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… |