Top 100 Foreign Language Films (edited Oct - 02) Last Update: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Rank Title   Director   Year Comment
1 Rosetta * Dardenne * 1999 Some of the most gut wrenching personal scenes ever filmed… Cinema verite with discreet political undertones.
2 In the Mood For Love * Wong Kar-Wai * 2000 I feared I was becoming obsessed watching it sooo many times… I love everything about this film… the heavily stylization, the acting, the music, the noodles… etc.
3 Mirror * Tarkovsky * 1975 Short comments cannot convey…. So I won't bother.
4 Jalsaghar * Ray * 1958 Profound and magnificent exploration of one man's obsolescence in a modern developing society in 1920's India
5 Summer * Rohmer * 1986 Rohmer captures the essence of a woman… with absolute perfection.
6 To Live * Zhang * 1994 Redemption, perseverance, love, family values, fortune.. This has it all. Perfect.
7 Close-Up * Kiarostami * 1990 Window on a window inside another culture and its citizens…
8 The Passion of Joan of Arc * Dryer * 1928 So perfectly made, I have trouble assuming it is not the REAL trial of Jeanne D'arc...
9 The Wind Will Carry Us * Kiarostami * 1999 In my mind the heir apparent to Tarkovsky… this film is like a painting.
10 L'avventura * Antonioni * 1960 The whole world looked differently after seeing this film. Everything was "profound" and "elegant".
11 A Man Escaped * Bresson * 1956 see L'avventura comment above...
12 Bicycle Thief * de Sica * 1948 What to watch when you need to put your life in perspective.
13 Raise the Red Lantern * Zhang * 1991 Harrowing - beautiful, well acted.. Opens doors on world not aware of
14 Juliet of the Spirits * Fellini * 1965 Fellini's perfect bridge from accessible to art infused…
15 Ordet * Dryer * 1955 Theological resolve in the face of personal tragedy…
16 The Umbrellas of Cherbourg * Demy * 1964 Unique, color infused… and very, very French.
17 Children of Paradise * Carne * 1945 Absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word…
18 Vive L'amour * Tsai * 1994 A virtual silent film on urban alienation…
19 The Scent of Green Papaya * Tran Anh Hung * 1993 The perfect Cinderella tale… some of the best tracking shots that I can remember.
20 Stalker * Tarkovsky * 1979 Haunting journey into one's own desires...
21 Beau Pere * Blier * 1981 Morality vs. desire from an everyday man… loved the slow pans.
22 Irma Vep * Assayas * 1996 The "coolest" film ever made ?
23 The Lovers on the Bridge * Carax * 1991 Been a while since I have seen it, so could be too high… or too low. Anyway, I loved just about everything about this film… although perhaps the ending was rushed…
24 Nights of Cabiria * Fellini * 1957 Best facial expression conveying depth of emotion since Passion of Joan or Arc… Masina alone is worth this ranking…
25 Autumn Sonata * Bergman * 1978 Most unforgettable modern soliloquy's in cinema history.
26 Cinema Paradiso * Tornatore * 1989 The film buffs film… perhaps the greatest ending of a film ever.
27 Blue * Kieslowski * 1993 The marriage of music to images is awe inspiring.
28 The Story of Qui Ju * Zhang * 1992 Zhang continues his theme of perseverance and the true importance in life...
29 The Cranes are Flying * Kalatozishvili * 1957 Variety and never over-used camera techniques support a wonderful and touching story…
30 Chung King Express * Wong Kar-Wai * 1994 I found this so fun… and happy... and mysterious. "Cool" would be the best description…
31 Chloe in the Afternoon * Rohmer * 1970 Morality dealt with as a true life human drama… nothing like it, except other Rohmer films.
32 Andrei Rublev * Tarkovsky * 1969 The most classic mediation on art and the artist ever put on film…
33 Diary of a Country Priest * Bresson * 1950 My first Bresson and so far my most memorable.
34 A Tale of Winter * Rohmer * 1992 Does life always come down to a few missed/or made chances?
35 Pickpocket * Bresson * 1959 A sleazy subject matter raised to the level of artistic poetry...
36 Comrades: Almost a Love Story * Chan * 1996 Love, Cultural melding, lost identities… a personal fav.
37 L'Appartement * Mimouni * 1996 A most intricate puzzle pieced together whilst honoring Hitchcock… one of the best French films of the 90's…
38 The Woman Next Door * Truffaut * 1981 Eerie jealous passion… caught in Truffaut's own unique way…
39 Il Grido * Antonioni * 1957 Excellent portrayal of alienation ( see Vive L'Amour #18 ).. Use of the rural countryside as a foil...
40 The 400 Blows * Truffaut * 1959 Truffauts most personal film… unforgettable final scene.
41 The Aviator's Wife * Rohmer * 1980 If I could articulate why Rohmer's films are so enjoyable for myself, perhaps I wouldn't like them as much…
42 Not One Less * Zhang * 1999 For those who doubt the meaning of commitment and resolve…
43 High and Low * Kurosawa * 1963 A lesson in "framing" for the budding director/cinematographer…
44 The Vertical Ray of the Sun * Tran Anh Hung * 2000 Some of the most beautiful images I have ever seen in a film, expressed with familial bindings.
45 Decalogue * Kieslowski * 1987 Why can't all direction be this good ?
46 La Promesse * Dardenne's * 1996 Truth, honesty, morality, maturity… magnificent.
47 Woman in the Dunes * Teshigahara * 1964 Underrated film… strangely compelling with a consistent flow. Sensual and poetic, encapsulating themes of captivity very adeptly…
48 El * Buñuel * 1952 My favorite Buñuel… stabs ( as usual ) at sex, the rich, death and religion.
49 L'Humanite * Dumont * 1999 Stop and smell the roses…
50 La Grande Illusion * Renoir * 1937 “It is magnificent, a French officer said in 1856, watching the Light Brigade throw itself into the Russian guns, but it isn't war. What it is, he might have added, is a grand illusion.”
51 Tokyo Story * Ozu * 1952 Classic film embodies Asian family philosophy vs. modern values.
52 Solaris * Tarkovsky * 1972 Confrontation of ones own desires…
53 Mouchette * Bresson * 1967 Artistic, real, heartfelt… all wrapped up perfectly…
54 Taste of Cherry * Kiarostami * 1997 Suicidal philosophy at its most sincere.
55 Seventh Seal * Bergman * 1957 My favorite opening scene ever… chess with Death!
56 Day of Wrath * Dryer * 1943 Dryer classic… 'nuff said.
57 Mother and Son * Sokurov * 1997 Chilling in its intimacy
58 The Eel * Immamura * 1997 Communication dealt with on multiple levels…
59 King of Masks * Wu Tian-Ming * 1996 Great film for adults and children alike… shame the DVD is P+S!
60 Jean de Florette * Berri * 1986 "Mans inhumanity to man" is a prevalent theme regardless of time period or location...
61 The Hole * Tsai * 1998 Weird and wonderful… from start to finish.
62 The Circle * Panahi * 2000 Simple and powerful story of 8 oppressed women coping in Iranian society.
63 Pather Panchali * Ray * 1955 Artistic, balanced… timeless.
64 Ikiru * Kurosawa * 1952 Must see again… quite sure will rise in my estimation upon rewatching.
65 Under the Sand * Ozon * 2000 Modern classic… Tour-de-force performance from Rampling.
66 School of Flesh * Jacquot * 1998 Eroticism dealt with gentle delicacy… Huppert is so good…
67 Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud * Sautet * 1995 Rare modern excellence with one of the screen's most desirable sirens… and above all a very French film.
68 Children of Heaven * Majidi * 1997 Compelling Iranian cinema, sibling love, childhood innocence…
69 A Single Girl * Jacquot * 1995 Modern cinema verite capturing and holding your attention…
70 Small Change * Truffaut * 1976 Makes one appreciate the miracle of children…
71 The Earrings of Madame De… * Ophüls * 1953 Elaborate camerawork backed with grace and dignity...
72 Vagabond * Varda * 1985 Gut wrenching realism…
73 Manon des Sources * Berri * 1987 Emmanuelle Béart's bare bum… need I say more ?
74 My Night at Mauds * Rohmer * 1969 Makes you just want to curl up with this film like it was a good book..
75 Un coeur en Hiver * Sautet * 1993 Haunting portrayal of self-imposed loneliness… extremely well made film.
76 Pauline at the Beach * Rohmer * 1983 A typical Rohmer… beautiful women filmed simply and directly without overuse of cinematography adaptations…
77 Night and Fog * Resnais * 1955 The practical tracking shots and mono-tone narration only heighten the human realism… shots we can never forget.
78 Los Olvidados * Buñuel * 1950 Shocking imagery of hopeless poverty-stricken youths… sad.
79 Days of Being Wild * Wong Kar-Wai * 1991 Undeveloped passion in a quite elegant film… repressed emotion.
80 Code Unkown * Haneke * 2000 How do we in society treat each other ? …
81 When a Woman Ascends The Stairs   Naruse   1960 Adept portrait of an aging Geisha and her limited prospects…
82 The Double Life of Veronique * Kieslowski * 1991 Life as a parable of duality…
83 A Good Marriage * Rohmer * 1982 Strong desire, even for a sexy beautiful woman, doesn't always get you what you want in life…
84 Leila * Mehrjui * 1996 Rohmer-like cultural exploration of oppressed women...
85 The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz * Buñuel * 1955 Humor, elegance, satire, suspenseful… all rolled into one.
86 Red * Kieslowski * 1994 Pristine, moral and poetic all at once…
87 Rebels of the Neon God * Tsai * 1992 Tsai captures suppressed emotion as well as anyone in cinema…
88 Cyclo * Tran Anh Hung * 1995 Graphic and heartfelt…. Family values…
89 L'ennui * Khan * 1998 Fascinating dissertation on "jealousy" and "obsession'…
90 Boyfriends and Girlfriends * Rohmer * 1987 Rohmer realism with real people in real relationship quandaries
91 Insomnia * Skjoldbjærg * 1997 Modern day "Crime and Punishment"…
92 White * Kieslowski * 1994 Love can push one to crazy lengths…
93 What Time is it There? * Tsai * 2001 A mixture of his previous films… slightly more polished…
94 Love Letter * Iwai * 1995 Catharsis… the coping of death, with romantic interludes…
95 That Obscure Object of Desire * Buñuel * 1977 The game of love, filled with more psychological pathologies than can fit in this little box…
96 La Collectionneuse * Rohmer * 1967 Rohmer embodies French spirit/attitude so well…
97 The Sacrifice * Tarkovsky * 1985 Faith and mortality are but a few of this masterpiece's subtle contexts…
98 The 47 Ronin * Mizoguchi * 1941 As powerful as it is subtle…
99 Mississippi Mermaid * Truffaut * 1964 What price love ?
100 Babette's Feast * Axel * 1987 Wonderful Scandinavian film which tends to make me hungry…
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