A trilogy of Polish films “Ashes and Diamonds” “Kanal” and “Generation” . All three films are interlinked and deal with the German occupation of Poland.
A few suggestions:
Como agua para chocolate (Like water for chocolate) - directed by Alfonso Arau.
And there’s another one, which I’ve done multiple searches for and come up empty handed, but it’s about Sephardic Jews who were forced to go to Mexico in the 1930s. It begins with them at the train station in Mexico, and it deals quite a bit with the girl, who is a Sephardic Jew, and her boyfriend, who is something else, and there’s a big family fight at the end. Whatever the title or director may be, it’s an excellent movie, very informative about the plight of Sephardic Jews in Mexico. The only version I’m familiar with is in Spanish; I’m not sure if it comes with English subtitles or dubbing anywhere or not.
I would offer more suggestions, but I don’t remember any more titles.
The original title is Lola Rennt.
A nice Fastbinder piece is The Marriage of Maria Braun, good example of new German Cinema, it is a analogy of Germany’s post WWII “economic miracle”. [sub]I just saw I am seconding Ukelele Ike, always a good idea. [/sub]
For Chinese, there is a whole list of stuff, *Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, Farewell my Concubine, To Live, *etc.
In French, from Louis Malle, Au revoir les enfants
let me in my $0.02 worth and plump for some movies from my hom country of India. For those film buffs out there, India produces more films each year than any other country in world.
That said, much of it simply trash, but of course, when there is so much of it being made, ther is bound to be some good stuff.
Films by Satyajit Ray are good to have (Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar), as are some of the newer films like Bandit Queen (lots of violence and based on a true story). I could go on and on… but these would be good to start with.
Riso Amaro (1948, Italian) directed by Giuseppe de Santis - starring Vittorio Gasman and Silvana Mangano (Miss Italy, I think, at one time); great film, about two thieves who hide out at a rice plantation…really neat exploration of good and evil in people. The title is a play on words: “amaro” means “bitter” and “riso” means both “rice” and “smile.”
The Celebration, aka Festen (1998, Danish) directed by Thomas Winterberg - one of the “Dogme” films, filmed in its characteristic style; one of my favorite movies ever, about a family secret that’s revealed at a reunion and the repercussions of the revelation.
La Strada (1954, Italian) directed by Federico Fellini - starring Anthony Quinn and Giulietta Massina (Fellini’s wife); a beautiful film about a travelling circus clown and the strongman she takes up with. All the kids in my high school Italian classes loved this film and asked to see it more than once.
The Offical Story (1985, Argentinian) directed by Luis Puenzo – about the political situation in 1970s Argentina, specifically the “disappeared” (people murdered by the government for being alleged rebels). IIRC, it won the 1985 Academy Award for best foreign film.
The City of Lost Children (1991, French) directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro – surreal children’s story that’s not necessarily for children. If you haven’t seen this, go get it.
Bunuel’s The Exterminating Angel and Belle du Jour.
Bergman’s Cries and Whispers and The Magician.
Did anyone mention the rather excellent Cyrano of just a few years ago, with Depardieu in the title role?
Also, a wonderful filming of the opera Tosca was done not too long ago, in which the filming was done at the actual locations in which the opera supposedly takes place, with Placido Domingo among others singing. The whole thing was done live, shown over two days originally on television, so that the last act actually takes place at dawn as scripted.
Of course, there are those today who would think any Shakespearean play done with the original language would be a foreign film. 
Just remembered that a lot of Iranian films lately have been touted as being very good, can anyone here recommend some? (I am just back in the country so am a bit behind in this regard)
And as long as I am at it, these have popped into my head, Ladri di biciclette, aka The Bicycle Thief.
The Red Violin (1998) is a must-have.
I would second The Red Violin and add Jésus de Montréal and Maelström, two wonderful Québécois films.
Blow-Up By Michelangelo Antonioni
Ikiru; Kagemusha; Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru by Akira Kurosawa
Tokyo Monogatari by Yasujiro Ozu
Le Locataire (The Tenant) by Roman Polansky
Okay, everybody’s got to go out and rent “The White Balloon.” I don’t usually like foreign films, but I absolutely loved this one. Also, another good movie is “The Dinner Game.” It’s a hilarious French movie about a group of friends who have a contest to see who can bring the biggest idiot to dinner that week. The only catch is that the “contestants” can’t be told the real reason that they are attending the dinner.
Oops, I missed the foreign language thing, Blow-Up is in English. Sorry. Still, it’s a damn good film.
I’d like to third(or is it fourth) Wings of Desire by
Wim Wenders, but would like to point out that it may also be available under the original title, De Himmel Ober Berlin
More votes here for Wenders, Fassbinder and Hertzog
Most of those I’d mention are there - The White Balloon (I’m amazed how much I liked that one), the Kurosawa and John Woo flicks, Cinema Paradiso…
I’d also reccomend The Stolen Children (I can’t remember the Italian title.), and Il Monstro. (Can’t remember the directors of either…)
Also, The Heroic Trio is a very well done example of the ‘wire-fu’ genre of Hong Kong action movies.
Don’t forget the Spanish! Anything by Pedro Almodovar, but especially Todos sobre mi madre.
Another great French movie that is a must-have is La vie rêvée des anges, directed by Eric Zonca.
A French comedy that is worth having is * Dîner de cons*, directed by Francis Veber.
The Red, White and Blue trilogy is by a Polish director named Krzysztof Kieslowski who has also directed the fabulous movie La double vie de Véronique and the Dekalog, a ten part movie that deals with the commandments. (That’s an oversimplification, but I haven’t seen it so I can’t give more detail!)
The Bosnian director Emir Kusturica has really fabulous and funny movies that should be in any comprehensive library. Two of his better known titles are Black Cat, White Cat (or more accurately Crna maka, beli macor) and Underground. For anyone who hasn’t seen these movies, you are missing out. They are excellent, bizarre, twisted and hilarious.
Finally, any movie by Ingmar Bergman, the Swedish director of films like The Seventh Seal and Fanny and Alexander.
Oooooh, you have such a cool job! I’m so jealous!
Is The White Balloon the children’s film about a balloon floating around a city? If so, I’ll definitely second that one.
DSYoungEsq mentioned Tosca above; apart from the fact that most opera vids are “foreign language”, Bergman did an excellent film of Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflo:te) that I would highly recommend.
On a sort-of recommend basis, I saw a German film on late-night television called Funny Games (I can’t remember the German title) about two young men who torture a family just for the heck of it. It’s not especially gory, but it’s very well made: the suspense and emotional impact is intense and disturbing, and it’s not what one might call a “happy” film (hence the “sort of” recommendation).
Metropolis is already in our (small) collection of silents. I only remember a few - a range of Chaplins, Hitchcock’s The Lodger, Murnau’s vampire movie. I don’t think management would mind developing that area so if you’ve got any suggestions for silents, Ukulele Ike (or anyone else), I’d like to hear them.
Thanks everyone, for your recommendations. By the way, Wenders and Kieslowski are personal faves so they were first on my list, even before I posted this thread.
Silent flicks? Apart from some of the standard ones like Keaton’s The General, I’ll put in a plug for The Passion of Joan of Arc.
While I have yet to see it, due to unavailability at video stores, my friends (and Roger Ebert, as per the link) rave about it. I also have the soundtrack by Richard Einhorn, which is excellent (a recent addition to the 1928 film), so try and get a copy with the new music. I promise, it’s better than the Moroderized version of Metropolis.
I think you’re thinking of en colère, which means “angry”. En couleur just means “in colour”.
Two other fantastic French films from the last year or two:
Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien (Harry, He’s Here to Help)
Le Dîner de cons (No English title, AFAIK)