Thread: Foreign Films

Originally Posted by Troggie

I have been on a Foreign Film kick lately..

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy (Denmark) and Let the Right One In (Norway though hey remade this one in the US last year I believe and it's called Let Me In )

Actually both (all) these films are Swedish

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

There's a lot of crap coming out of everywhere. And, some good thrown in once in awhile. For example, the Mexican film above, Rezien Cazado, was very well done. But, my Mexican friends say that Mexican movies are almost universally sheisse and drek. (First time I've ever used those words in print. Spelled right?)

As an aside, can I admit that I sometimes watch Mexican game shows? (I understand taco and burrito, those two Spanish words.)

Well...Sheisse is german.....and I'm Dutch....but I think you spelled that right.

One of my favourite non-english films is "El laberinto del fauno" or Pans Labirynth (darn my spelling today).

I'll add my two pennies in here. Had the opportunity to take an elective course waaaaaaay back in college - The History of International Cinema. Gotta love those electives. A fascinating class that introduced me to many interesting movies.

In no particular order:

Rashomon - directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story of crime as seen from multiple points of view.

Man Bites Dog - precursor to Natual Born Killers. Extremely violent rampage from the point of view of the perpetrators.

+1 for Battleship Potempkin. Mutiny on the high seas. Communist propoganda film.

Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will and Olympia Part I and Olympia Part II. Both were/are Nazi propaganda films - so you'll have to take that into account, but are some of the most visually striking images on film. Olimpia demonstrates some of the most amazing sports cinematography that one will ever see.

City of God - Takes place in Brazilian slums

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - One of the earliest, if not the first "thriller." Macabre. Surreal set design. Really interesting.

Metropolis - Fritz Lang's masterpiece with a lot of communist undertones

Many of these early films were propaganda films. They were intended to foster the government's interests in the audiences that were seeing them. With these films, the viewer gets an interesting window into the political and social climate of the times in which they were created.

Side note - not a foreign film, but every film buff should take a look at The Great Train Robbery (1903). If memory serves me correctly, this is the first use of stop action - that is the car/train/boat/person/bullet/whatever is coming straight at the camera and following the cut it is going away from the camera, creating the illusion that it has run over the viewer. It utilizes some other unique camera angles and "special effects" as well. On top of all of that, you'll finally understand that final scene when Joe Pesci is shooting into the camera at the end of Goodfellas.

Originally Posted by smreno77

...On top of all of that, you'll finally understand that final scene when Joe Pesci is shooting into the camera at the end of Goodfellas.

I must of seen Goodfellas at least of dozen times when it came out, but for the life of me, I can not recall the scene you are referring to, I guess it's time to load it into the dvd player.

Just about any film seen in my country is a foreign film! American films are foreign films here. As far as non english speaking films go, if I don't know the language, or at least don't have a rudimentry grasp of the language that it's in, and therefore am in need of sub-titles, I just don't bother. I can't read the sub-titles fast enough, and watch the film at the same time, to get any enjoyment out of them.

A foreign film that I have enjoyed was 'Freebird' a biker comedy/drama movie from Wales. It's in english and Welsh. Safe languages for me. I at least have a basic grasp of both, enough to follow the storyline anyway .


Mick

Originally Posted by smreno77

It utilizes some other unique camera angles and "special effects" as well. On top of all of that, you'll finally understand that final scene when Joe Pesci is shooting into the camera at the end of Goodfellas.

I think you may have your mob movies mixed up, it's easy enough with Joe Pesci since he's pretty much the same character in all of them, Pesci doesn't make it to the end of "Goodfellas"

Indeed, they seem to run together at times, but yes, while his character is no longer among the breathing actors in the film, Joe Pesci is shooting into the camera at the end of Goodfellas. Scorsese added the scene as an homage to the Great Train Robbery. It comes at the end of Henry Hill's narration just before the credits roll as Sid Vicious is singing "My Way." Plus, even if I am wrong, it's a good excuse to watch a great movie, if we needed one. May have to pop it in tonight.

Oh, I don't remember seeing that but you seem to know more than I do about goodfellas. I know what I'll be doing this weekend, watching goodfellas and the great train robbery.

I live in a relativity small down 2 hours north of Toronto so we do not get allot of foreign Films. However I have tickets for showing of two in September

The white Meadows - Iran
The First Grader - Kenya

Really looking forward to both of these. Anyone seen 1 or both?

I'm a huge fan of Zhang Yimou films, especially his early movies. His last few films were fishing wire kingfu flicks. While not bad films, were a little much. His early films such as Sorghum Red, Raise the Red Lantern, and Ju Do are amazing. He's known as an expert cinematographer, and it shows, they're gorgeous films.

I also like Jan Svenkmajer films, a surrealist Czech animator. Alice is probably his most famous film, but I'm more partial to his short films. His interpretation of Faust is great, as well.

Of course, Ingmar Bergman is the master of European film making. I like 'Hour of the Wolf' and 'Cries and Whispers'.