zen Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) Best Foreign Language (and silent) films of all time is another difficult list to make esp. when you consider German expressionism, Italian neorealism, French new wave, the golden age of Japanese cinema, and masterworks from top directors from other countries. The difference in qualities among top films is marginal or even non existent. Let's first take a look at a few films from various countries: German Expressionism: In the silent era, the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu were groundbreaking works, along with Metropolis, which I included in the Hollywood section since it is silent. There is M as well from the talkies era Italian Neorealism: Gave us some great films such as Bicycle Thieves, Rome Open City, etc. French New Wave: Most films from the 60s. Older French films like The Rules of the Game and Grand Illusion are very good too. Japanese: Work of Kurosawa, Films such as Ujetsu ... Tokyo Story appears to be among favorites of many esp. directors ... and of course the animes, which can be included here as well Korean: Parasite recently did well at the Oscars Other: Tarkovsky's Stalker, Ingmar Bergman's various films, Brazil's City of God, Argentina's The Secret in their Eyes, ... The relatively modern films are brilliant too such as Life is Beautiful, Cinema Paradiso, The lives of others, etc. ... The gems of various types are spread all around Despite so many gems, I will not make a laundry list. The longer your list is, the less focused (and brainless) it becomes. The difference in quality b/w say a #10 , #15 and #24 may become marginal, so the more films you add, the more it becomes difficult to leave a film out (turning into a data entry exercise). I am going to stick with Top 10 (not a ranking but just top 10 films including anime as well). To restrict the list, I am going to ignore films such as La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, etc., as I have moved away from them now (when you are new into foreign films, you would probably start with those) and listing those would not bring freshness relatively in 2021. Top 10 in the order of release: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: It was released in 1920 so now over 100 years old! It has been restored and still creates magic through its visuals. This is what films are. A great example of German expressionism. Journey to Italy: Starring Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders, who share a passionless marriage. On a trip to Italy, their differences get so pronounced that they spend the trip separately. Eventually, events make them come close again. You must have seen various Bollywood version of this theme. L'aventura: A simple story about the search of a missing woman. Beautifully shot. Philosophical. Rocco and his brothers: A story of a family that moves from rural Sicily to Milan. One brother goes bad, one is good, one ... ... You have seen various versions of the theme in Bollywood. Umbrellas of Cherbourg: A musical that knocks you out. Vibrant with its use of colors ... you have seen its influence on Bollywood in films like Julie. Battle of Algiers: There are two films I, usually, do not talk about. This is one of them as it is like a textbook on how to gain freedom using terrorism. Almost shot like a documentary ... The other is The Collector (1965), which is about holding women as hostage. The Conformist: A visually breathtaking presentation of a morally corrupt individual who could change his colors like a chameleon depending upon the environment. But everyone's luck eventually runs out. You reap what you sow. Its background score too is among the best. Stalker: Tarkovsky's masterpiece. A philosophical journey as well. A film that encompasses multiple genres. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: I wanted to put a Studio Ghibli film on this list. The difference in quality among the top ones is marginal. So I decided to go with the film that started it all. Weaves unique visuals of apocalyptic future while providing a great message. The background score is probably the best among Studio Ghibli films. Ran: An adaption of King Lear. Watching it is like moving back in time to feudal Japan. For a change, the war scenes are touching too, highlighting suffering and pain. It appears as if Kurosawa used all his experience to craft this gem. Edited June 30, 2021 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 Stills from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maniac Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) City of God: Brazilian movie. Portuguese language Cidade de Deus https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_God_(2002_film) Many scenes from this movie copied in Hindi and regional movies Edited June 30, 2021 by maniac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 Soundtrack of Nausicaa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) Another magical score ... The Conformist: Edited June 30, 2021 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 Superb tracks in Rocco and his brothers too: ^ With such soundtrack, you feel like you watched something as it creates a wholesome experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 Ran -> Hell's Picture Scroll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) Journey to Italy ... has an interesting soundtrack as well: Edited June 30, 2021 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) L'aventura, below highlights its beautiful cinematography: Edited June 30, 2021 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravishingravi Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Forward Defence 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a brilliantly done musical: Edited June 30, 2021 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravishingravi Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravishingravi Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravishingravi Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) Battle of Algiers, a great example of docu style of filmmaking. Appropriate score as well: Edited June 30, 2021 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I6MTW Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 2 hours ago, zen said: Best Foreign Language (and silent) films of all time is another difficult list to make esp. when you consider German expressionism, Italian neorealism, French new wave, the golden age of Japanese cinema, and masterworks from top directors from other countries. The difference in qualities among top films is marginal or even non existent. Let's first take a look at a few films from various countries: German Expressionism: In the silent era, the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu were groundbreaking works, along with Metropolis, which I included in the Hollywood section since it is silent. There is M as well from the talkies era Italian Neorealism: Gave us some great films such as Bicycle Thieves, Rome Open City, etc. French New Wave: Most films from the 60s. Older French films like The Rules of the Game and Grand Illusion are very good too. Japanese: Work of Kurosawa, Films such as Ujetsu ... Tokyo Story appears to be among favorites of many esp. directors ... and of course the animes, which can be included here as well Korean: Parasite recently did well at the Oscars Other: Tarkovsky's Stalker, Ingmar Bergman's various films, Brazil's City of God, Argentina's The Secret in their Eyes, ... The relatively modern films are brilliant too such as Life is Beautiful, Cinema Paradiso, The lives of others, etc. ... The gems of various types are spread all around Despite so many gems, I will not make a laundry list. The longer your list is, the less focused (and brainless) it becomes. The difference in quality b/w say a #10 , #15 and #24 may become marginal, so the more films you add, the more it becomes difficult to leave a film out (turning into a data entry exercise). I am going to stick with Top 10 (not a ranking but just top 10 films including anime as well). To restrict the list, I am going to ignore films such as La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, etc., as I have moved away from them now (when you are new into foreign films, you would probably start with those) and listing those would not bring freshness relatively in 2021. Top 10 in the order of release: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: It was released in 1920 so now over 100 years old! It has been restored and still creates magic through its visuals. This is what films are. A great example of German expressionism. Journey to Italy: Starring Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders, who share a passionless marriage. On a trip to Italy, their differences get so pronounced that they spend the trip separately. Eventually, events make them come close again. You must have seen various Bollywood version of this theme. L'aventura: A simple story about the search of a missing woman. Beautifully shot. Philosophical. Rocco and his brothers: A story of a family that moves from rural Sicily to Milan. One brother goes bad, one is good, one ... ... You have seen various versions of the theme in Bollywood. Umbrellas of Cherbourg: A musical that knocks you out. Vibrant with its use of colors ... you have seen its influence on Bollywood in films like Julie. Battle of Algiers: There are two films I, usually, do not talk about. This is one of them as it is like a textbook on how to gain freedom using terrorism. Almost shot like a documentary ... The other is The Collector (1965), which is about holding women as hostage. The Conformist: A visually breathtaking presentation of a morally corrupt individual who could change his colors like a chameleon depending upon the environment. But everyone's luck eventually runs out. You reap what you sow. Its background score too is among the best. Stalker: Tarkovsky's masterpiece. A philosophical journey as well. A film that encompasses multiple genres. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: I wanted to put a Studio Ghibli film on this list. The difference in quality among the top ones is marginal. So I decided to go with the film that started it all. Weaves unique visuals of apocalyptic future while providing a great message. The background score is probably the best among Studio Ghibli films. Ran: An adaption of King Lear. Watching it is like moving back in time to feudal Japan. For a change, the war scenes are touching too, highlighting suffering and pain. It appears as if Kurosawa used all his experience to craft this gem. Isn't there better films from Studio Ghibli than Nausicaa? Like Grave of the Fireflies, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, The Wind Rises etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravishingravi Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravishingravi Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 1 minute ago, I6MTW said: Isn't there better films from Studio Ghibli than Nausicaa? Like Grave of the Fireflies, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, The Wind Rises etc I find all the good Studio Ghibli films to be more or less similar in quality ... Nausicaa, I give it bonus points of its soundtrack ... Other films include Howl's Moving Castle (best artwork if that is the right term), Castle in the Sky, etc. ... I find Porto Rocco funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravishingravi Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts