello Mastroianni, he is like the Italian Marlon Brando.

Japanese:

Just too much here. I'll point out some Kurosawa's you may have not gotten to yet. I coppied this from my blog:

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The reason I love his movies so much is because he observes emotion so well. He uses Toshiro Mifune throughout his movies to capture the element of humanity spinning it into comedy, tragedy, and violent adventures.

Two movies I will discuss are The Lower Depths (1957), and Dodesukaden (1970).

The Lower Depths is a play, and a comedy. It deals with a bunch of poor degenerates living in a room, yelling at each other. This movie has little plot, and truly illustrates how well Kurosawa captivates the humanity of his characters. The dancing seen is one of the most memorable and funniest scenes I have ever seen in my life.

Dodesukaden is a "modern" movie, meaning it portrays the present. It too deals with poverty, much like The Lower Depths. In fact the two movies complement each other quite nicely and should be viewed in order. This movie is very visual and expresses a more artistic aspect of Kurosawa. Unfortunately it was a flop, and was possibly one of the reason why Kurosawa tried to kill himself. Despite it's lack of popularity, it is one of my favorites.

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I would like to point out, my favorite Kurosawa is The Hidden Fortress (1958) . It is more of a fantasy adventure movie, (featuring plenty of samurai, etc..). I recall, Star Wars was influenced by it (in some ways).

Lupin the Third: Castle of Cagliostro(1979) This is animation. A great adventure, about a guy saving a princess. Spielberg said, it was one of the "most influential" movies of all time.

Polish:

Knife in the Water (1962) Roman Polanski film. A film about strangers taking an afternoon off on a boat. Interesting because you really see the talent/versatility Polanski has.

Russia:
Window to Paris (1994) A very funny movie. Many Russian movies seem depressing, mainly because the state of affairs is somewhat depressing in that country, but this was a very "lifting" movie. I watched it maybe 10 years ago when I was 10, so my memory is rusty.

Random Other Movies:

Most I listed were movies fit for El D's Forum (classy stuff), so here are some good OOT films:

City Of God (2002) (Brazil) If you like brutal violence, nonstop action, and a good plot, this is it. Enter the drug world or Brazil.

Le samouraï(1967) (France) A hitman's life. Experience the caution, and emptiness he lives.

The Long Good Friday (1980) Some British gangster is pissed off, so there is a whole bunch of killing, violence etc.. Action.

[john voight]

btw if you wanna see Penelope Cruz being a sexy girl who wants oral sex, I suggest renting Jamón, Jamón (1992).

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

nice post JV.