TOP-TEN NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILMS OF THE NINETIESAug 20 '04 (Updated Dec 23 '04) Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Blu-ray and DVD Players
The Bottom Line Continuing my series of Top Non-English Language Films by decade, here's a Top Ten for the nineties plus another twenty-nine rated at five or four stars.
The nineties were a good decade for non-English language films – a bounce back from the relative weakness of the eighties. There was a diffusion of important contributions among a large number of directors and nations. Seventeen countries are included in the lists below. This is a subjective list – i.e., my personal favorites. It is not intended to represent critical consensus. The list was constructed from a pool of over sixty eligible films that I have personally seen. TOP-TEN NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILMS OF THE NINETIES: #1. Three Colors (1992/4)___Country: France___Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski Kieslowski produced his trilogy Trois Couleurs beginning with Bleu in 1992, followed by Blanc and Rouge in 1994. I am treating this trilogy as one item because the three films are ultimately interrelated, though any one of the films can be watched separately with full enjoyment. Were I to treat them separately, Bleu and Rouge would both have to be in my top ten films from the 1990’s, foreign or otherwise. Blanc is not as strong as the other two. Bleu features the incomparable Juliette Binoche while Rouge stars the equally alluring Irene Jacob. If you plan to see all three films, see them in order. #2. Central Station (1998)___Country: Brazil___Director: Walter Salles This is a poignant story of redemption. Dora, an embittered retired schoolteacher, reluctantly takes charge of an orphaned boy and finds new meaning in her life. Set in Rio de Janeiro and rural Brazil, this film features an award-winning performance by Fernando Montenegro as Dora. It’s a highly sensitive film. #3. Burnt By the Sun (1994)___Country: Russia___Director: Nikita Mikhalkov This film won the 1995 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. An old hero of the Russian Revolution lives in blissful retirement in a rural community with his lovely wife, Maroussia, and their beautiful daughter – until the madness of the Stalinist purges storms into their lives in the form of Maroussia’s old boyfriend. Betrayal, rationalization, and courage are the currency of this film. #4. Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)___Country: France___Director: Jean-Paul Rappaneau Cyrano is the epitomy of a romantic hero in this marvelous adaptation of the great play by Edmond Rostand. Gérard Depardieu plays Cyrano with marvelous panache while Anne Brochet makes a comely Roxane. The final scene is a tear-jerker par excellence. #5. Butterfly (1999)___Country: Spain___Director: Jose Luis Cuerda This great Spanish film is set in the waning days of the Spanish Republic, just before it was swept away by the Spanish Civil War. Don Gregorio, a school teacher nearing retirement, played by the great Fernando Fernan Gomez, befriends seven-year-old Moncho (Manuel Lozano), teaching him about nature, life, and love. The idyllic tone of much of the film is shattered by a tumultuous ending. #6. The Horseman on the Roof (1995)___Country:France ___Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau This romantic period drama features charming performances by Juliette Binoche and Olivier Martinez. Thrown together by chance, the two must battle assassins, rogues and, most of all, the plague, while traveling through the France of 1862. This film effectively combines high adventure and romance. #7. Life is Beautiful (1997)___Country: Italy___Director: Roberto Benigni Benigni both directed and starred in this masterpiece about the durability of human spirit in the face of adversity. This film is one of those rare instances where a part perfectly matches the characteristics of a performer. Humor, great cinematography, and an excellent score all add to a story of great sensitivity. #8. Ma Vie en Rose (1997)___Country: France/Belgium___Director: Alain Berliner Seeing this film recently for the third time and with my family reinforced my opinion of the merits of this Golden Globe award winning Best Foreign Film in 1997. It is a study of individuality and a plea for tolerance. A young lad believes that he was meant to be a girl instead of a boy, throwing the entire neighborhood into a tizzy. Georges Du Fresne plays young Ludovic with wide-eyed sweetness and serenity. #9. Run Lola Run (1998)___Country: Germany___Director: Tom Tykwer This clever and highly kinetic film explores interesting questions about fate, intersecting lives, and alternative realities. This meditation on order and chaos features Franka Potente as Lola – who is mostly on the run throughout the film. #10. The Dinner Game (1998)___Country: France___Director: Francis Veber It’s only fair to round out this list with a comedy and you won’t find a funnier one than this witty offering from Francis Veber, one of the greatest French farceurs of the twentieth century. Monsieur Pierre Brochant and his exclusive group of friends – the finest and brightest men in Paris – have a rather mean-spirited pastime. Each Wednesday night, they organize an “idiot dinner” to which each regular invites the biggest idiot they can find so that the entire group can wallow in idiot depreciation. Brochant is about to learn that exposing your life to a world-class idiot can be dangerous business indeed. OTHER FIVE-STAR FILMS FROM THE NINETIES: Children of Nature (1991)___Country: Iceland___Director: Fridrik Thor Fridriksson Vacas (1992)___Country: Spain___Director: Julio Medem The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)___Country: France___Director: Tran Anh Hung Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)___Country: China___Director: Ang Lee Strawberry and Chocolate (1994)___Country: Cuba___Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío Under the Domim Tree (1995)___Country: Israel___Director: Eli Cohen Beyond Silence (1998)___Country: Germany___Director: Caroline Link FOUR-STAR FILMS FROM THE NINETIES: Journey of Hope (1990)___Country: Turkey___Director: Xavier Koller La Femme Nikita (1990)___Country: France___Director: Luc Besson Tie Me Up! Time Me Down! (1990)___Country: Spain___Director: Pedro Almodóvar Delicatessen (1991)___Country: France___Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro The Double Life of Veronique (1991)___Country: France___Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski Raise the Red Lantern (1991)___Country: China___Director: Zhang Yimou Zentropa (1991)___Country: Germany___Director: Lars Von Trier Belle Epoque (1992)___Country: Spain___Director: Fernando Trueba Indochine (1992)___Country: France___Director: Regis Wargnier Like Water For Chocolate (1992)___Country: Mexico___Director: Alfonso Arau Farewell My Concubine (1993)___Country: China___Director: Chen Kaige Stalingrad (1993)___Country: Germany___Director: Wolfgang Petersen The Visitors (1993)___Country: France___Director: Christian Clavier Chungking Express (1994)___Country: Hong Kong___Director: Wong Kar-Wai Farinelli: Il Castrato (1994)___Country: Belgium___Director: Gérard Corbiau Il Postino (1994)___Country: Italy___Director: Michael Radford Antonia’s Line (1995)___Country: Netherlands___Director: Marleen Gorris Hate (1995)___Country: France___Director: Mathieu Kassovitz Star Maker (1995)___Country: Italy___Director: Giuseppe Tornatore Kolya (1996)___Country: Czech Republic___Director: Jan Sverak The Other Side of Sunday (1996)___Country: Norway___Director: Berit Nesheim Ridicule (1996)___Country: France___Director: Patrice Leconte Character (1997)___Country: Netherlands___Director: Mike Van Diem Insomnia (1997)___Country: Norway___Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg Earth (1998)___Country: Canada/India___Director: Deepa Mehta The Grandfather (1998)___Country: Spain___Director: Jose Luis Garci All About My Mother (1999)___Country: Spain___Director: Pedro Almodóvar The Emperor and the Assassin (1999)___Country: China___Director: Chen Kaige The Terrorist (1999)___Country: India___Director: Santosh Sivan Please check out my other decade lists: Top-Ten Non-English Language Films of the Thirties and Forties Top-Ten Non-English Language Films of the Fifties Top-Ten Non-English Language Films of the Sixties Top-Ten Non-English Language Films of the Seventies Top-Ten Non-English Language Films of the Eighties  |
| Read all comments (4)|Write your own comment |
