International treasure: six must-see foreign films
February 20, 2007
Mike Wallbank
Reading Shakespeare is hard. Reading Shakespeare is especially hard if English isn’t your first language. And yet, Shakespeare is an important part of Western and world culture.
There is similar difficulty in watching foreign films. Just like labouring over Shakespeare, taking the time and effort to watch a foreign film can be a very refreshing and fulfilling film-going experience.
If you hate to read, well, then you probably don’t care for Shakespeare or reading subtitles. But, as long as you’re literate (and by reading this article I assume you are) here are a few classic and upcoming foreign films.
Yojimbo. Japan, 1961. Probably every film made by samurai sensei Akira Kurosawa could be on this list. But this is the most easily accessible and entertaining one to Western audiences. A lone samurai sets out to play both sides of a deadly conflict against each other. This classic was later made into the spaghetti western For a Fistful of Dollars.
A Very Long Engagement. France, 2004. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also did Amelie. This film has some of the greatest WWI scenes ever photographed, and Audrey Tautou, is one of the quirkiest and endearing lead actresses.
The Brotherhood of the Wolf. France, 2001. Accurately dubbed the “medieval Matrix,” this film has some brilliant action sequences and some of the scariest moments you’ll ever see on celluloid. It is one of the best examples of the Alfred Hitchcock-inspired thriller.
The Rocket. Canada, 2005. Okay, only the Academy Awards considers Canada “foreign,” but this one is at least 50 per cent in French. This film follows the French-Canadian hockey superstar Maurice “The Rocket” Richard. It has probably the best filmed hockey scenes ever. This film also recently won major Canadian acting awards.
Infernal Affairs. China, 2002. Didn’t know The Departed was a remake? Well it is, and this stunning thriller takes you undercover on both sides of the law. This film is an excellent example of the current explosion of great Chinese cinema.
Pan’s Labyrinth. Spain, 2006. Guillermo Del Toro wrote, directed and conceived this adult fairy tale. Del Toro has gained international recognition for his “creature features” like Hellboy and Blade 2. This film combines the gritty realities of Spain in civil war and a young girl’s fantasy world. Pan is nominated for six Academy Awards and is still in theatres.
Now you go...
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