Saturday, April 19, 2008

TWQ: Best Foreign Language Movies

This week, TWQ (The Weekend Question) asks about favourite Foreign Language Movies

What are your favourite Foreign Language films (non-English language)? List as many as you wish.

My answers are:

1: The Lives Of Others: This German film, recently made is regarded as one of the best movies ever. It's about the East German Stasi, and a hardened officer who listened in on a suspect couple, and starts to sympathise with them. It won 'Best Foreign Language Movie' Oscar in 2007.

2: Pan's Labyrinth: This Spanish movie competed with the above for the Oscar. A fantasy/war movie that shows a little girl who slips into the fantasy world during the last war.

3: Sophie Scholl: This true German movie tells of Sophie Scholl, a member of the White Rose, an anti-Nazi group within Germany during WW2. A show trial follows, with an electrictifying performance by Sophie. A little known, but brillianty movie.

4: Seven Samurai: This Japanese movie, made in the 1950's was the inspiration for 'The Magnificent Seven'.

5: Raise The Red Lantern: This Chinese movie, which tells of the fourth wife to a rich man, who has to deal with the other three wives who live with him is unforgettable. Unable to get on Region 2 DVD with subtitles.

Now it's over to you...

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Big Blue its a french movie with Jean Reno

Léon aka the Professional another french movie

Danny Bailey said...

Flying daggers
Hero
Dragon and Tiger

Anonymous said...

Hi, Michelle sent me but I didn't know there would be a quiz.

The only movie that comes to mind is "Run, Lola, Run". Unless anything in British English counts as a foreign language.

gurufuk said...

Lola Rennt (germany)
Pantaleon (Peru)
Untergang (Germany)
The eight day (France)
Mein name is Eugene (Switzerland)
amores perros (Mexico)


http://loscuentosdelfucker.blogspot.com

Fab said...

- Das Leben des Andere (The lives of others)

- A bout de Souffle (Breathless - and not the stupid American remake with Richard Gere, but the original by Godard with Jean-Paul Belmondo!!!)

- Todo Sobre mi Madre (All about my mother - by Almodovar)

- Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside, or Inner Sea - I forgot the translation)

- Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulin

- L'Auberge Espagnol

- Les poupées russes

- Vargtimmen (The Hour of the Wolf - by Ingmar Bergman)

- Persona (by Bergman)

- Manneken Pis (Belgian movie, very sad one)

- Chungking Express (by Wong Kar Wai)

- In the mood for love (by Wong Kar Wai)

- The World (by Jia Zhang-Ke)

kenju said...

Jean-Luc, it has been a long, long time since I have seen a foreign-labnguage film, at least one that I remember. Wild Strawberries was the only one I can name. Michele sent me.

Anonymous said...

The Lives of Others was amazing.

Children of Heaven (Iranian)

Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring

La Femme Nikita

.... so many I can't even think of right now!

Here via michele today!

Anonymous said...

does animes count?

Bev Sykes said...

Michele sent me too. I enjoy foreign language films. I recent saw (and loved) La Vie en Rose Others that stand out include:

- Chushingura (one of the most beautiful Japanese movies I remember seeing)
- Donna Flor
- Life is Beautiful

Feisty Crone said...

Volver, The Lives of Others, and Pan's Labyrinth.

Anonymous said...

City of Lost Children - wonderful film

pilgrimchick said...

I was impressed with "Queen Margot"--a French film.

Unknown said...

Franco Zeffirelli's La Traviata with Teresa Stratas, Placido Domingo and Cornell MacNeil. You may have to hand cuff Ensign Britney to a chair to watch it for "Culturalization". :D

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Beth, glad you liked the two I mentioned.


Danny mentioned a couple of good ones.

Fab, quite an array, there.

Good selection all round.

Bobkat said...

Ooh! So many to list! Mine are:

Hero
Amelie
Brotherhood
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Lives of Others
Taxi
Das Boot
District 13
Pans Labyrinth

There are more but that'll do for now!

Michele sent me to play!

Shosh said...

The Scent of Green Papaya, and The Curse of The Golden Flower

There are others, I just can't think of their names right now.

Shoshana

Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator said...

I loved Run, Lola, Run.

Another great movie is Roshomon.

utenzi said...

I can't think of any non-English films that I'd consider favorites though I definitely did enjoy Roshomon and Pan's Labyrinth. Oddly enough I don't like Seven Samurai. I know it's one of the "great films" but I can't say awake when it's on. Zzzzzzzzzzzz. 2001 has the same effect on me.

Michele sent me over.

Anonymous said...

It's kind of obscure, but there is a special edition of "300" where it's all in Spartanese (or maybe that's Greek, I'm not sure). Also, although not a movie (yet), I once saw a live performance of "Romeo and Juliet" in Klingon.

Justice said...

I think the ones I like have been named already

Jaime said...

The Passion of the Christ
Life is Beautiful
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

I'm sure there are others...

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

like water for chocolate...

smiles, bee

ps: you knew there would be chocolate, didn't you? ha ha ha

Serina Hope said...

I love Pans Labrynth. I need to see a few of these.