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Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

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#1

Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Especially French films with English subtitles...

Here's what I've seen:

Foreign Films:
-Amelie
-Ma Vie En Rose
-Life is Beautiful
-The Chorus

Documentaries:
-Super Size Me
-Bowling For Columbine
-Whatever his Pres Bush-dissing doc was called...
-Wordplay
-Loose Change
-Who Killed The Electric Car?
-Jesus Camp
-An Inconvenient Truth


"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

Updated On: 2/12/07 at 09:16 PM

#2

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Le Placard is one of the funniest movies I've seen. I also enjoyed L'Auberge Espanol and Les Choristes.
"Don't thank your parents, if you were raised in a nurturing environment you wouldnt be in show business"--Conan O'Brien at the 2006 Emmy Awards
#3

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

The Seventh Seal. Anything Italian.


Oh and Run Lola Run!
I got rid of my teeth at a young age because... I'm straight. Teeth are for gay people. That's why fairies come and get them
#5

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Les Choristes is easily one of the best films I have seen, foreign or not. The talent in that movie is absolutely fantastic. The arrangements of the gorgeous music is astounding. I absolutely adore it.

Updated On: 10/29/06 at 11:24 PM

#6

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

A Very Long Engagement is achingly beautiful

Grey Gardens
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
#8

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

CapnHook---These are the ones that I think will blow you away:

Cocteau's Beauty & the Beast

Nights of Cabiria and La Strada (both for the incomparable Giulietta Mesina, and the first is the source for Sweet Charity)

Oh, and "8 1/2" (the source for "Nine")

Babette's Feast

Black Orpheus

The Seven Samurai and Rashomon (also Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, if you want to see the inspiration for the plot of Star Wars)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (and it's already a musical)

Smiles of a Summer Night (charming, funny, and the source for "A Little Night Music")

Two of my personal favorites from Truffaut: The Wild Child and Small Change

Z



Documentaries:

The Civil War
New York (both for TV)
Paris is Burning
Crumb
Bowling for Columbine
Into the Arms of Strangers

"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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#9

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Foreign -

City of God - Stunning.
Osama - Sad
The Devils Backbone - Scary

Documentary -

Keep the River on Your Right
Fast Cheap and Out of Control
Born Into Brothels
#10

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Since you haven't seen alot of foreign films, I'd recommend:

Europa, Europa
Run Lola Run
Diabolique (original with Vera Cluzot)
If you're gay, I'd recommend The Iron Ladies and Yossi and Jagger

Docs:
The Fog Of War
Grey Gardens (YOU MUST SEE THIS)
The Celluloid Closet
Murderball
Spellbound

EYES ON THE PRIZE is a miniseries doc from PBS and it's absolutely amazing.

Farenheit 9/11 is the Bush-bashing doc to whic you refer.


MANY of the other films mentioned are also great...best12's might be a little high-brow for a novice, but they are well worth it, esp. Babette's Feast and Seven Samurai. Tishiro Mifune is one the best actors EVAH.
#11

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Foreign:
The Beat that my Heart Skipped - (French)
Pauline et Paulette - (Belgium)
Nights of Cabiria - (Italian) - is film that inspired Sweet Charity.


Docs:

Follow my Voice - The Music of Hedwig
All Aboard
The Lady in Question is Charles Busch
"Oh Link...your pork is ready..." - Edna Turnblad
#12

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Ran
Fanny and Alexander
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"In Oz, the verb is douchifizzation." PRS

#15

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

My favorite docs currently in theatres:
Jesus Camp
Shut up and Sing
Deliver Us From Evil

Fav docs available on dvd:
Murderball (totally should have beat March of the Penguins for the Oscar)
Some Kind of Monster
Mad Hot Ballroom
When the Levees Broke (coming soon to dvd)
#16

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

The Vanishing
Nosferatu
Day for Night
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)
Santa Sangre
The Double Life of Veronique
La Dolce Vita
L'Aventura
Black Sabbath
Suspiria


Visions of Light
Searching for Debra Winger (not as in depth as it could be, but featuring interviews with a lot of wonderful actresses)
A Decade Under the Influence
From the Journals of Jean Seberg
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
#19

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Foreign:
Les Enfants du Paradise (the quintessential French film)
Delicatessin
Run Lola Run
The Wedding Banquet
Eat Drink Man Woman
Amarcord
Talk to Her
All About My Mother
Bad Education
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Raise the Red Lantern
Kagemusha
Europa Europa
Farewell My Concubine
Blue
Red
Les Choristes
Antonia's Line
Belle Epoque
Kolya
Character
The Tale of Two Sisters
Rashomon
Au Revoir Les Enfants
For a Lost Soldier
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Central Station
The Sea Inside

Documentaries:
Hands on a Hard Body
Paris is Burning
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Spellbound
One Day in September
March of the Penguins
Winged Migration
Born Into Brothels
Paper Clips
Mad Hot Ballroom
Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt
Shoah

"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian

Updated On: 11/1/06 at 02:41 PM

#20

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Some excellent French Films:
Belle De Jour
The Discreet Charm of the Borgeious
Diabolique is excellent
and Eyes Without a Face


"Love the Art in Yourself. Not Yourself in the Art." -- Stanislavski
#22

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

I'd second Rashomon (Japanese)-- everyone should see it.

And I'm suprised no one mentioned "The Thin Blue Line" by Erol Morris, a brilliant documentary about a police investigation.
#23

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

And how could I forget Tampopo and Monsoon Wedding? Two wonderful films!
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#24

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?
re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
#25

re: Foreign Film & Documentary Recommendations?

Two Women
8 femmes
La Ceremonie
The Girl on the Bridge

"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter

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