# Favorite Foreign Films **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216 "2003-07-13T19:37:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/1 "2003-07-13T19:37:02Z")
They do not have to be subtitled, although that probably helps. I’m basically referring to films made outside of the USA. Here’s a partial list: \*\*Jaques de Floret **AND** Manon des Source Le Cage aux Folles Dr. Redbeard **(Kurosawa)** Throne of Blood **(Kurosawa)** Seven Samurai Babette’s Feast Educating Rita Solaris Satyricon \*\*(Fellini) ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/2 "2003-07-13T19:53:57Z")
I am awaiting delivery of [Hiroshima mon Amour](http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=196). All hail Criterion! Just picked up _La Femme Nikita_. Does \*Withnail and I \* count? And for some quality shoot’n an’ a kill’n, _Hard Boiled_, although I prefer _The Killer_, 'cause I’m just a romantic kind of gal 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/3 "2003-07-13T19:56:21Z")
**The Unbearable Lightness of Being** ---
**Author:** ![aleong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4af34b/32.png) [@aleong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aleong)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/4 "2003-07-13T20:32:13Z")
Wong Kar-wai’s “Chungking Express” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/5 "2003-07-13T20:45:48Z")
**Zenster** , I’ve seen dozens of foreign films over the years, not to the point of being a real fan of them per se, but appreciative of the different techniques and styles they have exhibited. Japanese: Rashomon Ran Seven Samurai (some other Kurasawa movies whose titles slip me at the moment) English: Dead Of Night (an oldie – 1946) Last Orders Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner French: Amelie La Femme Nikita I know there are Italian and Mexican films I’ve enjoyed, but can’t place titles offhand. Same with Chinese and Indian ones. As a general rule I prefer the subtitled ones as opposed to the dubbed ones. I may make a point of scoring IMDB for others and get back to you later. Surely I’ve omitted some I would prefer over those listed, but this is a from-the-hip reply. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/6 "2003-07-13T21:03:48Z")
The Virgin Spring. [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0053976](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0053976) While you’re here, what’s the name of the Bergman film where the Knight plays chess with the Devil for the lives of the villagers? ---
**Author:** ![Zazie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Zazie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zazie)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/7 "2003-07-13T21:23:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*Here’s a partial list: > > \*\*Jaques de Floret > … > \*\* Do you mean “Jean de Florette”? 😉 Wonderful movie by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/8 "2003-07-13T21:28:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carnivorousplant \* > \*\*The Virgin Spring. > [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0053976](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0053976) > > While you’re here, what’s the name of the Bergman film where the Knight plays chess with the Devil for the lives of the villagers? \*\* I believe it’s “The Seventh Seal” but could be wrong. I did see it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/9 "2003-07-13T21:35:21Z")
Oh yeah, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/10 "2003-07-13T22:25:59Z")
Well, lesseee… Citizen Kane, Star Wars, Jaws, Midnight Cowboy… Uh? You mean non-US films? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/11 "2003-07-13T23:13:03Z")
Tampopo Cinema Paradiso Everything from the Ealing Studios My Father’s Glory/My Mother’s Castle My Life in Pink The Seven Samurai The Hidden Fortress Throne of Blood Black Narcissus I’ve seen a bit of Jean de Florette, Zenster, and mean to rent it as well as Manon des Sources soon. The books from which these movies come, by Marcel Pagnol, are very very high on my list of favorite books of all time, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/12 "2003-07-13T23:28:06Z")
I’ve always been a huge fan of non-Hollywood stuff but until the advent of DVD, the selection of foreign films in my area has always been pitiful. In the 5 years since I bought a DVD player (early-adopter), I’ve practically over-dosed on foreign films. Here’s a partial list of favourites: **Japanese** [ul][li]_Tampopo_, _A Taxing Woman_ dir. Juzo Itami[/li][li]_Hidden Fortress_, _Ran_, _Rashomon_ dir. Akira Kurosawa[/li][li]_After Life_ dir. Hirokazu Koreeda[/li][li]_Rampo_ dir. Rintaro Mayuzumi & Kazuyoshi Okuyama[/li][li]_Princess Mononoke_, _Laputa: Castle in the Sky_, _Spirited Away_ dir. Hayao Miyazaki[/li][li]_Hana-Bi_, _Brother_ dir. Takeshi Kitano[/li][li]_Ringu_ dir. Hideo Nakata[/li][li]_Kairo_, _Kyua_ dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa[/ul][/li] **Hong Kong/Chinese** [ul][li]_Chungking Express, In The Mood For Love_ dir. Wong Kar-wai[/li][li]_Bullet In The Head_, _Hard Boiled_, _The Killer_ dir. John Woo[/li][li]_King of Masks_ dir. Tian-Ming Wu[/li][li]_Shanghai Triad_, _Raise the Red Lantern_, _Story of Qiu Ju_ dir. Zhang Yimou [/li][li]_Emporer and the Assassin_, _Temptress Moon_ dir. Chen Kaige[/li][li]_The Eye_ dir. Pang Bros.[/li][li]_The 5 Deadly Venoms_, _Chinese Ghost Story_. And a whole slew of other Kung Fu/Wu Xia movies.[/ul] **French** [ul][_]Amelie, City of Lost Children, Delicatessen dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet[/li][li]Mon Oncle, M. Hulot’s Holiday, Playtime dir. Jacques Tati[/li][li]Rififfi dir. Jules Dassin[/li][li]Wages of Fear, Les Diaboliques, Le Courbot dir. Henri Georges Clouzot[/li][li]The 400 Blows, Day For Night dir. Francois Truffaut[/li][li]La Ceremonie dir. Claude Chabrol[/li][li]Diva, Betty Blue dir. Jean-Jacques Beineix[/ul] **German** [ul][_]_Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu, Little Dieter Needs to Fly_ dir. Werner Herzog[/li][li]_Wings of Desire, Paris, Texas, Buena Vista Social Club_ dir. Wim Wenders[/li][li]_Ali: Fear Eats the Soul_ dir. Rainer Fassbinder[/li]_Run, Lola, Run, The Princess and the Warrior_ dir. Tom Tykwer.[/ul]Man, I think I’ve run out of steam already and I’ve missed a huge bunch of stuff like _Leningrad Cowboys Go America_, _Solaris_, _The Kingdom_, Kristof Kieslowski, Italian Giallo (sp?) horror movies, England’s Ealing comedies, and practically everything David Cronenberg has ever put to film. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/13 "2003-07-14T00:29:19Z")
Les Vampires (France, 1915) Viktor und Viktoria (Germany, 1933) Der Blau Engel (Germany, 1930) La Dolce Vita (Italy, 1960) Cavalcade (UK, 1933) Genevieve (UK, 1952) Different from the Others (Germany, 1919) Ma Vie en Rose (France, 1997) ---
**Author:** ![herwono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9f8e36/32.png) [@herwono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herwono)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/14 "2003-07-14T05:32:15Z")
Australian [Breaker Morant](http://indie.imdb.com/Title?0080310) [Rabbit Proof Fence](http://indie.imdb.com/Title?0252444) British [Bend It Like Beckham](http://indie.imdb.com/Title?0286499) Chinese/Hong Kong [Shaolin Soccer](http://indie.imdb.com/Title?0286112) [God of Gamblers](http://indie.imdb.com/Title?0097244) [Street Fighter](http://indie.imdb.com/Title?0106545) Japanese [Battle Royale](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0266308) Italian [Malèna](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0213847) ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/15 "2003-07-14T05:39:53Z")
Amarcord (Italian) Dogs in Space (Australian) Babette’s Feast is great, too, but I can’t recall what country… ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/16 "2003-07-14T05:41:17Z")
OK, lets try these; **French** - Diva, Alphaville **Italian** - Life Is Beautiful **Hong Kong/Chinese** - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hard Boiled, The Killer, The Bride With White Hair, Shaolin Soccer **Japanese** - Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Visitor Q, Seven Samurai, Ichi The Killer, Dead Or Alive, Ran, Rashamon, Battle Royale **Spanish** - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, High Heels ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/17 "2003-07-14T05:42:28Z")
_The Pillow Book_ would be up there. _Amelie_ came to mind quickly. _Drunken Master II_ (though that satisfies me on a non-cinematic level) ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/18 "2003-07-14T11:38:32Z")
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the Oscar winning [La Vita è bella (1997)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0118799) (Life is beautiful), directed by that hilarious chap, Roberto Benigni. Anyway, mine are mostly Spanish: [Amores Perros (2000)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0245712) (Love’s a bitch) [Abre los ojos (1997)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0125659) (Open your eyes - the original ‘Vanilla Sky’) [El Norte (1983)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0085482) [Hable con ella (2002)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0287467) (Talk to her) [Todo sobre mi madre (1999)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0185125) (All about my mother) [Y tu mamá también (2001)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0245574) (And your mother too) And besides _Amelie_, another recent French movie that sticks out is [Ma femme est une actrice](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0269499) (My wife is an actress) I wish I could find _The Seven Samurai_ here, but I’m starting to run out of hope… ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/19 "2003-07-14T11:40:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by green\_bladder \* > **I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the Oscar winning [La Vita è bella (1997)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0118799) (Life is beautiful)** Oops… a quick scan reveals that **sirtonyh** did mention it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216/20 "2003-07-14T12:11:43Z")
How could I have forgotten [One Night the Moon](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0290794) ? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-films/188216.md?page=2)