I don't know about everyone else on the forum, but I'm a big fan of foreign films, because they give us a window into other cultures, promoting knowledge and understanding. I would like to make a list of foreign films or films about other cultures that forum members have seen and would recommend.

Earth (India) - Directed by Deepa Metha, this film deals with the separation between India and Pakistan in the 1940s. It is a love story that is told through the eyes of an eight year old Parsee girl. It is full of racial and religious tension, and it is based on the novel "Cracking India" by Bapsi Sidwa. It is one of the most moving films that I have ever seen. I highly recommend it.

Fire (India) - This film is also by Deepa Metha. It deals with the concept of arranged marriages, the traditional Indian family structure, and lesbianism. As is true for all Deepa Metha films, it is highly controversial and emotionally charged.

Lagaan (India) - Lagaan, meaning tax, is about an Indian village's struggle against British colonialism through the game of cricket.

Children of Heaven (Iran) - A lovely film about a brother, a sister, a lost pair of shoes, and the adventures and emotions that they experience to avoid alerting their father to the loss. It has strong themes of love and compassion.

Colour of Paradise (Iran) - This is about a blind boy in Iran, the way that he veiws the world, and his relationship with his father who is ashamed of him. The film is excellent, and anyone who is interested in learning more about Iranian cinema would do well to start with this one.

Gabbeh (Iran) - Gabbeh is the word in Farsi that is used to describe a persian rug. Weavers often tell family stories through the images on the rug, and this film is about one particular rug and the love story that is woven within it. It is a brilliant and fairytale-esque film that uses colour in a very interesting manner.

The Legend of Sigh (Iran) - In Iran, there is a folktale that states that a woman who sighs from the depths of her sole will summon a character called Sigh. Sigh is a grantor of wishes, and this film focuses on four different Iranian women from vastly different backgrounds who wish to live the lives of others: a rich woman, her poor servant, a student of architecture, and a well known poet.

Raise the Red Lantern (China) - This is the story of the educated and highly individualistic fourth wife of a Chinese household, her struggles to maintain her status within the rules of Chinese society, and her relationship with the other wives in the household.

The Emperor and the Assassin (China) - This film takes place in the third century BC. It is about the ruler of the Qin province's struggle to unite China into one mighty kingdom, of which he will be the ruler, and a plot that he develops involving an assassin which is to be planned by his concubine to make him appear more powerful

Farewell My Concubine (China) - This is an epic film about two performers in the Peking opera, the prostitute that comes between them, and the political upheaval that was present in China at the time. It spans a large period of Chinese history, including the communist takeover.

The Story of Qiu Ju (China) - This is about a woman from a small village who's husband gets kicked between the legs by the village chief. She demands an apology, and when she doesn't receive one, she goes on a journey through the Chinese legal system to obtain one.

Ju Dou (China) - This is a film about forbidden love. A woman marries the old and cruel owner of a textile factory who has a need to continue his family lineage, and eventually she falls in love with an employee of the man.

Amelie (France) - Amelie is a beautiful, magical, and quirky love story directed by Jeunet and Caro, and I'm not sure how to describe it without creating a spoiler. Trust me on this one. It will give you the warm fuzzies.

The City of Lost Children (France) - Another Jeunet and Caro film, this is a dark & modern fairy tale, and it is also a bit of a love story. Again, I don't want to give too much away, and with these two directors, it can be difficult to give a proper synopsis. They are incredibly talented and inventive.

Delicatessen (France) - This is the third Jeunet and Caro film on my list, and all that I will tell you is that it's a black comedy that deals with love and cannibalism.

The Cup (Bhutan) - This is a light comedy about young tibetan monks in exile who are living in a monastery in India. It deals with their love for soccer, and their determination to find a way to view the world cup on television.

East is East (Britain/Pakistan) - This film takes place in Britain. It is about a Pakistani man who is married to a british woman and their childrens' cultural struggles. It is primarily a comedy, but it does have its dramatic moments.

The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Austrailia) - This is a fabulous film about three drag queens, and their adventures in crossing the Australian outback. It is mostly comical, but it definitely has dramatic moments, as well...and as an added bonus, you get to see Guy Pierce in drag.

Welcome to Woop Woop (Australia) - This is an extremely odd film about the town of Woop Woop, which no one is allowed to leave except to find a mate. They make their living by manufacturing dog food out of kangaroos, and let me just say, if you hate Rodgers and Hammerstein, you won't like this film. I loved it.

Shine (Australia) - Shine is the story of the brilliant, classical pianist David Helfgott. Geoffrey Rush is amazing in this film.

Central Station (Brazil) - This is the story of a bitter, old Brazillian letter writer who often stashes peoples' precious messages and a little boy who's mother gets killed by a bus. It's a very moving story, and I'll warn you, it's a tear-jerker.

In the Name of the Father (Ireland) - This is the true story about an IRA bombing, and a government conspiracy that lands an entire family in jail. Very good film.

The Crying Game (Ireland) - This one also deals with the IRA and a man who promises to take care of a hostage's girlfriend after he is executed. I hesitate to say anymore, because I don't want to give away the plot twist.

The Commitments (Ireland) - This is about a group of Dubliners who form a soul band. There is a lot of conflict among the highly individualistic characters in this film.

The Butcher Boy (Ireland) - This is a tough one for me to describe as well without giving a lot away. Basically, it's about a little boy who is a monsterous little brat who lives in a bit of a fantasy world and the circumstances in his life that have put him there. There's a lot of symbolism is this film, and I'm afraid that my synopsis is lacking a bit.

Life is Beautiful (Italy) - Beautiful, tragic, heart warming film about a boy and his father who are taken to a Nazi concentration camp and the father's attempts at sheltering his son from the horrors that they are experiencing.

Heavenly Creatures (New Zealand) - This is a highly disturbing film about a relationship between two girls that becomes increasingly obssessive, and the desperate measures that they take to stay together. There are some visually stunning fantasy scenes in this movie.

All of these descriptions are very brief, and I apologize is some of them are lacking a bit. In my opinion, they are all worth seeing.

Great idea for a thread, Cyan. I'd thought of initiating something on "favorite films" but wasn't sure how to limit it - my own abbreviated list runs to about three hundred at the moment. Limiting the list to foreign films is one very good way of whittling the list down a bit.

I, too, love the trio of Jean-Pierre Jeunet films you mentioned - as well as Priscilla and Central Station (though the last two didn't make my original "short list"). One of my all-time favorite directors, foreign or otherwise, is Federico Fellini, especially La Dolce Vita (definitely in my top ten best films of all time), as well as 8 1/2 and Fellini Satyricon and Fellini's Casanova and Juliet of the Spirits and Amarcord and - well, you get the picture. As we're in Italy, I'd also have to include Luchino Visconti for (another top ten list film) The Damned.

Bergman is another favorite, though hardly everyone's cup of tea. Persona would probably head the list of his films. Or maybe Cries and Whispers. Or Wild Strawberries. As we're in Scandanavia, I'd probably also include Babette's Feast.

Several films by Luis Buñuel (The Exterminating Angel, Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Milky Way) and everything Pedro Almodovar has ever even thought about directing would put Spain on my map.

Akira Kurosawa is the Japanese director (what critic's list doesn't include The Seven Samurai somewhere?), though I'd include him more for Kagemusha or Ran.

Germany would have to be represented by at least Werner Herzog, Rainer Werner Fassbinder (especially for another of my "top ten" films which just about everyone else hates, Querelle) and, one of the most brilliantly original filmmakers ever, Hans-Jürgen Syberberg for Parsifal, Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King and, especially, Our Hitler. For sheer quirkiness and bizarre plotlines, I'd also throw in Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky. His Santa Sangre should be seen for its compelling weirdness (the funeral of the circus elephant alone is worth thhe price of admission - or cost of rental), though he's probably best known for El Topo. (The American tagline for the latter film was, believe it or not: "See the naked young Franciscans whipped with cactus. See the bandit leader disemboweled. See the priest ride into the sunset with a midget and her newborn baby. What it all means isn't exactly clear, but you won't forget it!")

If other titles on your list are anything to go by, I have to see more films from Iran. While I've seen and enjoyed Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell My Concubine, it looks like I have to see more Chinese films as well. I'm glad you didn't include the supremely stupid Crouching Tiger, Hidden Credibility, whose popularity and critical acclaim baffled me utterly. Then again, my tastes tend to run against the norm. Hmmn, that gives me an idea for another thread...

I'd better leave this for now or I'll never stop.

Oh, yeah - it was nice to see so many Irish films on your list. The arts community in Ireland is quite small - and I worked in theatre and television there for eighteen years. I know Jim Sheridan (director of In the Name of the Father - as well as My Left Foot) and Pat McCabe (author and screenwriter of The Butcher Boy) very well; Neil Jordan (director of The Crying Game and The Butcher Boy - not to mention Interview with the Vampire) used to date one of my roommates; and I know Roddy Doyle (author of The Commitments) and Daniel Day Lewis (star of In the Name of the Father) casually - I don't care for the former much at all, but once received a very nice compliment from the latter. In addition, I know or have worked with most of the supporting cast of most of the films you cite.

So... if you want any dirt on any of them, let me know.

Thank you for your post, Wertz. You've just added greatly to my list of films that I must see. Most of the ones that you mentioned, I haven't yet had the pleasure of viewing, but I have seen one Pedro Almodovar film. I believe it was called El Matador, and it was quite a long time ago. My memory of it was that it was incredibly disturbing, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm going to have to check out more of his films, including El Matador to refresh my memory.

If you are going to check out Iranian films, I would recommend starting with the Colour of Paradise. It's a beautiful film about a blind boy, the way that he views the world, and his relationship with his father. I think you will find that most Iranian films have themes dealing with compassion. Gabbeh is also a very interesting film about the story that is woven into a Persian rug, which is what Gabbeh means in Farsi. It's a bit of a love story, and I would define the film as being visual poetry, because of the director's use of colour. Iran is currently in a bit of a "golden age" when it comes to film.

As far as the Irish films go, I don't know that I'm looking for dirt , but if you have any interesting anecdotes that you are willing to share, I'm all ears. I loved each one of the Irish films that I listed, and I have a bit of a crush on Jaye Davidson.

Baran! I know you didnt see it Cyan, but it was beautiful. Here's my list:

Spirited Away
Princess Mononke
Metropolis (both the Osama Tezuka AND Fritz Lang's)
Amelie (I know this was already listed, but its such a superior film, I thought I'd list it again.)
Cinema Paradiso


Argh, I know there a quite a few British films Ive seen, but they escape me. So, for right now....

Oh I forgot to mention an old Beauty and Beast film directed by a frenchman (his name escapes me), in the 1940s. My boyfriend took me to go see it and its quite beautiful.

And Y Tu Mama Tambien (partially because that guy is hot!).

Has anyone heard about the movie ...I know its translated "the Crime of Father Amaro" (I think thats the name) from Spanish. I saw some previews for it the other night, and I remember reading it was all controversial because its about a priest that falls in love with one of his parishoners (?).....I think its by the same guy that did Y Tu Mama Tambien.

I know I'm listing alot of newer films, its because I wasnt really interested in movies until a few years ago.

I have not yet seen Baran, but it is by, Majid Majidi, the same director of "The Colour of Paradise" and "The Children of Heaven." He is fabulous.

Cyan: Most of Almodovar's stuff is alternately hilarious and disturbing. I'd particularly recommend Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and The Law of Desire. It was Almodovar, by the way, who more or less created Antonio Banderas.

Speaking of The Color of Paradise (well, actually, speaking of movies about blind people), have you ever seen Proof? It's an Australian movie about a blind photographer and I think is Russell Crowe's first screen appearance. It's quite good.

Sadly, Jaye Davidson is not one of the actors that I've met - but I also thought The Crying Game was a terrific film. The only other thing I know of that Davidson has dome if Stargate.

I'll have to see if my local Blockbuster here in Puddledump, FL, has any Iranian films (small hope). Otherwise, I'll have to wait till I reach civilization again.

kimpossible: You are so right about Gael García Bernal (the guy from Y tu mamá también): he is hot. I saw the trailer for The Crime of Father Amaro about two weeks ago. I can't wait! He's also going to be in The Motorcycles Diaries as the young Che Guevara to be released next year. I thought Y tu mamá también was great, by the way - and not just because of Bernal's presence.

I suspect that the old Beauty and the Beast film you're thinking of is Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête - which is magnificent.

Yeah thats the beauty and beast film! It was gorgeous.

And now I know the name of the guy that will probably start a small obsession with me. Do you know of any other films he's been in?

Why are we the only three people posting?

I hate subtitles, so that excludes most foreign films for me. Dubbing sucks because Mike has turned me into a semi-audiophile (he's the quintessential audiophile) and I can't stand the way movies sound dubbed.

There are few comedies from the UK that I thought were great, in particular Saving Grace (I think that was the name - about a sweet older lady who sells weed to pay off her dead-husband's debts). Of course, anything Monty Python is tops in my book.

Would Dr. strangelove be considered British (it was a Peter Sellers movie)? That one is on my top ten list. Kisov and I could reenact parts of that movie in great detail if we were to ever get together again

I LOVE Monty Python, especially Eric Idle. But its been a while since I've watched any. I love the Meaning of Life, especially death. "Was it the salmon mousse?"
"Oh Im so embarassed!"
"But I didnt eat the salmon." Or the first part of life, in Yorkshire? Hee hee.

They are all classic.

In the local lingo...'Not Wrong"........

I have all the Monty Python videos.

I grew up with the 'Goonshows' with Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan so it was a natural progression for me.

Regards.......Alan

Cocteau himself didn't make that many films - he was better known as a writer and visual artist (one of the original surrealists). Apart from La Belle et la Bête, his best-known film is probably Orphée - which is also pretty good, but a bit less coherent. It also stars Jean Marais, which is probably who you wanna pursue. He did quite a few films, mostly in French. I'd recommend looking him up at the Internet Movie Database - which is an excellent resource, if you haven't previously come across it. You can do a search on almost any title, actor, director, designer, whatever - and get comprehensive credits - all hyperlinked to whoever else was involved and whetever else they'ev done. You can get lost there for hours.

Awesome, thanks.

And the Crime of Father Amaro started today in Denver! Woo hoo!

This weekend I saw Devdas, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in films from India. It was a tragic, visually stunning love story.

Life is Beautiful touched me deeply. In some way it reminded me of Shel Silverstein's book, The Giving Tree. They both make me cry.

I'm also a huge fan of foreign films, loved a bunch of them mentioned here. Forgive me if I dont list directors on these others, unless necessary:

Waking Ed Devine
Amantes- V. Aranda
Il Postino
Trainspotting, and others in these Urban British themes.
Jean De Florette and Manon of the Spring
Babettes Feast
Strawberry and Chocolate- Cuban
The Red Violin
Les Amants du Pont Neuf

Many many more...cant remember.

Monsoon Wedding - Mira Nair film with a splendid soundtrack and wonderful character development of so many different characters! There are so many things going on in this film but somehow they are all well-developed/addressed/examined (enough for me) and important to the movie Great reviews but some say it's too much of an attempt to appeal to Westerners. I don't know about that, but I know I LOVED the movie!

Oh I enjoyed The Pianist (almost forgot about it)

Once Were Warriosr is an intense and VERY heart-wrenching film about a Maori family, their secrets, and some of the darker sides of Maori culture that arose as a result of losing their land/cultural freedoms...an excellent film - one of the most emotionally trying films I've ever seen!

Haven't seen much else lately in the foreign films department.

I want to see Y tu mamá también & The Red Violin

Life is Beautiful sounds great, PE! I might have to check that one out!

One thing I'd say is that, for English language foreign films, you need to be cautious, as many British or Australian films are made from the outset to appeal to the American market.

For instance, any British film that shows constant cut-aways shots of Big Ben, London buses, black cabs, red phone boxes, etc, or that indicates that all Scots live in castles and wear kilts, and that features an American actor or actress in a prominent role is, like as not, aimed squarely at the American domestic film market - sensibly so, since it is the largest market for English language films. (The "Bollywood" Indian film market overtook it in size some years ago.)

That isn't to say that such films are inferior - I enjoyed Four Weddings and a Funeral as much as anyone (well, I would have were it not for the dreadful casting of Andie McDowell. Notting Hill was better on that score, as at least Julia Roberts can act.).

But a film like that doesn't really promote knowledge and understanding any more than T2 Judgement Day does for America. Some films are purely for entertainment.

Something like Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, or better still Twin Town (not because it is a better film, but because it's set near where I grew up ), on the other hand, will give an outside oberver a better insight into real life in other places because it isn't trying to stun the audience or to be a moving tourist brochure.

The French Taxi films, for example, are more about car chases and explosions than anything quintessentially French.

I think it's a shame, actually, that so many foreign language films like these automatically get bracketed as "art house" and have to be remade in English (which remakes are usually inferior to the original) to be deemed fit for mainstream release. The only exception in recent times I can think of is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and I wonder if that would not have regated to limited, art-house release had not Ang Lee already made some successful English language Holloywood films (e.g. The Ice Storm)

Aimee and Jaguar.
The true story about two women in Nazi Germany who fall in love. One's the wife of a Nazi officer and the other is a lesbian Jew, though she doesn't tell the other until she is found out at the end... It's a beautifully tragic story.

Julian,
I wonder if any of the films mentioned here by posters correspond to the types of films you speak of.
There are Americans that Do comprehend what good cinema is or can be. Four Weddings and a Funeral, IMO was totally lame. I never knew it was foreign since it had all the basic cliches and end wrap of typical Hollywood movies. I believe we are talking about something different in this thread. I think by the examples given by posters it's obvious we have gone beyond the gratuitous traditional landmarks, car chases, etc.

Has anybody seen Delicatessen?
French, with subtitles, and strange, but very funny, subtle dark humor.
The cinematography is great.
The scene is a futuristic France, after a major war, and meat is in short supply.
It has the expected young love angle, as well as a pathetic women who keeps trying, and failing, to kill herself, which for me was the funniest part. The tenement where they all live is owned by the butcher shop owner. He hires a handy man (played by Dominique Pinon)to fix up the building, then when the work is done, he tries to kill the handy man so they can all have meat. That is the usual plan, but in this case, his daughter falls in love with the handyman. There are other characters with sub-plots that don't always seem to contribute, but that hardly matters.
Not to worry, the cannibalism part is not overly done.

Delicatessen is a fantastic film. I'm particularly fond of Aurora, the woman who constantly tries to kill herself because she hears "voices" but can't seem to get it right.

Julian, I know it happens that foreign films are often remade into English, but I very rarely see them playing in the art house theaters. That seems to be more of a Hollywood thing...two examples immediately coming to mind are The Vanishing and La Femme Nikita which was redone as Point of No Return. The art house theaters, at least in Denver, tend to play the orginal releases of the films.

And I will tell you that, in my book, anything with Hugh Grant in it is horrendous. But I won't hold it against your countrymen. You did give us Eddie Izzard!

Artemise

I'd say that in Cyan's big list of films, Shine, The Crying Game, In The Name of the Father, and to a certain extent East is East were all made with more than half an eye on the international market (in this context, the USA), especially In The Name of The Father (given the sympathetic treatment of Irish Catholics in a movie ostensibly about Irish terrorism. There is nothing wrong with that, but I doubt a thriller based on real life events in pursuing real Republican terrorists, rather than wrongly prosecuting innocent men, would have done as well commercially in the USA.)

I really like all of these films myself, and if they only got limited release in the USA because they were seen as "niche" international films, that is a great shame and an indictment of the conservatism of film distributors. But, I'm not sure (with the exception of East is East) how much of an insight they give into the culture of the countries in which they are set. That is the premise of the thread, isn't it? If I've misunderstood and this is just an opportunity to list international films we like, then please forgive me. (I'd have most every Kurosawa film ever made on there, but especially Rashomon, Yojimbo, and The Seven Samurai)

Incidentally, most of the Australian and Irish films in Cyan's list had American or British funding. And East is East was entirely British, although it was about an Anglo-Pakistani family in Britain. What I mean is, the Pakistani film industry took no part in making it, so Britain is the country of origin of the film. Good though, isn't it?

And Cyan, that's what I meant. I was thinking specifically of how the remaking of Nikita (which I think was called La Femme Nikita on release in the USA) as The Assassin was a travesty, as the original deserved a national release in the multiplexes, being a far superior film by any standard, where the remake got a wide release and didn't deserve it (IMO). Even with the subtitle-o-phobia of most cinemagoers, it would have had wider exposure than years of arthouse exhibition could give it, especially in the light of how well Crouching Tiger did.

I should say that I'm assuming Crouching Tiger had the same release pattern in the USA as it did here - where it was on at least two screens in every multiplex the week of release, despite being in subtitled Mandarin.

Crouching Tiger's success was not as immediate in the USA, I think. It started out in the arthouse theaters and later moved to the more commercial theaters. At least that's how it happened here in Denver. Denver is a medium sized city, though. It's possible in some of the larger cities on the coasts that it enjoyed more success to begin with.

Eddie Izzard, can we talk about him for a minute? The hottest cross dresser on the planet.
We are so censured in the US. Ive only got Blockbuster and a bunch of movies are 'edited' by the Blockbuster grouping! We get few foreign films, it sucks. So much for the freest nation blah blah blah!

Rawr...he is indeed. I don't know if I mentioned it in my original post or not, but he was in Circus, a british film that was good, but probably fits into that category that Julian mentioned of trying to appeal to an American audience. Also appeared in Velvet Goldmine, Shadow of the Vampire, and The Cat's Meow

If anyone is not familiar with Eddie Izzard, he is a fantastic stand-up comedian from England...think fun, intelligent comedy. The easiest program to find in America is probably Dress to Kill which was actually an HBO special, but if you can find Glorius, it's a good laugh as well.



Artemise, you might try talking to your local library. That's where I get the majority of my foreign films from.

There's also Bravo, and the Independent Film Channel.

I too, love Monty Python. But, that's where my foreign film experience ends. I've tried watching some french films with subtitles, some japanese dubbed films, and I've never been able to finish the movies. I feel like I had justed wasted my time and money, which is a big pet peeve of mine.

I'm 25, we didn't have a color TV until I was 11 years old. The only movies I actually saw in a theatre were E.T. and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. My mother was extremely poor and refused to accept tax payer money just so we could have luxuries. She made enough to pay rent and buy us food, that's all anyone needs. When my grandfather died when I was 12, he left us with his VCR that looked like the prototype for the very first one ever made(it even had a corded remote control ). We could not afford to rent movies either, so we would borrow old movies from neighbors and people from the church.

To get back on topic, those are the reasons I feel like I am more entertained by modern, high-budget films. I love the action, I love the explosions. None of which I got to see in the 30 times I watched "The Music Man" every month.

Foreign films remind me too much of our older movies. They've seemed so low budget, bad picture quality, bad camera angles, some funky cascaded windowed stuff you'd see in an old 70's movie.... Maybe I haven't seen the right ones, and I'd love suggestions of some foreign, non subtitled(dubbed is better IMO) films. Preferrably action, suspense, comedy, sci-fi, no drama/romance please.

Well, I refuse to watched dubbed flicks, so I can't help you there, but if you are willing to try subtitles again, I would recommend Run Lola Run for action, and you might also try Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. That one is in English. The Brits do make fantastic action flicks. Mike also recommended Snatch which I have not yet seen, but it is by the same director.

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is much better than Snatch if you ask me (and almost everyone I know who's seen both prefers LSaTSB as well. I have actually seen a lot more foreign films than I remembered because I don't always realize they're foreign if they're dubbed well (I prefer sub-titles too). Run Lola Run was excellent...I really enjoyed the woman who played Lola.

Ataal, you would enjoy The Transporter - a French action movie. If you haven't already seen it, that is - it was apparently pretty successful stateside. It was produced (and co-written) by the guy who did La Femme Nikita and The Professional (both excelent movies if you ask me). I really enjoyed it but it got mixed reviews (for plot jumps/holes). If you like action movies, you'll like this one.

Apropos of name-dropping, I met Eddie Izzard once on the Tube in London. He's very nice, but tiny. And don't be fooled by the cross-dressing - he's VERY heterosexual. I think he once said he's a "lesbian trapped inside a man's body".


AND, while I agree Snatch wasn't nearly as good as Lock Stock, the pub where Mike Read meets the twins used to be my local when I worked in London. If' they'd filmed it a year earlier the chances are I'd have been an extra!

One of the great things about living in France and having no friends was that I saw all kinds of fabulous movies. So lets see if I can remember them:

Bangkok Dangerous, Thai- about a deaf mute contract killer who seeks revenge on the death of his partner, and meets a nice girl in the process.

Devdas, Indian- this movie is nothing short of a masterpiece. I had never seen an Indian movie before this, and its beautiful. Singing, dancing, bright colors and a wonderful plot. Its three hours long. Its about a man who came back after studying law in England, and he was going to marry his childhood sweetheart, but his family is against it. The other family seeks revenge by marrying the girl off to a wealthier family, and Devdas ends up being a drunk and spends the rest of his life trying to be with her....(sort of)

The City of God, Brazillian- true story about the gangs in the City of God, and how one of them ends up becoming a famous photojournalist because he took pictures of the most notorious gang

Divine Intervention, Palestinian- although I didnt quite catch the entire meaning of the movie, there were so many good scenes in this movie, I decided it was brilliant. Its about a Palestinian man who is divided between taking care of his sick father, and the woman he loves (who he cant visit because she lives in Jerusalem and he lives in Ramallah, so they can only meet in the checkpoints).

Without News from God, Spanish- has Gael Garcia Benal playing the director of Hell, Johnny Davenport. Thats really the only reason to see this movie. No, Im kidding, its about the fight between heaven and hell, and they are trying to win over the soul of a boxer.

Talk to Her, Spanish- Im sure most people have seen this, as I know it came out in the states. It was beautiful...

Dolls, Japanese- Sort of complicated to explain, basically three different stories that end up in violence and taken from some traditional japanese stories.

In the Mood for Love, Chinese-Sad and wonderful. About two neighbors who discover that their spouses are cheating with each other, so they speand their time together and fall in love. The woman wont leave her husband, so the man leaves China.

Magi Iyagi (I think thats the title), Korean- Korean cartoon about a boy who sees his cousin from childhood, and thinks about the past.

Dogville, American- I dont know if this came out in the US or not, and its not necessarily American since its by Lars Von Trier, but this movie is excellent. Its also three hours long (whats up with that?!) Its about a small village in the Rocky Mountains and a stranger shows up and the town decides to protect her, to prove that they are good people. But they end up of suspecting her of bad things, and start abusing her.

Ok I cant remember anymore.

Kimpossible

Dogville is a Danish film, filmed in Sweden.


My list of recommendations, would be;

The Seven Samurai - Japan.
Diva - France.
Le Grand Bleu - France.
Amelie - France.
The City of Lost Children - France.
Akira (animation) - Japan.
Sovnløs (the original version of Insomnia) - Norway
Ronja Røverdatter - Scandinavian kids film.
Bjergkøbing Grand Prix (animation) - Norway.

If this is the one you're talking about:

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0293662

I actually did see that one. Since it was not subtitled and if they did dub it, it was done very well, I wasn't aware that it was necessarily called "a foreign film". Maybe there are more that I've seen that I realize.

Thanks, I wasnt sure. I put "american" because of Nicole Kidman and its supposed to take place in the US, but since it was a film by Lars VonTrier, I figured it wasnt really american.

Lock Stock... is great! They're playing it tonight at the theater downtown @midnight. If I didn't have to wake up early I'd see it. There are only a couple things I like better about Snatch. First, Jason Statham's character is more developed, and second, Brick Top is an awesome character. Other than that, the two films are pretty parallel, they just use different scenarios, but altogether the same style.

I didn't see anybody recommend Y Tu Mama Tambien, which is a great coming of age story filmed in Mexico. I'm not sure if it's a Mexican film though.

BTW, Julian, Eddie Izzard rocks! I would love to have met him.

Making him ever so sexier, and I dont even like cross dressers, but to tie in with another thread, are intelligent men sexy? Hell yes!

'Y tu mama tambien' is a very worthwhile film. I believe it is Mexican. Lock Stock is great, Run Lola run was excellent also.

Y tu mama tambien is mexican, and has the hottest man alive in it (Ive mentioned him for the THIRD time now).

I don't know if anyone else has seen it, but I would highly recommend The Emperor and the Assassin, a Chinese film about the birth of a unified China.

Speaking of whom (Gael Garcia Bernal), kimpossible, I finally saw The Crime of Padre Amaro - which isn't great, but it's still got Gael Garica Bernal in it.

Haven't seen The Emperor and the Assassin yet, but you're like the third person I've heard recommend it - guess that puts it on my must-see list.

Just a warning, it's LONG, but it offers some insight into how China's history and myth are tied up together.

UJ, I thought that film was beautifully made. Of course, I've never seen a film with Gong Li in it that I didn't like.

Ill agree that the Crime of Father Amaro wasnt great, but its worth seeing. If only because it disses the Catholic Church, well and you know, because of Gael Garcia Benal (whose name I found out from some Spanish friends I met is pronounced gah-eel...I may be the only one who didnt know that).

Another great movie I saw in France was Pinnochio (this is obviously an Italian movie), which was by the same director who did Life is Beautiful.

That's okay - one of the best films I've ever seen is Hans Jurgen Syberberg's Hitler: ein Film aus Deutschland, which is all about history and myth and, with intermission, runs well over seven hours.

Has anyone seen Whale Rider, the New Zealand Maori film recently released (well, recently released here in Belgium, anyway)? It was recommended to me by a friend who thinks I will love it (my kind of movie) and I was just wondering if anyone else had seen it yet. I asked for it for my birthday, but it's pretty unlikely we'll find it in our base store (and we're trying not to use our credit cards until they're all paid off, so no "amazon-ing" it). I'd love to hear your opinions on the movie, if you've seen it