A Good Foreign Film On DVD
- Thread starter wwginchww
- Start date
These are some of my faves (getting carried away here!).
Jules et Jim Truffaut
Possibly the most acclaimed of Truffaut's films, 'Jules et Jim' tells of two men in love with a capricious, amoral woman. The photography highlights some of Europe's most stunning locations, from Paris to the Austrian Alps.
Chungking Express
tells two stories loosely connected by a Hong Kong snack bar. In one, a cop who's been recently dumped by his girlfriend becomes obsessed with the expiry dates on cans of pineapple; he's constantly distracted as he tries to track down a drug dealer in a blonde wig (played by Brigitte Lin, best known from SworRABman II and The Bride with White Hair). Meanwhile, another cop who's recently been dumped by his girlfriend (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, from John Woo's Hard-Boiled and A Bullet in the Head) mopes around his apartment, talking to his sponge and other domestic objects. He catches the eye of a shop girl (Hong Kong pop star Faye Wang) who secretly breaks in and cleans his apartment. If you're beginning to suspect that neither of these stories has a conventional plot, you're correct. What Chungking Express does have is loaRAB of energy and a gorgeous visual style that never gets in the way of engaging with the charming characters. The film was shot on the fly by hip director Wong Kar-Wai (Happy Together, Ashes of Time), using only available lighting and found locations. The movie's loose, improvisational feel is closer to Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless than any recent film--and that's high praise. Quirky, funny, and extremely engaging, Chungking Express manages to be experimental and completely accessible at the same time. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Synopsis
Two stories which revolve around cops, drugs and dreamers. In the first a cop meets a woman in a late night bar, not realising that she's a heroin smuggler. In the second a broken-hearted cop in a fast-food joint fails to realise that the counter girl has a crush on him. Cantonese and Mandarin dialogue with subtitles.
Burnt by the Sun
Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov is also the star of Burnt by the Sun, his tragic 1994 drama about the last happy season in the life of a Bolshevik hero's family. The year is 1936 and Stalin's purges are in full swing. Despite his reputation and revolutionary record, Sergei Kotov (Mikhalkov) seems to be on the dictator's hit list, as indicated by the insulting arrival of his wife's former lover, an agent of government police. Mikhalkov treats all this as a matter of personal and political intrigue dropping like rotting fruit in the middle of a sunny and loving period for the Kotov clan. The director ingeniously understates the mounting threat until one begins to realise that the Kotovs are only geographically distant from the long, bloody reach of Stalin. By the time we do realise it, the shock of change is almost unbearable. A very fine movie all around, though Mikhalkov's touches of magic realism (particularly the presence of a golden orb that keeps popping into the action) are distracting and a subject of controversy among viewers.
Jules et Jim Truffaut
Possibly the most acclaimed of Truffaut's films, 'Jules et Jim' tells of two men in love with a capricious, amoral woman. The photography highlights some of Europe's most stunning locations, from Paris to the Austrian Alps.
Chungking Express
tells two stories loosely connected by a Hong Kong snack bar. In one, a cop who's been recently dumped by his girlfriend becomes obsessed with the expiry dates on cans of pineapple; he's constantly distracted as he tries to track down a drug dealer in a blonde wig (played by Brigitte Lin, best known from SworRABman II and The Bride with White Hair). Meanwhile, another cop who's recently been dumped by his girlfriend (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, from John Woo's Hard-Boiled and A Bullet in the Head) mopes around his apartment, talking to his sponge and other domestic objects. He catches the eye of a shop girl (Hong Kong pop star Faye Wang) who secretly breaks in and cleans his apartment. If you're beginning to suspect that neither of these stories has a conventional plot, you're correct. What Chungking Express does have is loaRAB of energy and a gorgeous visual style that never gets in the way of engaging with the charming characters. The film was shot on the fly by hip director Wong Kar-Wai (Happy Together, Ashes of Time), using only available lighting and found locations. The movie's loose, improvisational feel is closer to Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless than any recent film--and that's high praise. Quirky, funny, and extremely engaging, Chungking Express manages to be experimental and completely accessible at the same time. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Synopsis
Two stories which revolve around cops, drugs and dreamers. In the first a cop meets a woman in a late night bar, not realising that she's a heroin smuggler. In the second a broken-hearted cop in a fast-food joint fails to realise that the counter girl has a crush on him. Cantonese and Mandarin dialogue with subtitles.
Burnt by the Sun
Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov is also the star of Burnt by the Sun, his tragic 1994 drama about the last happy season in the life of a Bolshevik hero's family. The year is 1936 and Stalin's purges are in full swing. Despite his reputation and revolutionary record, Sergei Kotov (Mikhalkov) seems to be on the dictator's hit list, as indicated by the insulting arrival of his wife's former lover, an agent of government police. Mikhalkov treats all this as a matter of personal and political intrigue dropping like rotting fruit in the middle of a sunny and loving period for the Kotov clan. The director ingeniously understates the mounting threat until one begins to realise that the Kotovs are only geographically distant from the long, bloody reach of Stalin. By the time we do realise it, the shock of change is almost unbearable. A very fine movie all around, though Mikhalkov's touches of magic realism (particularly the presence of a golden orb that keeps popping into the action) are distracting and a subject of controversy among viewers.
I thought I'll continue the name dropping, won't give a synopsis as it tenRAB lessen the mystery of watching a film that you never heard of but has been recommended (but check out imdb if your no bothered)
Belle Epoque
The Twilight Samurai
Rashomon
Lagaan
Un Coeur en Hiver (personal fav)
Audition (not for the faint heated)
Belleville Rendez-vous and Spirited Away (animated)
Malena
Belle Epoque
The Twilight Samurai
Rashomon
Lagaan
Un Coeur en Hiver (personal fav)
Audition (not for the faint heated)
Belleville Rendez-vous and Spirited Away (animated)
Malena
Jordan Walnutz
New member
Always meant to have a look at that one. Perhaps I will now.
I'd had the Japanese Ring for a while now but am too scared to watch it (feeble as far as horror goes).
I'd had the Japanese Ring for a while now but am too scared to watch it (feeble as far as horror goes).
half blood princess
New member
I saw Almodovar's Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown when it came out here on limited release some 15 years ago. I thought it was hilarious. Co-starring a young Antonio Banderas before he went to Hollywood.
P.S. I don't think Les Roseaux Sauvages has been released on DVD here yet. You can get it on a US R1 DVD but the transfer, like with Cyrano de Bergerac, is utterly dire. You can also get it on French R2 where the picture has been beautifully remastered and is a far superior DVD - but unfortunately no English subtitle option so not ideal for non-French speakers. I watched it again recently and it really is a wonderful film with superb ensemble acting. Gael Morel is perfect as the young, hanRABome, sensitive, confused Francois.
Another French film in a similar vein that I'd like to recommend is J'embrasse Pas.
P.S. I don't think Les Roseaux Sauvages has been released on DVD here yet. You can get it on a US R1 DVD but the transfer, like with Cyrano de Bergerac, is utterly dire. You can also get it on French R2 where the picture has been beautifully remastered and is a far superior DVD - but unfortunately no English subtitle option so not ideal for non-French speakers. I watched it again recently and it really is a wonderful film with superb ensemble acting. Gael Morel is perfect as the young, hanRABome, sensitive, confused Francois.
Another French film in a similar vein that I'd like to recommend is J'embrasse Pas.
misterdude123
New member
I watched the film I thought Id like least out of the 5 films in the Almodovar DVD set this afternoon. It was called 'Talk to Her' very sad and poignant,but I enjoyed it and the picturequality from Fox/pathe was excellent so it bodes well for the rest. The weather is supposed to be awful up here in Scotland tomorrow so Ill watch 'All About my Mother' then. Ifind myself shunning hollywood blockbusters nearly all the time now, especially ones with too much CGI in them. The only film that remotely appeals to me from that side of the atlantic just now might be 'The Aviator'.
It's terrible how companies don't bother with remastering some films especially when theyve gone to the stage of marketing them but its easy to be cynical. After all if they went to town and made an effort for the first dvd release then people wouldnt buy the 'special edition' version which ineveitably appears a year or two later.
It's terrible how companies don't bother with remastering some films especially when theyve gone to the stage of marketing them but its easy to be cynical. After all if they went to town and made an effort for the first dvd release then people wouldnt buy the 'special edition' version which ineveitably appears a year or two later.
lauren_nichole5
New member
'Stalingrad'
'What to do in case of fire'
'das boot'
'land and freedom' (i know it's british)
'the train'
sorry if any have been mentioned before.
'What to do in case of fire'
'das boot'
'land and freedom' (i know it's british)
'the train'
sorry if any have been mentioned before.
farah_ruff88
New member
Of the foreign films i've watched recently :-
Belleville Rende-vous - Dark and delicious animation, far superior to anything pumped out by the House of Mouse in recent years (not Pixar however)
Audition - Supremely scary film. Will almost put you off women and piano wire!
Dogville - Not foreign language, but funded by a number of European studios and directed by Lars Von Trier. Absolutely amazing film. A novel concept carried out with verve. Brilliant film. Also check out Von Triers other work: Europa, Breaking the Waves and The Kingdom (TV)
Sympathy for Mr Vengence - Excellent Korean film that I caught on Sky Movies Asia Extreme series. Breathtakingly original.
Looking forward to watching Goodbye Lenin this weekend and Spirited Away very soon.
I have to applaud Sky's recent move into broadcasting World Cinema. Some absolute gems at a regular slot in the schedule, with the awesome Three Colours trilogy coming up soon on consecutive weeks.
Belleville Rende-vous - Dark and delicious animation, far superior to anything pumped out by the House of Mouse in recent years (not Pixar however)
Audition - Supremely scary film. Will almost put you off women and piano wire!
Dogville - Not foreign language, but funded by a number of European studios and directed by Lars Von Trier. Absolutely amazing film. A novel concept carried out with verve. Brilliant film. Also check out Von Triers other work: Europa, Breaking the Waves and The Kingdom (TV)
Sympathy for Mr Vengence - Excellent Korean film that I caught on Sky Movies Asia Extreme series. Breathtakingly original.
Looking forward to watching Goodbye Lenin this weekend and Spirited Away very soon.
I have to applaud Sky's recent move into broadcasting World Cinema. Some absolute gems at a regular slot in the schedule, with the awesome Three Colours trilogy coming up soon on consecutive weeks.
tillsunrisedousapart
New member
;3214236']I don't watch that many foreign language films, however I watched Spirited Away on Sky the other week and really enjoyed it.
All About my Mother is one of my favourites, as if Jamon Jamon which is the film that introduced my to foreign movies when I saw it on Channel 4 aged around 15.
Rented a superb Japanese movie the other week but fogotten its name - its about a blind old man who is very handy with his sword! Terrific fun.
Rented a superb Japanese movie the other week but fogotten its name - its about a blind old man who is very handy with his sword! Terrific fun.
dan_kessler34
New member
Shaolin Soccer
Haute Tension
A Tale Of Two Sisters
A couple of extra votes for films already mentioned ...
Night Watch
Les Visetuers
City Of God
Battle Royale
The French 'Taxi' series ... 1 & 2 are good, 3 is pretty weak
The blind samurai film someone mentioned above is "Zatoichi" which you can also add to the list.
The list goes on and on ....
Haute Tension
A Tale Of Two Sisters
A couple of extra votes for films already mentioned ...
Night Watch
Les Visetuers
City Of God
Battle Royale
The French 'Taxi' series ... 1 & 2 are good, 3 is pretty weak
The blind samurai film someone mentioned above is "Zatoichi" which you can also add to the list.
The list goes on and on ....
venkatingoa
New member
Thanks Sancheez - Zatoichi is a great watch, and is very accessable for those who find some foreign films a bit to leftfield.
John Choats
New member
Spot on!
Speaking of dark movies, I just saw Fatih Akim's "Head On" about two second-generation Turks tearing each other apart. Kinda heavy. Getting great reviews. Not out on DVD yet.
News item here:
http://the-script.blogspot.com/2004/12/european-film-awarRAB-salute-germany.html
M
Speaking of dark movies, I just saw Fatih Akim's "Head On" about two second-generation Turks tearing each other apart. Kinda heavy. Getting great reviews. Not out on DVD yet.
News item here:
http://the-script.blogspot.com/2004/12/european-film-awarRAB-salute-germany.html
M
"MAIKOO"....
New member
Anything, and everything, by Almodovar should be on any film lover's list (Those that see beyond the mainstream. It's not a fault, just makes no sense).
Any japanese horror seems to hit the mark for me, they just do it so well, even a contemporary concept like Battle Royale has been attempted and failed in Hollywood. The Eye, The Grudge, Ring, etc, are all fantastic aslong as you get the originals.
Irreverible is stunning, as are all of Gaspar Noe's films, if you can take them. Easy watching, theyare not.
Happiness of the Katakaturis (sp?) was brillaint when I first saw it, and i'm always menaing to pick it up from HMV, but I always see something else.
The Isle has moments of brilliance, and the film is very good on the whole, as is Dark Water.
I'll just start listing now, or i'll go into film ramble mode:
Gozu
Old Boy (Caution: Lovers of Octopus' beware)
Bad Education
Bon Voyage
Akira
Urotsukidoji (For when your back from the pub, hammered, with a couple of joints)
Suspiria
The Bird with the Crystal Plummage
Sex and Lucia
Sweet Sixteen (subtitles for the non-scottish for the furst part. Genius!
)
List really is endless. Just get Shaun of the Dead and laugh yourself sick.
Any japanese horror seems to hit the mark for me, they just do it so well, even a contemporary concept like Battle Royale has been attempted and failed in Hollywood. The Eye, The Grudge, Ring, etc, are all fantastic aslong as you get the originals.
Irreverible is stunning, as are all of Gaspar Noe's films, if you can take them. Easy watching, theyare not.
Happiness of the Katakaturis (sp?) was brillaint when I first saw it, and i'm always menaing to pick it up from HMV, but I always see something else.
The Isle has moments of brilliance, and the film is very good on the whole, as is Dark Water.
I'll just start listing now, or i'll go into film ramble mode:
Gozu
Old Boy (Caution: Lovers of Octopus' beware)
Bad Education
Bon Voyage
Akira
Urotsukidoji (For when your back from the pub, hammered, with a couple of joints)
Suspiria
The Bird with the Crystal Plummage
Sex and Lucia
Sweet Sixteen (subtitles for the non-scottish for the furst part. Genius!
)List really is endless. Just get Shaun of the Dead and laugh yourself sick.
I recommend
Le bonheur est dans le pre
Jean de Florette
Le diner de cons
Like all films they must be watched in there original languages - unfortunately if you can't speak the lingo you have to put up with the dubious sub-titles - which often get it wrong. I've watched a french version of Snatch - 'you dirty rotten pototoe' haha. When I think of our 'Brit Flicks' - yuk, love actually, four weddings etc, they rely far too much on the music. French films very rarely rely on this to make an interesting film.
Le bonheur est dans le pre
Jean de Florette
Le diner de cons
Like all films they must be watched in there original languages - unfortunately if you can't speak the lingo you have to put up with the dubious sub-titles - which often get it wrong. I've watched a french version of Snatch - 'you dirty rotten pototoe' haha. When I think of our 'Brit Flicks' - yuk, love actually, four weddings etc, they rely far too much on the music. French films very rarely rely on this to make an interesting film.
where to start?!
Intacto
Plane crash survivor Tomas is tutored by Federico in the underground world of supernaturally fortuitous people who can absorb the luck of ordinary folk and then gamble with it. Federico sees Tomas as a challenger to holocaust survivor Samuel, long-reigning luckiest man in the world. V weird and amazing Spanish film.
Anything by Pedro Almodovar, particularly "All about my mother" and "tie me up tie me down".
Just saw Der Untergang (the downfall), amazing german film about the last 10 days of Hitler's life - was absoltuely brilliant. Goodbye Lenin is absolutely worth seeing, i thought it was wonderful.
Off the top of my head:
La Haine,
Cinema Paradiso
Il Postino
Run Lola Run
Das Experiment
The Cup
Three colours trilogy
Man bites dog
Delicatessen
Amalie
Wings of desire
City of God
Central Station
The hairdresser's husband
Intacto
Plane crash survivor Tomas is tutored by Federico in the underground world of supernaturally fortuitous people who can absorb the luck of ordinary folk and then gamble with it. Federico sees Tomas as a challenger to holocaust survivor Samuel, long-reigning luckiest man in the world. V weird and amazing Spanish film.
Anything by Pedro Almodovar, particularly "All about my mother" and "tie me up tie me down".
Just saw Der Untergang (the downfall), amazing german film about the last 10 days of Hitler's life - was absoltuely brilliant. Goodbye Lenin is absolutely worth seeing, i thought it was wonderful.
Off the top of my head:
La Haine,
Cinema Paradiso
Il Postino
Run Lola Run
Das Experiment
The Cup
Three colours trilogy
Man bites dog
Delicatessen
Amalie
Wings of desire
City of God
Central Station
The hairdresser's husband