The MoFo Top 100 Foreign Language Film Countdown

The trick is not minding

06-29-21

Surprised to see Battle Royale ere. I remember watching about 30 mins of it and not thinking anything great about it, but for reasons I can�t remember, I never was able to finish it. So maybe I should give it a proper watch sometime.

Sunday�s is something I haven�t seen but had heard of. Like most of this countdown.

PHOENIX74

I forgot the opening line.

06-30-21

Lots of films for me to catch up with now, especially Rififi which looks excellent. Out of the last 6 films, I've only seen Battle Royale - many years ago. Well regarded at the time, but I was never compelled to add it to my collection or see it again - though I thought it was okay. I knew it had enough adherents to possibly break into the top 100.

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Films I've seen : 8
Films that have been on my radar : 1
Films I've never even heard of : 19
Films I've heard of : 1

Films from my list : 0

Rockatansky

Wallet Inspector

06-30-21

Yeah, not really a fan of Battle Royale either, but I did like that Takeshi Kitano's character arc amounted to

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yelling in a room, eating snacks and then dying. What a way to go.

Iroquois

Welcome to the human race...

06-30-21

Battle Royale has long been a favourite for a long time (made both Top 100s I did) but I haven't really felt much need to watch it in recent years - I finally watched the director's cut earlier this year (which seems to be the only edition you can get anymore) and it's definitely the kind where most (if not all) of the changes just prove unnecessary so it's tempered my view of the film even more. That being said, I still enjoy it quite a bit for its own troubling variation on the most-dangerous-game set-up that has given it staying power beyond its initial post-Columbine notoriety.

I am surprised that I have not heard of Sundays and Cybele at all before this countdown.

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gbgoodies

You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

06-30-21

After @Allaby nominated Sundays and Cybele in the 25th HoF, @Citizen Rules recommended it to me, and I liked it so much that it was #15 on my list. I can understand why some people think the relationship between Pierre and Cyb�le was inappropriate, but I disagree. I saw it as just two lonely people who needed each other, and that made this a beautiful movie.

I haven't heard of Battle Royale.

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ScarletLion

Wales, Europe

06-30-21

Battle Royale is a fun film but I'm a bit surprised to see it in the mix here. Sundays and Cybele is high up my watchlist.

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

06-30-21

Loved Battle Royale when it came out. Saw it a number of times and have a copy somewhere. Not seen it in a long time though. Like many here I've not seen Sundays and Cybele.

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matt72582

Please Quote/Tag Or I'll Miss Your Responses

06-30-21

Sunday and Cybele - 8/10 -- unique movie, which is becoming more important to me.

I think this was on my list.

It's too bad I can't see how many up-voted each movie. I see red, but it's in the background, invisible to me.

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edarsenal

Women will be your undoing, P�p�

06-30-21

Have seen both and it's been a while since I've seen Battle Royale, I do remember enjoying it for what it was: a popcorn-munching, gratuitous action flick with a dark premise. Surprised in a good way to see it here and very glad to see Sunday and Cybele; especially after being unable to fit it into my List.

Originally Posted by edarsenal

Sundays and Cyb�le aka Les dimanches de Ville d'Avray (1962)

I think I will keep my remarks regarding the relationship's morality of Cyb�le/Francoise (Nicole Courcel) and Pierre (Hardy Kr�ger) much like Director Serge Bourguignon had intended. And that is, to one's perceptions/beliefs/concerns - much of the arguments for and against already expressed within the film itself.
Is it insidious? Is it innocent? Right/Wrong? Complex or Simplistic? Like so many things, it does not define itself one way or another. It is as it is and, like those who see them in the park and those who know Pierre, it is up to us to decipher and judge/accept, according to how we perceive such a scenario as we experience their relationship and their love for one another.

What I will express and normally do with such a beautifully composed film is. . . well, what I just said. It is VERY beautifully done. The camera work is spot on in each and every scene for me. On pretty much every level when it comes to composition and storytelling. It is and was, engaging and I was very much entranced from the get-go to the end. The bookends of the beginning and end broadcasting tragedy with the body of work telling a beautiful story of two lost/abandoned individuals and the comfort/happiness they found with one another.

Movies Seen: 13 of 28 (46.43%)
4. Rome, Open City (1945) #93
5. Rififi (1955) #76
6. Army of Shadows (1969) #90
13. Samurai Rebellion (1967) #79
19. Paprika (2006) #100
25. In This Corner of the World (2016) One Pointer

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06-30-21

71 points, 6 lists

72. Shoplifters

Director

Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2018

Starring

Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Kairi Jyo

06-30-21

76 points, 6 lists

71. Contempt

Director

Jean-Luc Godard, 1963

Starring

Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Giorgia Moll

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

06-30-21

Shoplifters, it made the rounds...first in the MoFo Movie Roulette, then in the Personal Recommendation III and has become popular at MoFo...and now it made the Foreign Language countdown list!

Shoplifters was #17 on my ballot, yahoo!

Iroquois

Welcome to the human race...

06-30-21

No votes here. Shoplifters was my introduction to Kore-eda and I really dug it, though I've only seen it once and have since seen better films from him. Guessing this will probably be his only appearance on the list, but he's earned it.

Contempt definitely strikes me as one of Godard's most accessible works - perhaps a slight against a filmmaker who has spent the last seven decades trying to expand the possibilities of the cinematic art form, but taken as the relatively conventional romantic drama that it is, it's still an excellent piece of work. It'll be interesting to see how he fares on the rest of the list.

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ding-dong daddy from dumas

06-30-21

contempt is great but didn’t make my list, although a couple other godards did. shoplifters is good too

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Allaby

Guy who likes movies

06-30-21

Contempt and Shoplifters are both great. They didn�t make my ballot, but they are deserving of the list.

Thursday Next

I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

06-30-21

I liked Shoplifters a lot, but it didn't make my ballot.

I haven't seen Contempt.

Chypmunk

Registered User

06-30-21

Very happy to see Shoplifters make the list, it was considered for my list but didn't make it in the end. Haven't seen Contempt.

Seen: 19/30 (Own: 12/30)

My list:

Faildictions ((バージョン 1.0):
70. Gion Bayashi [A Geisha] (1953)
69. Bob Le Flambeur (1956)

seanc

Lone Wolf

06-30-21

This pair almost makes up for yesterday�s debacle.

Two five star movies that very well could be on my next 100 I am working on. Shoplifters in particular blew me away on first watch. I just love the affection for the characters in an extremely messed up situation. It�s so patient and kind, and the cinematography some how matched that, I adore it. Koreda has another film that is a top ten possibility for me that I don�t think had a prayer of showing, but I will refrain from commenting on it till I reveal my list.

Godard will show up a few more times , I am sure. His that I voted for will be here. Contempt is really great though. I love scenes of couples arguing, and Contempt has an all timer in an apartment. Really love the cinematography here as well, gorgeous movie to look at, and that�s not just because of Bardot. She ain�t hurting nothing though.

mark f