FOREIGN FILMS

[janetcatbird]

I wasn't sure any one movie would generate enough hype for a whole thread, and I wasn't about to do regions. So, for the sake of convenience, and as not to antagonize the majority of board posters, "Foreign Film" = "It ain't in English". So, what are some of the best/worst/intriguing movies you've read? (To those members of the board who are communicating in English as a second language, we'd love to hear reccomendations from your home country!)

I just saw Fanaa yesterday. My first full Bollywood film, which I understand to be an aquired taste but as I love musicals and can read quickly I was fine. The romance aspect seemed a little cheesy, but no more so than some American dreck. Fantasy sequences, but I can deal with that. Some of the songs were repetitive (The song about the colors of my country just took forever), but others were fun. I just remember watching the passionate scene in the rain--it's falling a flood, the actors are all over each other--and wondering "How can her makeup still be so perfect? No streaks, nothing!"

The darker second-half is, well, huh. The actors do better with the more serious elements of the story, though it borders on melodramatic. (That may be an issue of translation.) Little kid was trying to be endearingly cute, but came off cloying. I thought the female intelligence officer was an interesting background character, and liked the ending. Mommies to the rescue! I did have a hard time with the snowboarding sequence--he's a terrorist, carrying a crucial nuclear bomb component, and he's making his getaway to a rocking X-treme sports advertisement?

So, that aside, it was an interesting movie. I now want to go further into Bollywood, any suggestions?

--Catbird

[NikkiGreen]

Sure, I can suggest stuff even though I haven't' seen a movie in ages.

If you want to stay with the hero from Fanaa try Dil Chahta Hai, Earth (which was big in the int'l film festivals circuit and is part of Deepa Mehta's earth elements trilogy) or Lagaan, which was the first Indian film to be nominated for the Foreign language Oscar, but won some 40 other awards.

Interesting fact about Aamir Khan is that he doesn't believe in individual awards for performances or go to award shows. There was an interview with him years ago where he stated that they should have all 5 nominees give the same performance and then judge who the best actor is. Like, how can you compare one actor's performance in a role against another actor in a completely different role?

His latest one is supposed to be quite good. But, like I said, I haven't seen a movie in a long time. But, enough of Aamir Khan.

For my favourite Khan, try Devdas, which is the third remake from an old Bengali novel. This one was big budget and also won some 40 awards. It was shown at Cannes a few years ago.

And most anything starring Amitabh Bachchan (or as he's sometimes known The Big B), starting with this or this. That man's voice was made for reciting poetry and saying grand dialogue.

Will Smith was in India about a month or so ago, for the launch of Sony's all English movie channel. He was so impressed with the Big B's performances in Black and Sarkar that he said he now wanted to be known as the Big W. ;D

And BTW...people like the Big B absolutely hate the term "Bollywood".

ETA: I've seen quite a few films by Akira Kurosawa. I had to read the subtitles, but, boy were they ever magnificent.

ETA, again! This one was the first of its kind for a Hindi film in that it filled theatres in England and was part of the Top 10 box office list.

[Techguy]

Just for starters, I'm going to recommend a couple of movies I saw years ago and recalling them now makes me want to revisit them--"Jean de Florette" and its sequel "Manon of the Spring." I took some French in high school, but still had to rely a lot on the English subtitles. These two movies are quiet and subtle yet speak to the heart of family, and how one's actions can have some unexpected devastating and inadvertent consequences.

[NikkiGreen]

I remember seeing Jean de Florette years ago on the CBC's French language station.

Another one: Denys Arcand's Jésus de Montréal. Lothaire Bluteau (Zainer from Enemy Within) stars as Daniel.

[maherjunkie]

The spanish "Belle Epoque" for an amusing farce with early Penelope Cruz.

[madger]

Lina Wertmuller's Seven Beauties...ooo yeah.

Many years ago, when I was growing up in Spain, I saw a great little movie by Luis Berlanga called Calbuch, I've tried to find it from time to time, it is frecuently mentioned, but as far as I know not out on DVD:
"The Spanish/Italian Rocket From Calabuch is significant as the last film of beloved character actor Edmund Gwenn. The 78-year-old star plays a retired atomic scientist who settles in a peaceful Spanish village. But he can't remain sedentary for long, and soon he's off and about developing a new kind of rocket. So much for his retirement, and so much for the peace and quiet in his village, which is soon overrun with reporters and spies. Rocket From Calabuch was originally released in Spain as simply Calabuch; the film didn't make it to the states until after Edmund Gwenn's death in 1959". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.

Also Ang Lee's "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" and Gabriel Axel's "Babette's Feast" if your in a culinary mood.

I like quiet movies, though I wouldn't consider Seven Beauties "quiet"

madger

[NikkiGreen]

I love the CBC's selection of late night features.

I've seen Raise the Red Lantern, starring Li Gong, a couple of times. It is a beautiful, serene and haunting piece of art.

Another one I've seen a couple of times is Pedro Almodóvar's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! starring Antonio Banderas and Victoria Abril. You may or may not want to see that one in mixed company.

[Sirenna]

Nikki: you've touched on some my favourite Indian movies some of which are so endearing to me.

Water is the final movie in Deepak Mehta's trilogy and it is, I think her best. Lagaan is wonderful and Amitabh Bachchan is, without a doubt, probably the most influential actor in the Indian movie industry.

Janet: you are watching a foreign movie with a western viewer's expectations which is inevitable and inescapable but much is lost in the translation and I don't just mean the translation from dialogue to subtitle. You have to place yourself in the context of the culture in which the movie is made to see why someone like Mr. Bachchan is considered a creative genius to so many people. A good movie transcends it's time and space and touches you even if it's a different language. I'm glad you liked what you got out of Fanaa enough to want to continue watching others.

[Techguy]

nikkigreen said:

I remember seeing Jean de Florette years ago on the CBC's French language station.

NikkiGreen, if you've already seen "Jean," then I strongly recommend you find and view "Manon" to bring the story full circle. That's all I'll say so as not to raise spoilers.

madger said:

Lina Wertmuller's Seven Beauties...ooo yeah.

How could I have forgotten this one? Thanks for the reminder, Madger. Classic, brilliantly conceived opening sequence and voice-over. And the movie deals with one of my favorite themes--how one's decisions can have unexpected (and often horrifying) consequences.

[madger]

Janethyland, I'm actually from Scaresdale, NY, but I grew up in Malaga (Antonio Banderas' home town), my dad was an incurable romantic artist who decided it would be nice to live in Spain, so we did, for 14 yrs.
What village?, I used to go to Granada with my brother, his favorite place was Rio Frio, you can't get trout any fresher
madger

[janetcatbird]

Wow, chat! Normally I put up a thread and it dies the death of chirping crickets.

As to Western expectations, of Fanaa it's kind of good that I didn't know really what to expect. By "cheesy" or "melodramatic", that was my own perception as a person who's skeptical of love at first sight and such things--no matter who made the film. I tend to flake out and get distracted during movies--the makeup--so that's me and not the movie. I did like the film, and plan to see it again. (The first time I had to follow the subtitles to know what was going on. Now that I know the plot, I figure a second viewing I can just enjoy the atmosphere and absorb it.)

The only other Indian film I've seen is the first twenty minutes or so of Jai Santoshi Ma in my intro to Hinduism/Buddhism. I wondered if "Bollywood" wasn't a bit perjorative, but I didn't know what else to call the films. Is there another term preferred by those involved, of just "Indian films"? For anyone interested, on of the old Foreign Exchange shows featured an interview with Tom Alter, a "Bollywood actor" (show's words) of English ancestry. Show 130, foreignexchange.tv/?q=node/712


Thanks for the reccomendations! If only I could find them!

I saw Jean de Florette a couple years ago in my French literature class. I don't remember a lot of details, but I remember thinking it was well-made. I gotta keep an eye out for Manon de Sources, though i've heard a wee bit of the plot.

M, which I may have mentioned in our Black/White thread. Early 1930s German film, in which a child murderer is killing children in Berlin. As the police crack down on all criminal activity the petty underground, desperate to get back to their normal state of affairs, conduct their own manhunt and put the serial killer on trial in their own kangaroo court. Peter Lorre, as the murderer, is amazing.

I've seen several Russian films, which I really loved. Bed and Sofa is silent, so we just saw the caption cards translated. Moscow in the 1920s, when the urbanization, overcrowding slums and such were really bad. Husband and wife live in a bad little tenement apartment, and the husband's army buddy comes to stay with them when working. Wife and Friend have an affair, tensions ensue.

Burnt By the Sun made in the early 90s, I think this one took the Foreign Film Oscar. Set during Stalin's reign, an army officer and his family are living in their country estate, simply having a nice time. The wife's old flame comes to the estate, so with all that awkwardness is the hovering threat of the purges--whether or not Stalin wants to wipe out this family as well.

Irony of Fate (or, "Enjoy Your Bath!") Apparently this was originally at TV miniseries in the '70s that has since attained cult status. It's the New Year, and our hero, an engaged man, goes to the bathhouse with his buddies. They get, to put it delicately, tanked to the gills and in their drunken confusion put him on a plane to Leningrad. Because everything is pre-fab, standard construction, his key opens the apartment belonging to a young woman who is having her boyfriend over for a New Year's romantic dinner. I missed the last five minutes, but really enjoyed the confusions and fun.

--Catbird

[NikkiGreen]

janetcatbird said:

Wow, chat! Normally I put up a thread and it dies the death of chirping crickets.

We are an eclectic group. ;D

janetcatbird said:

... I wondered if "Bollywood" wasn't a bit perjorative, but I didn't know what else to call the films. Is there another term preferred by those involved, of just "Indian films"? For anyone interested, on of the old Foreign Exchange shows featured an interview with Tom Alter, a "Bollywood actor" (show's words) of English ancestry. Show 130, foreignexchange.tv/?q=node/712

... If only I could find them!

"Bollywood" is a term that's been around a few years. It was something the English language media came up. I think some of the 'old timers' find it rather derogatory.

Thanks for the link to the Tom Alter interview. I look forward to seeing it.

As far as finding the movies, you would have to rent them from stores which carry Indian movies (Hindi, Punjabi, South Indian...). I've only ever seen the likes of Lagaan, Mission Kashmir and Monsoon Wedding in places like Blockbuster. Amazon sells some titles, but I doubt you're at the buying stage.

ETA: Netflix has a number of titles available.

[Sirenna]

Does anyone subscribe to Netflix? Is it reliable?

[SarahIvy]

We've got Netflix, and I am telling you, it's perfect for us! We've had it for over two years now. We watch a LOT of movies, but we live out in the boonies with no good rental places anywhere near us. And Netflix has a wonderful selection, especially when it comes to documentaries, foreign, and independent films.

Now that I'm done with my Netflix ad I'll have to think about my favorite foreign films and come back

[Metella]

OK - I saw a German film about a decade ago -

It had a woman in highrise building - she meet a male neighbor who often dressed outlandishly - I am pretty sure he was gay or bi - they became friends.

The movie was so emotionally touching & he died, I think he had aids & then killed himself .... I am really wanting to watch it again & I have NOTHING more than my spotty memory to go on.

I saw it on IFC or something & it had subtitles in English. Sigh. I don't suppose any of this group have come across it?