Foreign-language films

[Cali]

Is anyone else a fan?

At Uni we did a few of the European film movements - French New Wave, Italian Neo-realism, and post-1945 German cinema- as well as a module on South-East Asian and Iranian cinema.

I didn't really get on with French New Wave (I think it was the style I didn't get on with) but I love Vittorio de Sica's Bicycle Thieves and several German films- Sun Alley, Goodbye Lenin, The Promise and Wings of Desire. Staying with European cinema, I also enjoyed Ma Vie en Rose and La Vita e Bella, the latter being the first ever foreign-language film I saw while I was at school. In French class, strangely.

I also found Iranian cinema (Abbas Kiarostami, Samira Makhmalbaf) just a little bit too slow for my tastes, whereas I loved the Korean film Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring which although slow is beautifully paced as to be reflective rather than noticeably slow in its storytelling.

 

[Orac Zen]

I've seen plenty that I really, really liked (the local cinema had a "foreign" movies group for quite a while) but whether that makes me a fan is debatable. The Wages of Fear is one of the best movies of any kind I've seen. I've seen the obvious ones like Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou, Red Sorghum, To Live, Farewell My Concubine, Kolya, Jean de Florette (one of the most emotionally draining movies I've ever seen), Manon de Sources, and some others that don't readily spring to mind.

Basically, a great movie is a great movie regardless of language. It's a genre (for lack of a better term) I'll have to revisit.

 

[Cali]

We watched Red Sorghum too and were extremely confused when the Japanese (was it Japanese? I have a feeling it was) tanks etc. turned up at the end because we thought it was set a few hundred years earlier! But a beautifully coloured movie anyway. I got quite excited when I found out it was Zhang Yimou who had created the opening ceremony at the Olympics.

 

[Orac Zen]

Zhang Yimou's movies look magnificent - Ju Dou I especially remember as looking quite glorious. I really need to go back and rewatch his stuff. And yes, it was the Japanese who showed up during Red Sorghum.

 

[kalysto]

I enjoy Asian cinema, although definitely not anything falling into the horror genre. In The Mood For Love, Happy Together and Infernal Affairs are a few of my favourites. Yeah, Tony Leung is in fact my most favourite actor in the world! He is absolutely brilliant.

 

[Cali]

Ooh yes, from what I've heard Asian horror is incredibly scary. And as someone who hates scary films I'm staying well away from them.

I've just remembered another film I liked - Bon Cop Bad Cop, a French/Canadian film. Very entertaining.

 

[Lonemagpie]

A decent movie is a decent movie, regardless of language. And I say that as a longtime Hong Kong movie viewer who also has collections of Korean, Japanese, French and Bollywood movies...

 

[Emher]

I pretty much ONLY watch foreign language cinema. Then again Swedish cinema is pretty pathetic overall.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

There isn't a specific country that I watch from. Like Lonemagpie, if it's a good film, I'll watch it. That being said, amongst my favorite foreign films:

Run Lola Run
Grave of the Fireflies
Life is Beautiful
Amélie
The City of Lost Children
A Very Long Engagement (okay, I am a Jean-Pierre Jeunet fan)
Renaissance
The Triplets of Belleville
Lust, Caution
Paradise Now
Pan's Labyrinth

At some point, I want to check out Ringu, but I have to be in the right mood for it. While I love The Ring, it really got to me at the time.

 

[Cali]

I love Run Lola Run too and I have Pan's Labyrinth on DVD. Worth making the time to watch it then?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Oh, absolutely! It was one of the best films of 2006!

 

[TheArsenal]

Recently, on the Top 20 Movies thread that was floating around here I listed two:

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) - A Chinese language film about a woman during 1920's (IIRC) China; and

The Lives of Others (2006) An excellent film about the East German secret police and the manner in which they monitored every last aspect of society, and the effect it had on the life of a particular playwright. As tense and paranoid as a film gets. 1984 without the science fiction aspect.

I can not recommend this film highly enough.

 

[auntiehill]

I love good movies, period. Whether it's in another language or not is purely incidental. I will NEVER understand people who turn away from foreign films, simply because they are subtitled. How stupid is that? If I had done that, I'd have missed out on incredible films like:

Raise the Red Lantern
Life is Beautiful
I'm Not Scared
Pan's Labyrinth
Au Revoir Les Infants
The Triplets of Belleville
House of Flying Daggers
Wings of Desire
Babette's Feast
Turtles Can Fly
My Life as a Dog
Il Postino
Cinema Paradiso (one of my all-time favorite films)
Kolya
Central Station
The Chorus
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
To Be and To Have


...I could go on a lot longer, but I'll spare you. A great movie is a great movie, regardless who makes it and in what language.

 

[Starbreaker]

I love foreign films. I think Jean-Pierre is brilliant. I really enjoyed Amelie, The City of Lost Children, and A Very Long Engagement. I'm shocked Alien Ressurection was in English. I also have been very impressed by Pan's Labyrinth, The Lives of Other, Solaris, Night Watch, and City of God. Oh... and Paris Je T'aime... great movie!

 

[Harvey]

I just bought Alphaville on DVD. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[misskim86]

Hong Kong movies can be cool

 

[The Nth Doctor]

House of Flying Daggers

I saw this a few years back but unfortunately my friend rented the dubbed version by accident, so the experience wasn't all that pleasant. That and a friend of my friend WOULD NOT SHUT UP during the movie. I enjoyed the basics and the visuals of the film, but I definitely need to go back and watch it proper.

 

[WHF]

The advantage a foreign language film has is that usually only the better ones get exposure in English speaking countries. If I see a foreign film and an English film listed on the channel guide, both of which I've never heard of, I'm much more likely to have a look at the foreign film.

This applies to foreign English films as well. An Australian, New Zealand or British film has a much higher percentage chance of being good because only the better ones will have been imported.

My personal favorites are German films. I don't remember the last non-English film that I saw and didn't enjoy.

 

[Harvey]

House of Flying Daggers

I saw this a few years back but unfortunately my friend rented the dubbed version by accident, so the experience wasn't all that pleasant. That and a friend of my friend WOULD NOT SHUT UP during the movie. I enjoyed the basics and the visuals of the film, but I definitely need to go back and watch it proper.

It's not as satisfying as Hero was. Part of that I suspect is due to the film not being completely finished (I'm not totally aware of the details, but I'm sure their online) and the jarring, cheesy effect of the snow suddenly appearing during the final battle. I saw the film in the theatre, and people laughed at the final fight.

 

[Lonemagpie]

House of Flying Daggers

I saw this a few years back but unfortunately my friend rented the dubbed version by accident, so the experience wasn't all that pleasant. That and a friend of my friend WOULD NOT SHUT UP during the movie. I enjoyed the basics and the visuals of the film, but I definitely need to go back and watch it proper.

It's not as satisfying as Hero was. Part of that I suspect is due to the film not being completely finished (I'm not totally aware of the details, but I'm sure their online) and the jarring, cheesy effect of the snow suddenly appearing during the final battle. I saw the film in the theatre, and people laughed at the final fight.

They had a few problems- Anita Mui died just before her (important!) scenes were due to shoot, and the snow that suddenly appears was nature's contribution. It simply started snowing on the day they went to shoot the final fight, and the director liked the look of it - because it fit with the tone of certain scenes being flush with certain colours - so kept it in.

I still like it better than Hero, but mainly because they (unintentionally!) made what is probably the best elf/mortal love triangle story in the *proper* folklore sense ever filmed...