The MoFo Top 100 Foreign Language Film Countdown

At this point, I'm doubting that half of my list will make it.

What are the chances?

1. 100%
2. 85%
3. Au Revoir les Enfants (#68)
4. 100%
5. 40%
6. 100%
7. 10%
8. 0%
9. 95%
10. Tokyo Story (#52)
11. 90%
12. 95%
13. 5%
14. 100%
15. 75%
16. 100%
17. 40%
18. 60%
19. 45%
20. 25%
21. 100%
22. Roma (#83)
23. 50%
24. 50%
25. The Lunchbox (One-Pointer)

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Late to the party here, but La Strada is one of my favorite foreign films. I have it ranked #3. FWIW the American Film Institute stated that La Strada is "... one of the most influential films ever made", winning the first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957.

Having seen La Dolce Vita and 8-1/2 in the early '60s, I searched out Fellini's earlier work, which brought me to this memorable film. It knocked me out, and I fell in love with Giulietta Masina, the tender, cute, waif-like clown who was dominated by her circumstances.

Masina was the Italian Miyoshi Umeki https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0880855/ . If a person can watch Masina and not get drawn in, then they have a cold, cold heart. La Strada was a tour de force, the likes of which will never be made again.

I like Yojimbo quite a bit, though I prefer Leone's A Fistful of Dollars. Regardless, it still excels due to Mifune's witty performance and its dose of dark humor. These aspects impacted me more than I expected. As great as Yojimbo is though, I prefer Sanjuro and think it's an improvement in these areas. A different Kurosawa made my list instead though.

Haven't seen High and Low.

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Wow these two were the first Kurosawa's to land on the list, and this high. How many more do you think will make it? Looking through his filmography and I'm thinking at least five are in: Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Throne of Blood, Ran. But then what about Hidden Fortress, Red Beard, Sanjuro? They would have probably placed already if they were in.

Anyway both films are quality. High and Low being top 3 Kurosawa in my book.

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

I went on a Kurosawa binge the first two months of the year. I watched 20 of his films, including rewatches of both of these. Having grown more into the acting style, I enjoyed all my rewatches more than the first time I saw them. That said, I still rank Yojimbo quite a bit lower than most people. Just an enjoyable, but nothing spectacular, 3/5 for me. High And Low I really responded to this time. I love the procedural elements once they leave the apartment 4/5.

Still, I picked another Kurosawa from my list. The one I responded to first and best. I think it’s coming.

Wasn't sure that High and Low would make it. Now that it did Kurosawa is probably the director winner.

It's gonna be a tight race with Bergman, and Miyazaki will probably be close behind, but yeah. He probably takes it.

Bergmans chances have dwindled I'd say. Which is unfortunate. Kurosawa vs. Miyazaki

Seen: 1
Heard of: 16
My list: 1
My posts here: 7


Lollerz…🤪

I think Bergman will get at least 2 more. Maybe 3?
Kurosawa starts a huge comeback now.


No fans of Truffaut? Hardly ever hear him mentioned

I would say that Bergman has good/almost sure chances with the following...

The Seventh Seal
Wild Strawberries
Winter Light
Persona
Fanny and Alexander

Some longshots, but still possibilities are...

The Silence
Shame
Cries and Whispers
Scenes from a Marriage
Autumn Sonata

Like I said, these last ones are longshots, but maybe one or two of these sneaks in too, which would put him close to Kurosawa who, like Harry Lime said, probably has 5 more coming.

I've only seen The 400 Blows, which I'm sure will make it... but also Jules et Jim will probably make it.

Yojimbo was my number 2, I think. I have two additional Kurosawa on my list that have a good shot.


Sure, Yojimbo is fun and very funny and arguably has the best soundtrack in a Kurosawa film, but I think an underappreciated quality of the film is in how brutal a satire it is of raw savage political instincts. In that sense, I hold it on par with Dr. Strangelove. Whether in a pre- or post-civilized context, it's such a perfect microcosm for everything from base tribal strife to the Cold War. This satirical element is something that I don't feel is translated as well in Dollars, making it the lesser of the two films. It's hard to argue that Yojimbo is the masterpiece that, say, some half dozen other Kurosawa's are, but I think its breezy tone may distract some viewers from how excellent it truly is.


And as a larger defense of Kurosawa, who'd normally need no such defending, since he is, by and large, most Western audiences entry point into Japanese cinema, indeed into world cinema, there's a slight tendency by some cineastes to consider his fans as more superficial than those who prefer some of the deeper cuts of Asian cinema. I would agree if these fans could only name a few Asian filmmakers. But having seen a dozens and dozens of Japanese films, I still consider Kurosawa as one of the few true masters of the form, as boring an assessment as acknowledging such obvious genius as Hitchcock, Welles, Kubrick, etc, but still has truth to it.

I think those two - 400 Blows and Jules and Jim - have the best shot, but I would root for Shoot the Piano Player, Wild Child or Day For Night. But those are long shots at this point.

I have two Kurosawas on my list, but neither are the latest 2 in the countdown.

These aren't the Kurosawas you're looking for.
These aren't the Kurosawas we're looking for.
He can go about his business.
You can go about your business.
Move along.
Move along... move along.

If I had voted for a Truffault, which I didn't, it would have almost definitely been Shoot the Piano Player.



Once I get all of my super favorite foreign films out of the way though, Truffault has a big sticky wad of them in my second tier. But, unfortunately, none them really overwhelm me to the point that I don't think many would have a chance to even make my top 40.


I actually don't think I've ever seen a Truffault I didn't like.

I love the breakdowns between decades and country of origin. Thanks!

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https://www.youtube.com/c/LoyalOpposition

Yeah I do too. Thanks to Thief for that.

Btw, has there ever been a case where all the films someone included on their ballot made a list?

Not sure if "Zorba The Greek" (7.5/10) counts as a foreign movie, but its on Saturday night, 9:44pm on TCM



12:14am - Los Tallos Amargos (I never saw this)

90% sure my 90’s ballot did. Made me feel like a fraud. Which I am, of course