Foreign Films

The Serbian film has to be one of the most shocking films I've ever watched.

Het Zwarte Boek
The more Dutch recent film about Freddie Hieneken's kidnapping
The Postman
The original Japanese trilogy of The Ring
The original French version of 3 Men and a Baby

Then of course there are all the Scandinavian/French and Italian dramas on BBC4, Sky Arts etc at the weekend.

bwfc71 wrote:Het Zwarte Boek

The Black Book ?

Is it about the memoirs of Barry Knight?

Reebok Trotter wrote:

bwfc71 wrote:Het Zwarte Boek

The Black Book ?

Is it about the memoirs of Barry Knight?

You are right with the translation, RT, but not about the story - although that would be a comedy film more than anything else!!!

It is a 2006 Dutch World War II film. Based on a true story, the film is about a young Jewish woman in the Netherlands who becomes a spy for the resistance during World War II after tragedy befalls her in an encounter with the Nazis.

The last foreign film I watched was Four Lions. It was actually quite humorous.

Any other ancient bugger5 out there remember the black and white serialisation of Robinson Crusoe starring the Austrian actor Robert Hoffman as R.C. It was a French production with dubbed English dialogue and was repeated every year without fail on kids TV at teatime during the late 60's and early 70's. It had a wonderfully memorable and evocative musical soundtrack and was must see TV for young kids just home from school. Just purchased the DVD last month and can't wait to watch it. Aaaahh, nostalgia, you can't beat it.

Hip Priest wrote:Any other ancient bugger5 out there remember the black and white serialisation of Robinson Crusoe starring the Austrian actor Robert Hoffman as R.C. It was a French production with dubbed English dialogue and was repeated every year without fail on kids TV at teatime during the late 60's and early 70's. It had a wonderfully memorable and evocative musical soundtrack and was must see TV for young kids just home from school. Just purchased the DVD last month and can't wait to watch it. Aaaahh, nostalgia, you can't beat it.

Yes I remember it just as you describe it. The music was very much part of the experience. There is some good information about it on the IMDb site under it's full title of The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Get the dubbed BBC version not the original French version however because, to quote one reviewer:

Curiously, once seen, the English language version of this series is by far the most successful. Whether or not it was commissioned just for the BBC, I don't know, but a comparison with the original French-voiced production is a surprise. The memorable soundtrack is missing from the ‘authentic' series, replaced by one more jazz based and, to these ears, far less evocative. Worse, Crusoe's distinctive voice and diction is that of a different actor. The tenor voice of the Lee Payant's dubbing in the BBC version encapsulates the tone and manner of a intelligent, resilient Englishman. The conversational style of his narration (which occupies almost all of the dialogue outside of the flashbacks and the debates with Friday) perfectly suits Crusoe's character and made his disappointments and introspection charming. The Austrian actor's real voice, for all his dramatic virtues, lapses back into anonymity.

To show you how ancient I am, I remember watching it with my kids!

I guess you're excluding American films?
Most Fellini films are great and I'd recommend any of the internationally acclaimed ones especially La Dolce Vita, 8 and 1/2 and Amarcord.
Themroc directed by Faraldo is a must see anarchist comedy - seriously get it and watch it. You will piss your sides and language isn't an issue.
Luis Bunuel is the man if you like anarchic surrealism and the film he made in the 30s with Salvador Dali - L'age D'or - still freaks people out today some 80 years later, especially the slo-mo slicing of an eyeball with a cutthroat razor.
Kurasawa films are a must if a little gory: try Run (and the classic Seven Samurai)
If you like a spoof on spaghetti westerns, one of the greatest noodle westerns of all time is Tampopo directed by Juzo Itami. It's basically sex, comedy and food - all the ingredients for a good night in. There's a fair bit of food used in sex too.
So many fantastic foreign language films but tread carefully...Tarkovsky is widely accepted as a great but I usually nod off if I'm watching Solaris or the Sacrifice. Choose carefully.

There's a Jo Nesbo comedy shown on Sky recently (in Finnish) which I think is still on Anytime if anyone's interested. Haven't seen it but his books are OK.

Black Book is a Dutch film based on a true story, during the second world war. Superb film in subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIklvGsU7bM

My all time favourite film, yet again in subtitles, is an Argentinian film, called the "The Secret in their eyes", a brilliant thriller, with a real twist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhEuUDO0YUQ

Yes "The Secret in Their Eyes" is another great foreign film. Very moving and powerful.

Hip Priest wrote:Any other ancient bugger5 out there remember the black and white serialisation of Robinson Crusoe starring the Austrian actor Robert Hoffman as R.C. It was a French production with dubbed English dialogue and was repeated every year without fail on kids TV at teatime during the late 60's and early 70's. It had a wonderfully memorable and evocative musical soundtrack and was must see TV for young kids just home from school. Just purchased the DVD last month and can't wait to watch it. Aaaahh, nostalgia, you can't beat it.

A lot on Saturday mornings during my childhood - instead of Swap Shop, Saturday Superstore etc etc.

Most memorable was the oft mocked Flashing Blade. Also lets not forget the Friday teatime one - Heidi and there were a few others.

Had a few Guiness's,feeling a bit adventurous and broadening my cultural horizons seems like a good idea. So I've nipped on to Amazon and purchased "Black Book" and "The Secret in Their Eyes" for the princely sum of £4.07 in total (incl.postage). They better be good or I'll be coming on here looking for a refund from some of you lot.

Another great foreign film is The Vanishing. Do NOT in any circumstances bother with the awful American remake starring Jeff Bridges but get the Dutch original made in 1988. Amazingly both versions are directed by George Sluizer but I can only assume the American producers required him to change fundamental elements in the plot and effectively ruined it.

This is a film that you will not forget quickly.

xmiles wrote:Another great foreign film is The Vanishing. Do NOT in any circumstances bother with the awful American remake starring Jeff Bridges but get the Dutch original made in 1988. Amazingly both versions are directed by George Sluizer but I can only assume the American producers required him to change fundamental elements in the plot and effectively ruined it.

This is a film that you will not forget quickly.

I have watched the Jeff Bridges version and I thought it was okay. Didn't Sandra Bullock make her acting debut playing the part of Kiefer Sutherland's missing girlfriend?

Reebok Trotter wrote:

xmiles wrote:Another great foreign film is The Vanishing. Do NOT in any circumstances bother with the awful American remake starring Jeff Bridges but get the Dutch original made in 1988. Amazingly both versions are directed by George Sluizer but I can only assume the American producers required him to change fundamental elements in the plot and effectively ruined it.

This is a film that you will not forget quickly.

I have watched the Jeff Bridges version and I thought it was okay. Didn't Sandra Bullock make her acting debut playing the part of Kiefer Sutherland's missing girlfriend?

Trust me the original is so much better. Rather than spoiling it for others, PM me if you really want to know why.

I think Sandra Bullock was in an earlier film called Love Potion No. 9 but I haven't seen it.

I'll have a look on ebay for the original.

I watched series one of Breaking Bad last week and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Prophet on Film4 on Thursday is worth seeing.