Best/Favorite Non American Film

[klunderbunker]

The title says it all. It's clear that American films absolutely dominate the worldwide box office, but there are obviously other films made in other countries out there. Every year there's an Academy Award given for Best Foreign Film, so I ask you, what is your favorite or what is best?

For me, it has to be Life is Beautiful. This story simply amazes me. It's almost two seperate films in one. The movie begins as almost a romantic comedy with a man trying to get the attention of a woman. Eventually they marry, and the real story begins. The film is set in WWII and the man and his son are taken to a concentration camp, where he is able to convince his son that they are in the middle of a massive game. Just an amazing story that got to me a bit in the end.

 

[FromTheSouth]

I'm going to go with Snatch. I was thoroughly entertained by every minute of that movie. Lock Stock was good as well. If Guy Ritchie is involved (or Jason Statham, for that matter) I tend to be enthralled.

And, once you get past that sexiest man alive thing, or even if you never get past it, Brad Pitt is a skilled actor who brings something positive to every project he's involved in.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Slightly silly thread if you ask me. America makes the biggest films, but they also make most of the worst films as well. I could list thousands of films outside from America that are superior to a lot of the films that are currently involved in the movie tournament. Not to knock you Klunder, but I feel like I would shock people if I named a couple of popular films like Trainspotting, Old Boy or Amelie.

And I'm not sure what exactly constitutes being a non-American film. Lord Of The Rings , New Zealand? Batman Begins, British?

 

[Mr. PPV]

HERO is one of the best films of its kind and one of the most beautiful films ever made. A martial arts epic, the film’s storyline edges closer to legend than history, and its displays of impossible fighting skill (swordsmen running on water, bouncing off treetops, floating through the air) pushes it into outright fantasy territory. Even if you’re not interested in fancy swordplay, the bold colors and big emotions will win you over.

 

[X]

Not to knock you Klunder, but I feel like I would shock people if I named a couple of popular films like Trainspotting, Old Boy or Amelie.

I figured someone such as yourself would enjoy a movie like Old Boy. Absolutely amazing film; it manages to both horrify me and suck me in with it's beauty at the same time. Have you heard the rumors of an American remake? An American remake would be bad enough as it is, but the two names attached to the rumored remake? Fucking Steven Spielberg and WILL SMITH. I'm sorry, but if Will Smith is even slightly, in any way, involved in a remake of the film, I will gladly boycott it's production. Because Will Smith should never be within 500 miles of any production about Old Boy.

As for the thread...you ought to have included British films in title as well. Really, you should've just named the thread "Favorite Foreign Films", or "Favorite Non-English Speaking Films".

Signed, Mr. Eko; Knower of All Things Film-ish.

Foriegn films are usually incredibly good because of the lack of films being created in those countries. The amount of movies made in say Taiwan compared to in America are astoundingly low. Obviously with such a small sample size, only the absolute cream of the crop will become popular overseas; which is what leads to many people thinking that foreign films are always better. But if you were to count up every classic foreign film ever made and then every classic American/British film ever made, the foreign market would simply pale in comparison.

That being said, a few of my favorite non-English speaking films. I absolutely LOVE the surrealist films of men like Luis Bunuel. Actually the following is more of a list. If you want to see some of the best foreign films ever made, here's a large list to choose from.

City of God
Audition
Ichi the Killer
Open Your Eyes (remade in America as Vanilla Sky)
The Devil's Backbone
The Exterminating Angel
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
The Phantom of Liberty
L'avventura
La Notte
Alphaville
Week End
Man Bites Dog
The 400 Blows
Jules and Jim
La Strada
La Dolce Vita
Un Chien Andalou
Belle de Jour
The Bicycle Thief
Breathless
Diabolique
Solaris (original Russian version; not the insanely bad Clooney version)
The Seventh Seal
Wild Strawberries

Or, in other words, simply check out virtually any film by the following directors:

Federico Fellini
Luis Bunuel
Ingmar Bergman
Michelangelo Antonioni
Jean-Luc Godard
Francois Truffaut

Those right there are the Holy Six of foreign film. Warning however; they are very much so makers of art films. Don't you dare pop in a Fellini movie and expect it to be anything at all simliar to an English film. Infact, don't expect anything. Odds are you going to see things you've never seen before in a crazy mix of beauty and horror.

And if you want to see the greatest foreign horror filmmaker of all time, check out anything by the great Takashi Miike.