The MoFo Top 100 Foreign Language Film Countdown

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Ok, so beyond Vampyr and Joan of Arc, Ordet and Day of Wrath seem to be the next steps as far as Dreyer goes?
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Regarding Dreyer, I've seen The Passion of Joan or Arc, Vampyr, Day of Wrath, and Ordet. I tried to watch Gertrud earlier this year, but I wasn't able to find a version of it with English subtitles anywhere. It's crazy how inaccessible some of his films are.
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Regarding Dreyer, I've seen The Passion of Joan or Arc, Vampyr, Day of Wrath, and Ordet. I tried to watch Gertrud earlier this year, but I wasn't able to find a version of it with English subtitles anywhere. It's crazy how inaccessible some of his films are.
According to JustWatch.com, Gertrud and Master of the House are on the Criterion Channel.



According to JustWatch.com, Gertrud and Master of the House are on the Criterion Channel.
Sadly, I don't have a subscription to the Criterion Channel. Perhaps, I should finally subscribe to them.



Welcome to the human race...
Amelie is a cute movie. Overrated, but it seems all newer foreign movies are overrated because the masses would rather die than watch a black-and-white movie.. 7/10



I'm not sure if I saw "Joan of Arc" or if I'm confusing that with Bresson's version, but the one I saw consisted mostly of a script that kept saying, "I believe in god, I believe in god" and it bored the **** out of me.
"I'm better than all the plebs who don't watch black-and-white movies, also I can't tell the difference between a silent film and a talkie."

Anyway, I haven't seen Amelie in ages and have no idea how it'd hold up. Meanwhile, I rewatched The Passion of Joan of Arc the other day and am kicking myself for not including it on my list.
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I forgot the opening line.
Amélie was my number 16 - a beautiful, charming film that had it's work cut out getting by my preference for films like Parasite. It winningly deserved it's nomination for best screenplay at the 2002 Academy Awards (the award, amongst five really great films went to Gosford Park.) It's the writing that really did it for me - though the film is wonderfully shot and shines in all areas. A risky pick by me during a film night - it was rapturously received by my friends, and it was their reaction that really cemented the film in my mind as one of the best foreign language pictures of all time. A crowd pleaser, but much more than that I think. Repeated viewings did little to diminish it in my eyes.

The Passion of Joan of Arc would have made my top 10, maybe even my top 5, if I'd included silent films in my list. I look forward to seeing what score film 16 gets to see if my votes would have made a difference. So good that I forget it's a film every time I watch it.

Ran and Cinema Paradiso are awkward for me because I saw them so long ago (over 30 years) I can no longer appraise them - and will mark them down as films that are 'on my radar'. So there you go. You can unsee something after you've seen it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Films I've seen : 24
Films that have been on my radar : 11
Films I've never even heard of : 45
Films I've heard of : 4

Films from my list : 8

#18 - My #16 - Amélie - (2001) - France
#21 - My #20 - Oldboy - (2003) - South Korea
#25 - My #5 - Das Boot - (1981) - Germany
#43 - My #4 - Grave of the Fireflies - (1988) - Japan
#33 - My #10 - Wild Strawberries - (1957) - Sweden
#57 - My #21 - Memories of Murder - (2003) - South Korea
#70 - My #24 - Run Lola Run - (1998) - Germany
One pointer - My #25 - Audition - (1999) - Japan



I'm not sure if I saw "Joan of Arc" or if I'm confusing that with Bresson's version, but the one I saw consisted mostly of a script that kept saying, "I believe in god, I believe in god" and it bored the **** out of me.
Well, one has talking and the other doesn't, but I liked Bresson's Trial pretty well anyway.



Amelie's cute. I would have preferred either of the other Jeunet/Caro classics, Delicatessen and City of Lost Children. Jeunet, on his own, hasn't quite been as outstanding.


Ran was one of my Kurosawa picks that was automatic.


Passion and Rublev are on my list as well. Dunes was just a cruel casualty of math.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I'm playing catch-up again, and there were several movies posted that I had previously seen in HoFs that I rewatched for this countdown, and a couple of movies that were first-time watches that I watched specifically for this countdown. And there was one movie that I loved so much that it made my list.


I watched Late Spring for a HoF a few years ago, and I liked it, so I rewatched it for this countdown. I still liked it after the rewatch, but it didn't make my list.

I also watched Das Boot for a HoF a few years ago. The only reason that I didn't rewatch it is because of the length of the movie. But I remember it being a very tension-filled movie, and I liked it. It might have even made my list if I had the time to rewatch it.

Ikiru is another movie that I watched for a HoF a while back, and I rewatched it for this countdown. I thought the first half of the movie was a little bit slow, but I the second half of the movie was much better, and I ended up liking the movie. However, it didn't make my list.

I watched Woman in the Dunes for a HoF a while back, but I didn't like it, so I didn't rewatch it for this countdown.

I watched Cinema Paradiso for this countdown. It took me a while to get into the movie, but by the end of the movie, I fell in love with it, and it was #11 on my list.

I also watched Amelie for this countdown. I liked the movie, but I found Amelie's quirkiness a bit annoying at times. This movie was on my list for a while, but it just got pushed off by other movies that I liked more than this one.


I haven't seen Andrei Rublev, Oldboy, Ran, and The Passion of Joan of Arc.


My list so far:
3. Wings of Desire (1987)
4. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
5. High and Low (1963)
6. Run Lola Run (1998)
11. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
15. Sundays and Cybele (1962)
23. Diabolique (1955)
25. Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession (1973)
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18. Amelie
Love Amelie but surprised to see it this high.

17. The Passion of Joan of Arc
My #8. One of the greatest films of all time. Maria Falconetti has a tragic real life that somehow makes the film all the more poignant.




I watched it for the first time at the Segerstrom Center For the Arts, and it had an orchestral accompaniment and a live performance of Voices of Light by Anonymous 4 and others. It was on our wedding anniversary. Composer Richard Einhorn was interviewed by critic Charles Champlin beforehand. We sat about ten rows back from the stage, and they lowered a viewing screen from the rafters. It was really quite unique.
What an amazing experience. I've seen the film with that score too, it's a beautiful oratorio.






211 points, 15 lists
16. Downfall


Director

Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004

Starring

Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes









231 points, 17 lists
15. Aguirre: The Wrath of God


Director

Werner Herzog, 1972

Starring

Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro, Ruy Guerra






Woooh, starting early today! and with another German double punch!

Seen both, liked/loved both, but neither made my list.

Downfall was the closest one to make it. I think it was one of my last cuts. Nevertheless, it's a perfectly acted, thrilling film, which is remarkable considering that we all know what happens in the end.

I remember feeling a bit underwhelmed with Aguirre: The Wrath of God back when I first saw it, which was a couple of years ago, but it's the kind of film that creeps up into you. Haunting, eery, mesmerizing. It didn't make my list, but it's definitely worth it.


My Summary:

Seen: 38/86
My list: 9/25

My List  



Welcome to the human race...
Aguirre was my #5. Herzog has obviously gone bigger and weirder over the years, but him doing his own take on a conquistador biopic by using guerrilla tactics and a stolen camera is the kind of twisted miracle that makes it an easy pick not just for my favourite of his but an all-time favourite.

I haven't seen Downfall since it hit DVD. Might have to see how it holds up.



Downfall...because what is a countdown with out Hitler Seriously a great movie and reportedly a factual account of Hitler's last days held up in his underground labyrinth aka the Fuhrer Bunker...My #11

Aguirre: The Wrath of God...not on my list but very deserving of the countdown! I loved this movie for it's you-are-there feel as they journey down a long winding river through the dense Amazon jungle. Very cool film.



Two interesting things about Aguirre; if I'm not mistaken, 17 lists is the most a film has been on so far. And second, I think that's the biggest jump in points (20) between two films so far. Thursday can correct me.


EDIT: Also, Herzog joins the club of the "Repeating Directors".

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