The MoFo Top 100 Foreign Language Film Countdown

Two good films in Cinema Paradiso and Ran that were in contention but eventually neither made my personal ballot.

Seen: 61/82 (Own: 37/82)


Faildictions ((バージョン 1.01):
18. Okuribito [Departures] (2008)
17. Ugetsu Monogatari (1953)

The fairly unpredictable nature of this list is pretty cool.

Need to see Ran. It's crazy I haven't yet.

Cinema Paradiso wasn't on my list but I really liked it, perhaps more than some of the films I had further down on my list to begin with.

Another to watch for me. I started Cinema Paridiso one time but got interrupted. I will check it out soon.

Ran was my 9. I was getting worried about. After watching about twenty Kurosawa, and a handful twice, this remains my favorite by a pretty good stretch. One of the greatest epics I have ever watched. Super cool story with an array of interesting characters. Awesome battle sequences and probably the greatest use of color of anything I have watched. Absolutely love it, and glad it didn’t miss out.

Rauldc predicted it today. Good job.

Cinema Paradiso is one of my favorite movies. It made my list at #25. I'd like to know what other fans think, but if you've never seen it before, I highly recommend the theatrical cut. The director's cut, besides being not as good,

I watched Cinema Paradiso for the 19th HOF. I really disliked the character Toto and just found the movie disappointing overall.

I haven't seen Ran.

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Woman in the Dunes is an out-of-this-world masterpiece. Very much like The Face of Another and I can't really pick the better film out of these two.



Oldboy is my favorite Chan-wook Park.



Cinema Paradiso is very good but I preferred 1900.



Ran is one of many Kurosawa masterpieces. "Man is born crying. When he has cried enough, he dies."

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

Cinema!

Cinema Paradiso is probably one of the first "foreign" films I dived into and blew me away. I remember one of my older brothers brought it up when I was in my late teens and barely starting to get into films, I rented it and, man! The look of plain wonder and amazement in Salvatore? That was me as I watched the film. A truly remarkable and beautiful achievement that, much like Hugo which I also adore, manages to weave a compelling and moving story with a "love letter" to cinema. I have to admit that, even though I've seen it several times, I haven't seen it in a while, but I didn't mind. It was my #1.

Ran, on the other hand, I just saw for the first time this March for one of the Personal Recommendation HoFs here and it just blew my mind. The story, the scope, the technical prowess of Kurosawa... it was just marvelous filmmaking at its best, which is why I had it at #4. Here is the review I wrote back when I saw it.



My Summary:

Seen: 34/82
My list: 9/25

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I can NOT believe Ran just got announced. I'm in the middle of it since it leaves Amazon Prime in six days. It's a flawless movie that does its Shakespearean source material justice with incredible acting and a keen sense of distress. Ran was my number 16.


Cinema Paradiso didn't make it, but I fell in love with it. The way the memories are gone back on and the friendly and sad touches were magical.


1. Oldboy (21)
2. The Mirror (86)
6. Metropolis (31)
12. Princess Mononoke (46)
13. Pather Panchali (47)
16. Ran (19)
17. La Dolce Vita (27)
19. Wild Strawberries (33)
20. Harakiri (37)

Both great movies. Of the 2, Cinema Paradiso was the closest to making my ballot.

Cinema Paradiso is a lovely, humorous paean to the joys of the cinema which makes me cry quite a bit. The love between the boy and his mentor is very moving.

Ran could be Kurosawa's most spectacularly-visual epic. The opening seems odd and then when it gets into all the action, it almost seems like an Excalibur-type fantasy with incredible stretches of no dialogue and overpowering music with the vibrant colors of the individual armies.

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I've never seen Cinema Paradiso, but it's on my watch list. Ran is tremendous - in my top #5 Kurosawa. Another masterpiece. The single best adaptation of Lear. [Edit: Ran isn't on my list but it could have been.]

Another 2 fabulous films. Cinema Paradiso is a real emotional journey beautifully done. Ran has absolutely mind blowing cinematography. Both very close to making my list but neither did.

I haven't seen Ran, but I've been meaning to for a while.

I saw Cinema Paradiso a while ago when I was first getting into classic film. I don't remember which version I watched, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Not sure what I'd think of it now though.

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It's not a bad movie, but "Cinema Paradiso" is probably the most overrated foreign movie.

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I liked Cinema Paradiso, not enough to vote for it. I don't think it's overrated. I think it's misunderstood by most who watch it.

Don't believe me? In a sentence or two tell me what Cinema Paradiso is about?

Italians.
Boom

*drops mic*

I've not seen Ran. I've heard good things about it though.

Cinema Paradiso is my #9! It's in fact the film that first got me into movies and served as a gateway into foreign films as well. The scene where Salvatore finds out what his gift is pure joy, the film itself is a love letter to movies and the power they have over people.

1. Metropolis
8. Diabolique
9. Cinema Paradiso
20. Let the Right One In

Ran isn't my favourite Kurosawa, but it's about as good a Flock of Seagulls biopic as we could expect.

Cinema Paradiso was a very good homage for cinema as a both personal and communal experience, but only like in the first half if i remember correctly. I get to admit the involvement of sentimentality and love story later was just a huge letdown.

Ran is great but slightly not on my Kurosawa top five

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