Gary Tooze

Here is my Personal Top 100 Foreign Language Films List that I have recently updated. Would love to see others lists...

I have placed comments by each film on my website at:
http://207.136.67.23/film/Top100.htm#g


I feel I will probably have to change it again as I have so many films to see, and am viewing great films each week...

Rank Title Director Year
1 In the Mood For Love Wong Kar-Wai 2000
2 Mirror Tarkovsky 1975
3 Rosetta Dardenne 1999
4 Summer Rohmer 1986
5 The Passion of Joan of Arc Dryer 1928
6 L'avventura Antonioni 1960
7 A Man Escaped Bresson 1956
8 Bicycle Thief de Sica 1948
9 Cinema Paradiso Tornatore 1989
10 Ordet Dryer 1955
11 The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Demy 1964
12 Children of Paradise Carne 1945
13 Vive L'amour Tsai 1994
14 The Scent of Green Papaya Tran Anh Hung 1993
15 Beau Pere Blier 1981
16 Irma Vep Assayas 1996
17 The Lovers on the Bridge Carax 1991
18 Nights of Cabiria Fellini 1957
19 Autumn Sonata Bergman 1978
20 Red Kieslowski 1994
21 The Cranes are Flying Kalatozishvili 1957
22 Chung King Express Wong Kar-Wai 1994
23 Chloe in the Afternoon Rohmer 1970
24 Andrei Rublev Tarkovsky 1969
25 Diary of a Country Priest Bresson 1950
26 A Tale of Winter Rohmer 1992
27 Pickpocket Bresson 1959
28 L'Appartement Mimouni 1996
29 The Woman Next Door Truffaut 1981
30 Il Grido Antonioni 1957
31 The 400 Blows Truffaut 1959
32 The Aviator's Wife Rohmer 1980
33 Not One Less Zhang 1999
34 High and Low Kurosawa 1963
35 The Vertical Ray of the Sun Tran Anh Hung 2000
36 Decalogue Kieslowski 1987
37 Woman in the Dunes Teshigahara 1964
38 El Buñuel 1952
39 L'Humanite Dumont 1999
40 Tokyo Story Ozu 1952
41 Solaris Tarkovsky 1972
42 Mouchette Bresson 1967
43 Taste of Cherry Kiarostami 1997
44 Seventh Seal Bergman 1957
45 Day of Wrath Dryer 1943
46 Mother and Son Sokurov 1997
47 The Eel Immamura 1997
48 King of Masks Wu Tian-Ming 1996
49 Jean de Florette Berri 1986
50 The Hole Tsai 1998
51 8 1/2 Fellini 1963
52 Stalker Tarkovsky 1979
53 The 47 Ronin Mizoguchi 1941
54 Under the Sand Ozon 2000
55 School of Flesh Jacquot 1998
56 Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud Sautet 1995
57 Small Change Truffaut 1976
58 The Earrings of Madame De… Ophüls 1953
59 Vagabond Varda 1985
60 Manon des Sources Berri 1987
61 My Night at Mauds Rohmer 1969
62 Un coeur en Hiver Sautet 1993
63 Pauline at the Beach Rohmer 1983
64 Night and Fog Resnais 1955
65 Los Olvidados Buñuel 1950
66 Days of Being Wild Wong Kar-Wai 1991
67 Babette's Feast Axel 1987
68 Battleship Potemkin Eisenstein 1925
69 Mississippi Mermaid Truffaut 1964
70 The Double Life of Veronique Kieslowski 1991
71 A Good Marriage Rohmer 1982
72 The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz Buñuel 1955
73 Double Suicide Shinoda 1969
74 Rebels of the Neon God Tsai 1992
75 Cyclo Tran Anh Hung 1995
76 L'ennui Khan 1998
77 Boyfriends and Girlfriends Rohmer 1987
78 Insomnia Skjoldbjærg 1997
79 White Kieslowski 1994
80 An Affair of Love Donteyne 1999
81 My Life to Live Godard 1962
82 That Obscure Object of Desire Buñuel 1977
83 La Collectionneuse Rohmer 1967
84 Ikiru Kurosawa 1952
85 Blood of Poet Cocteau 1930
86 Confidentially Yours Truffaut 1983
87 L'Enfer Chabrol 1994
88 The Sacrifice Tarkovsky 1985
89 A Single Girl Jacquot 1995
90 M Lang 1931
91 Children of Heaven Majidi 1997
92 Where is My Friends Home Kiarostami 1987
93 Mauvais Sang Carax 1986
94 Il Bidone Fellini 1955
95 Live Flesh Almodóvar 1997
96 After Life Koreeda 1998
97 Tampopo Itami 1986
98 The Vanishing Sluizer 1988
99 Thesis Amenabar 1996
100 Deep Red Argento 1975


Cheers

hardtack

Already controversial - no Seven Samurai and 8 1/2 at #51... what the???

JohnN

Gary,

Great list!!

However you need to come up with another two to add to the list to cover a full 100.

You gave us a double dose of Solaris at #41 and again at #67

You also gave us Rohmer's "A Good Marriage" at #71 and "Le Beau Marriage" at #83.

Regardless, it is still a great list with many films I have yet to see.

How do you keep track of them all?

raithen

Interesting list, but no mention of Seven Samurai?

Also, I'm not sure if In The Mood For Love has been out long enough to really put it in perspective with all of the films in this list, but it certainly has all of the signs of a classic.

Cheers,

-matt

Gary Tooze

Thanks John...I obviously don't keep track well, or i wouldn't have made that error... I think I uploaded the wrong file to the web ( and Forums )... I'll have to repost tomorrow morning...

Remembered what they were and fixed them... thanks for pointing out !

Regards,

jtkv

Gary,

Not One Less is directed by Zhang Yimou.
Zhang is his last name, like Zhang ZiYi, Zhang is the last name.

Chinese names are last name, first name, as in Chow Yun-Fatt's last name is Chow



J.T.

Gary Tooze

Thanks everyone for helping me correct my errors... I believe I have posted the correct file now...

I suppose the major word in my list is "Personal"... I certainly don't expect anyone to share my tastes... Seven Samurai was on my first list last year, but I have seen many films since and it has faded from my memory... it honestly did not have the impact of many of Kurosawa's other films... High and Low, Ikiru, Red Beard, Ran etc... personally I am not much of a martial arts film guy ( thats not to limit Seven Samurai to that genre! )

Perhaps not widely accepted, but In the Mood For Love is from the year 2000.. I have seen it 10 times now, and am pretty sure it is the film I want in the #1 slot... I honestly think it is the perfect film... in addition to my graphic review ( http://www.itmfl.dvdbeaver.com ) I have considered doing a scene by scene anaylisis of the film...

From my previous list I note less Truffaut, more Rohmer... my favorite decades appear to be 50's and 90's and I definitely lean towards French and Asian films...

Anyway, thanks to all who post their lists as well !

Ted Todorov

Gary,

I noticed 15 Beau Pere Blier 1981. It's high time I see it again -- I haven't watched it since '81...

But this brings me to my question: have you seen two of Bertrand Blier's other movies: Going Places (Les Valseuses) & Get Out Your Handkerchiefs? If you liked Beau Pere, you have to check them out.

Both are very good, though in a way, polar opposites in tone. Great performances by Depardieu and Deware in both films. They recently came out on DVD from Anchor Bay, so no doubt you can look forward to very good anamorphic transfers.

Ted

Gary Tooze

Hey Ted,

Yeah.. I own them both, but have not had an opportunity to watch them yet... but thanks, I am looking forward to it... I'm still aggrivated at F/L DVD for the subtitle mismatches in Beau Pere... around the middle of the film ( her ski trip )... argggg!

Cheers,

Ted Todorov

Hey Gary,

Yeah, I've had the F-L disk for a long while, but I dare not watch it, I just keep lending it to friends.

Mismatched subtitles? If it lets me turn them off, I'll be happy. When it comes to F-L my expectations are very low.

The new and "improved" Wellspring still can't get its act together. Perfect Love seems to have been postponed again with no new date in sight. I saw The Girl at a local store but didn't dare pick it up because there was no AR mentioned anywhere on the package and I suspected P&S. I just looked it up on DVD Pricesearch and they say 16:9! I guess Wellspring doesn't want to risk selling any extra disks by advertising their features!

Ted

Krug

Similarly, the director of Rebels of the Neon God and The Hole should be Tsai Ming Liang. Heck since you've gone to so much trouble to compile the list, you might as well put in both first and last names.