Top 5 foreign language films?

[James]

List above is by no mean comprehensive. What are your top 5 foreign language films?

[Christo]

In English, or what?

[Daverz]

No Chinese films?

[Cato]

In no particular order:

War and Peace - Sergei Bondarchuk's c. 8 hour version of Tolstoy's novel, with a great score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.

Jean de Florette/Manon of the Springs - Claude Berri's classic movies on Marcel Pagnol's novels The Water of the Hills, two of the greatest works of the 20th century.

Jeder für sich und Gott Gegen Alle - (The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser) Werner Herzog's movie about the Kaspar Hauser case of the early 1800's.  The original German title translates as "Every man for himself and God against all."

Die Weisse Rose - (The White Rose) Michael Verhoeven's unsettling movie about the doomed anti-Nazi underground in Germany in the 1940's.

Ivan's Childhood - Andrei Tarkovsky tells the story of a vengeance-filled boy soldier/scout for the Soviet army in WWII.

[Wakefield]

The expression "foreign language" provides here a superb example of what could be called "egocentric" use of the words. 

[TheGSMoeller]

Would take me quite a while to properly narrow it down, but the first 5 that pop into my head have been there for many years, so I'm satisfied with them...

8 1/2 - Fellini
Contempt (Le Mépris) - JL Godard
In the Mood for Love - Kar-Wai
Persona - Bergman
The Sacrifice - Tarkovsky

...and looking at the poll I could easily substitute many into my list.

[snyprrr]

The Birds?

[Wakefield]

War and Peace - Sergei Bondarchuk's c. 8 hour version of Tolstoy's novel, with a great score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.

Thanks for this recommendation, Cato.

I didn't read War and Peace and at this point of my life I believe it's difficult to do it, so this could be a good alternative. 

[mc ukrneal]

Hard to nail down a favorite, but Burnt by the Sun would be among my top 3 for sure.

[North Star]

I need to see more non-English movies...

In no particular order:

Shichinin no samurai (Kurosawa)
Ladri di biciclette (De Sica)
Se, jie [Lust, Caution] (Lee)
Lola (Fassbinder)
Komisario Palmun erehdys [Inspector Palmu's Mistake] (Kassila)

[TheGSMoeller]

I need to see more non-English movies...

Lola (Fassbinder)

For living such a short life, Fassbinder created a good amount of quality films. Have you seen any other from him? Of not, checkout Ali:Fear Eats the Soul and The Merchant of Four Seasons.

[TheGSMoeller]

In no particular order:

Jeder für sich und Gott Gegen Alle - (The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser) Werner Herzog's movie about the Kaspar Hauser case of the early 1800's.  The original German title translates as "Every man for himself and God against all."
.

Cato, what about Stroszek? Also starring Bruno S. (Kaspar Hauser). A wild trip with Herzog's usual unique treatment (dancing chicken?)

I also love introducing peeps to Heart of Glass, the premiere of hypnosis-acting.  

[Karl Henning]

In no particular order:

War and Peace - Sergei Bondarchuk's c. 8 hour version of Tolstoy's novel, with a great score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.

Although Cato says "in no p. o.," I can attest that this magnificent realization of the novel is practically mandatory viewing.

[Karl Henning]

I need to see more non-English movies...

In no particular order:

Shichinin no samurai (Kurosawa)
Ladri di biciclette (De Sica)

Yes to both of these. And my buddy at the museum shop advises me that the commentary on the DVD for the Kurosawa itself is magnificent. (So, yeah, I've got to check it out from the library again....)

[North Star]

For living such a short life, Fassbinder created a good amount of quality films. Have you seen any other from him? Of not, checkout Ali:Fear Eats the Soul and The Merchant of Four Seasons.

No, thanks for the recommendations!

Ooh, I forgot this one: Tasogare Seibei [The Twilight Samurai] (Yamada)

[Sergeant Rock]

La ciociara ("Two Women") Vittorio De Sica (1960)

Et Dieu... créa la femme ("...And God Created Woman") Roger Vadim (1956)

Le genou de Claire ("Claire's Knee) Eric Rohmer (1970)

Furyô anego den: Inoshika Ochô ("Sex and Fury") Noribumi Suzuki (1973)

Belle du Jour  Luis Buñuel (1967)


Sarge

[Karl Henning]

Furyô anego den: Inoshika Ochô ("Sex and Fury") Noribumi Suzuki (1973)

Tenderness of Rage . . . .

[Cato]

Cato, what about Stroszek? Also starring Bruno S. (Kaspar Hauser). A wild trip with Herzog's usual unique treatment (dancing chicken?)

I also love introducing peeps to Heart of Glass, the premiere of hypnosis-acting.  

Bruno S. was something else!  His last name was Schleinstein, and he suffered mental problems: apparently he gave occasional paranoid speeches during the filming of the Kaspar Hauser movie, but Herzog was indulgent.

From the Wikipedia entry:

"Schleinstein died on August 11, 2010[3] after suffering heart problems. Shortly after his death, Werner Herzog remarked "in all my films, and with all the great actors with whom I have worked, he was the best. There is no one who comes close to him. I mean in his humanity, and the depth of his performance, there is no one like him."[4]

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Schleinstein

[DavidW]

My favorite is Les Diaboliques.

[TheGSMoeller]

Bruno S. was something else!  His last name was Schleinstein, and he suffered mental problems: apparently he gave occasional paranoid speeches during the filming of the Kaspar Hauser movie, but Herzog was indulgent.

From the Wikipedia entry:See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Schleinstein

Great! Thanks, Cato.

Bruno S. has an incredibly authentic quality when he's acting. So different from Herzog's "best-fiend" Kinski, who was over-the-top method, but also one of a kind.