Non-English Films

[rabidmonkeys]

Apologies if there's already a thread on this... I wanted to make a thread on that vile enemy of so many mainstream movie-goers... the non-english subtitled film! Unfortunately so many AMAZING films get underrepresented and unwatched because they are not in English.

Personally i LOVE films that just take you into a different culture or a different world... no english dubbing please! Its gotta be presented authentically according to that culture, no pandering to westerners.

Anyway, any favourites?

[rabidmonkeys]

I've watched many bollywood films... they cannot be beat for pure entertainment value! Many of them are variations on the boy meets girl, boy has complications, boy gets back girl type of film, though the awesome song and dance sequences are super entertaining.

There is also a parallel track of more serious indie films in bollywood... some pretty amazing films including indian adaptations of Macbeth and Othello (to modern settings, though arguably better than hollywood 'modern' shakespeare).

Tops is Lagaan, a bollywood film that was nominated for an oscar a few years back... its a sports film about cricket! best sports film i've ever seen though. And Monsoon Wedding (by Mira Nair) is pretty awesome.

[dex]

Let me make one obvious point: It depends on the movie if subtitles work. Lots of fast, eloquent dialogue? Comedy or atmosphere are created by nuanced expression? Well, you catch my drift, don't you? It helps if the movie is made with subtitles in mind, like... erm... darn alcohol rotting my whadyacallit... brain! I'll get back to you on that one.

[Edit: Babel! Ha! Here's to IMDb. Cheers!]

BUT of course there are kinds of movies you can watch just fine with subtitles. Hero comes to mind.

What I love about DVD: First watch the dubbed version, then the original one.

In general, it's a great idea to broaden your horizons with subtitled movies once in a while. I wish for better subtitles, though. Of course they need to be easy to read, but often they are bland and dumbed down beyond need.

[blinkfan]

Battle Royale, Audition, Oldboy, Ichi The Killer= Yes.

[Al]

If you haven't been exposed already, I'd say anything by Akira Kurasawa is worth your time: Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Rashomon, Ran, Throne of Blood.

Most of his are period pieces from feudal Japan, but they're masterfully shot and most have been remade several times. Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and Yojimbo became The Magnificent Seven, The Outrage, and A Fistful of Dollars (also Last Man Standing). Ran and Throne of Blood are adaptations of King Lear and Macbeth, respectively.

Ikiru is probably my favorite, though: a modern-day (well, 1950's) story about a dying man looking for meaning in his life. It's a premise that has been beaten into a Hallmark channel cliche, but Kurasawa approaches it with such subtlety and care that he makes it a real piece of art. And the expressions that Takashi Shuimura can project with his eyes will give you chills.

Inagaki's Samurai trilogy--Miyamoto Musashi, Duel at Ijijoji Temple, and Duel at Ganryu Island--is the epic and way underappreciated story of how Japan's most famous and celebrated samurai, Musashi, became the man that history remembers. It has some really impressive acting by Toshiro Mifune, who pulls a Citizen Kane and plays the same character over several decades. Of course, pretty much anything with Mifune ought to be called a timeless classic by my reckoning, but watching him grow from a reckless, impulsive youth to a wise, deliberate and deadly warrior is captivating.

Okay, enough with the essays.

From China, I certainly enjoy Once Upon A Time in China (the first one), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Iron Monkey.

From Europe: Run Lola Run, Johnny Stecchino, and Cinema Paradiso come to mind.

...That's all I have off of the top of my head.

EDIT: Ooh, and M! M is a really neat silent film from Germany that I finally watched this year about a child murderer. A little long, especially given how much our attention spans have shrunk in the last 80 years, but a real classic and a great performance by Peter Lorre.

[PoolMan]

From France, Amelie is a personal favourite. Also, Pan's Labyrinth... spooky!

[DarthShady]

Dec 4, 2008 18:57:57 GMT -5 Al said:

Ooh, and M! M is a really neat silent film from Germany that I finally watched this year about a child murderer. A little long, especially given how much our attention spans have shrunk in the last 80 years, but a real classic and a great performance by Peter Lorre.

M is fantastic! Absolutely love it, as does everyone I know who's seen it.

I'm taking a course on European film this semester, & I've really liked almost every movie we've watched. Our professor refuses to let us watch the dubbed versions, & I have to agree. I love listening to the intonation of the actors' voices, even if I can't understand it. We had to watch the Hungarian version of La Strada with English subtitles, & I thought it was a real shame we couldn't watch it in the original Italian instead.

I adore French cinema. Some of my favorite films include Jules et Jim (we watched this in class,) Amelie, Jean de Florette, Manon de Source, An Andalusian Dog, Le Fantôme de la Liberté, & Paris Je T'Aime (some of which is in English.)

I really enjoyed the Italian film La Strada.

I'm not crazy about it, but I think everyone should see Russia's the Battleship Potemkin before they die.

Two of my favorite directors are Luis Buñuel, who was Spanish but made some French films, & Ingmar Bergman, who was Swedish & easily qualifies as one of the greatest artists of all time.

[dex]

Dec 4, 2008 18:57:57 GMT -5 Al said:

EDIT: Ooh, and M! M is a really neat silent film from Germany that I finally watched this year about a child murderer.

Wow, the really big guns. Another entry for my secret shame list. (Btw., did you mean to write "silent film"?) I hear (hehe) it's quite remarkable for its sound, although it has a lot of silence.

A little long, especially given how much our attention spans have shrunk in the last 80 years

It's a good thing when old movies call our attention to that. I even notice that with movies not nearly as old. And sometimes (best example, even if I haven't seen it yet: Domino) I think I'm not evolved enough yet.

If you liked M, maybe you will enjoy this one as well.

[dex]

How could I forget Star Wreck? Remarkable for excellent subtitles and cult status. Considering it was made a couple of years ago by amateurs without a real budget (rendering farm in the kitchen) it's awesome. The team is now working on Iron Sky.

Speaking of Nazis, maybe this will be funny: Ein, Zwei, Die!

[jman912]

I'm a big fan of John Woo's films before he came to Hollywood. Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow I & II, and The Killer are some of the best action movies ever.

[katiem]

I also enjoyed Run Lola Run and Battle Royal.

Also The Dinner Game is a great little French flick.

[sirgallahad2]

Gotta go with "Oldboy". I would really like to see REC. According to the preview, It's a blair witch-style zombie movie. An american company robbed the plot (sorry... bought the rights) and re-made it as "Quarantine" this past year. I would rather see the original.

[thewhiteknight]

House of Flying Daggers, District 13, and Brotherhood of the Wolf.

[penguinslovedw]

Dec 31, 2008 11:22:59 GMT -5 jman912 said:

I'm a big fan of John Woo's films before he came to Hollywood. Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow I & II, and The Killer are some of the best action movies ever.

Those are all great! But unfortunately when I read "...John Woo's films before he came to Hollywood..." I think immediately of that scene at the end of "Once a Thief" when Chow Yun-Fat is watching football, starts this weird high-pitched yelping and then throws a baby across the room.
But speaking of "before they came to Hollywood", Jackie Chan's "Project A-2" is completely brilliant. Some of the martial arts set pieces in that movie are simply jaw-dropping.

[rabidmonkeys]

wow! a non-english film nominated for best picture! that doesn't happen alot

has anyone seen Slumdog Millionaire? I haven't yet, but i heard its amazing