EDITORIALS

The 100 Best Non-English Films Ever Made

by Alex Billington
September 20, 2007
Source: Edward Copeland, Cinematical

Although this article isn't based on current movie news, I always enjoy the occasional jog backwards in time. It helps build a more well-rounded moviegoer and emphasizes the subtle appreciation of great cinema of past. Back at Toronto Film Fest I caught a few foreign films, but not as many as I would've liked to see. The American public isn't a big support of mainstream foreign cinema, which is why it's an honor now to mention this list and finally shed some mainstream light on the best of the best. Edward Copeland has put together a blogger's list of the 100 best non-English films ever made!

You can dive head first into the full list at this link, but for those who are just looking to start out in the foreign film genre, here are the top 10.

10 - The 400 Blows (1959) - Francois Truffaut, French
9 - The Battle of Algiers (1966) - Gillo Pontecorvo, French & Arabic
8 - Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) - Werner Herzog, German
7 - Grand Illusion (1937) - Jean Renoir, French
6 - Persona (1966) - Ingmar Bergman, Swedish
5 - Bicycle Thieves (aka The Bicycle Thief) (1948) - Vittorio de Sica, Italian
4 - 8 1/2 (1963) - Federico Fellini, Italian
3 - M (1931) - Fritz Lang, German
2 - The Seven Samurai (1954) - Akira Kurosawa, Japanese
1 - The Rules of the Game (1939) - Jean Renoir, French

I'll admit that now I'm inspired! I've got a ton of films to watch, I better fire up the DVD player and Netflix! I'm also incredibly pleased to see Cinema Paradiso, which has a special place in my collection, at #55. Not high up there but at least it's on there.

Every time I go to film festivals and catch a few foreign films I always come out with a certain aura. On one hand I'm upset that so many people complain about "reading subtitles" and on the other I feel like most of the time there is such a brilliance that comes from foreign filmmakers that I wish I could see more! In Toronto this year it was Lust, Caution, which is Ang Lee's latest film. It is such a beautiful film and an amazing story and it's those kind of foreign films that make you love cinema even more.

Anyone else out there a foreign film aficionado? Do you agree or disagree with the top 10 here? Are there any other great foreign films you'd suggest watching?

Tweet Pin It

Related categories: Editorials, Movie News