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« "I'm Armie" | Main | Looking back at 1985: The Black Cauldron »
Saturday
Sep092017

Top 5 Films Without Repeating a Language or Country

by Sebastian Nebel

Name your Top 5 films without repeating a language or country of origin.

That was the challenge I posed on Twitter last month. It's tricky enough to limit your favorites to a specific number, and I was interested in seeing what kind of responses this added degree of difficulty would garner.

Turns out Twitter loves making lists! I got a ton of replies – way too many to collect all of them here, unfortunately. But I've rounded up a handful of them after the jump including lists by The Film Experience contributors, film critics and film makers...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo)
2001: A Space Odyssey
Police Story (警察故事)
Delicatessen
Santa Sangre (Holy Blood)

hmmm interesting challenge:

Pandora's Box (Die Büchse der Pandora)
Law of Desire (La ley del deseo)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)
Persona
In the Mood for Love (花樣年華)

The Piano
Persona
Andrei Rublev (Андрей Рублёв)
The Ballad of Narayama (楢山節考)
Nell

Closer
All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre)
8 Women (8 femmes)
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)
I Am Love (Io sono l'amore)
Aquarius

L'Atalante
La Strada
Rashomon (羅生門)
Stalker (Сталкер)
Volver

In a Lonely Place
The Cranes Are Flying (Летят журавли)
Forbidden Games (Jeux interdits)
Where Is the Friend's Home? (خانه دوست کجاست‎‎)
In the Mood for Love (花樣年華)

Ikiru (生きる)
Taxi Driver

Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin)
The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)

Gone with the Wind
Persona
The Spirit of the Beehive (El espíritu de la colmena)
The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups)
Hyenas (Hyènes)

This is a good challenge!

Close-Up (کلوزآپ ، نمای نزدیک‎‎)
I Was Born, But... (大人の見る絵本 生れてはみたけれど)
The Wizard of Oz
The Spirit of the Beehive (El espíritu de la colmena)
Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise)

The Conformist (Il conformista)
Barry Lyndon
Contempt (Le Mépris)
Distant (Uzak) or Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da) (I can't fucking decide)
Alexander Nevsky (Алекса́ндр Не́вский)

Catch-22
In the Mood for Love (花樣年華)
L'Avventura
Lola Montès
In the Realm of the Senses (愛のコリーダ)

Only Angels Have Wings
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie)
Dekalog: Six (Dekalog, sześć)
Audition (オーディション)
A Moment of Innocence (نون و گلدون‎‎)

How Green Was My Valley
Duelle (Une quarantaine)
Man with a Movie Camera (Человек с кино-аппаратом)
Close-Up (کلوزآپ ، نمای نزدیک‎‎)
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (残菊物語)

Melancholia
We Are the Best! (Vi är bäst!)
In the Mood for Love (花樣年華)
Cronos
Nights of Cabiria (Italian: Le notti di Cabiria)

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da)
Bullhead (Dutch: Rundskop)
Jules et Jim
A Separation (جدایی نادر از سیمین‎‎)
The Handmaiden (아가씨)

Paris Is Burning
In the Mood for Love (花樣年華)
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (¡Átame!)
Umberto D.
Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro)

Heavenly Creatures
Raise the Red Lantern (大紅燈籠高高掛)
Norte, the End of History (Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan)
Au revoir les enfants
Funny Games

Take This Waltz
Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓)
Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette)
The Tenant (Le Locataire)
The Vanishing (Spoorloos)

Mulholland Drive
Army of Shadows (L'armée des ombres)
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)
All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre)
Yojimbo (用心棒)

2001: A Space Odyssey
Stalker (Сталкер)
In the Mood for Love (花樣年華)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari)
Jules et Jim

The Fall
Of Gods and Men (Des hommes et des dieux)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍)
Pathfinder (Ofelaš)
My Sweet Pepper Land

The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet)
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)
Jurassic Park
In the Mood for Love (花樣年華)
Volver

Backwards & in heels:

Toni Erdmann
Beau Travail
The Holy Girl (La niña santa)
Daisies (Sedmikrásky)
The Bigamist

Nine Days in One Year (Девять дней одного года)
The Big City (মহানগর)
Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna)
Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin)
Rachel Getting Married

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Reader Comments (47)

This is so difficult, but I guess my list is:

Cries and Whisperers (Viskningar och rop)
Ali: The Fear Eats the Soul (Angst essen Seele auf)
Possession
In the Realm of the Senses (Ai no korîda)
Playing (Jogo de Cena)

And I loved the love for In the Mood for Love. Its quite a consensus.

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterBoyPiranha

Cries & Whispers
Funny Games
Trop Belle pour toi
Dangerous Liaisons
Il était une fois dans l'est

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterstjeans

8 1/2
Children of Paradise
Seven Samourai
Citizen Kane
Persona

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterPete

La Jetée
Children of Men
你那邊幾點 (What Time Is It There?)
Offret (The Sacrifice)
Jesus of Montreal

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterOwl

Cool game! And some great choices listed.

Here are five from me:

Chinatown
Dekalog: Three
Divorce Italian-Style
Le Fils
Late Spring

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterEdward L.

Queen Margot (La reine Margot)
Viridiana
2046
Dona Flor and her two husbands (Dona Flor e seus Dios maridos)
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterFernando Moss

This is a nice one-

ARRIVAL ( 2016) The USA
CITY OF GOD ( 2002) Brazil
THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN (2012) Belgium
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR ( La vie d'Adèle, 2013) France
BIUTIFUL ( 2010) Spain

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterEder Arcas

My lists skews toward recent films since I'm still catching up on many foreign classics, but...

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
Gone with the Wind
L'Inconnu du lac (Stranger by the Lake)
جدایی نادر از سیمین‎‎ (A Separation)
山河故人 (Mountains May Depart)

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterEvan

The Sixth Sense
Infernal Affairs (無間道)
My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ)
A Seperation (جدایی نادر از سیمین‎‎ Jodaí-e Nadér az Simín)
Volver

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterkin

All About Eve
Interstellar
Out of the Past
Requiem for a Dream
Vertigo

Every day is different

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterCraig

What's really interesting here is the often wild choices people are making for their free spot on the card (i.e., English language).

Rules of the Game
Nashville
8 1/2
Persona
Tokyo Story

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterTom Q

Sorry. Had read it wrong.

All About Eve
Das Leben der Anderen
Les Diaboliques
Mother
Raise the Red Lantern

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterCraig

Ponette (France)
A Serious Man (USA)
After Life (Japan)
3-Iron (South Korea)
Son of the Bride (Argentina)

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterKevin

The Conformist
Nashville
A Separation
The Lives of Others
Day for Night

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterDO

Le Grande Illusion (this is a cheat, I know, so if you cry foul I will choose Tree of Life)
Volver
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Ida
Rumble in the Bronx

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterCash

All the President's Men-(1976) English
The Umbrellas of Cherbourgh-(1964) French
Wild Strawberries-(1957) Swedish
Undertow-(2009) Spanish
Gertrud-(1964) Danish

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterjoel6

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Il Gattopardo
Samurai Rebellion
Ivan's Childhood
Nosferatu

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered Commentercal roth

OK,

Seven Samurai
The Music Box
Jules & Jim
Cries & Whispers
Amores Perros

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterthevoid99

Love the idea.

Rosemary's Baby
Gin Gwai (The Eye)
Noriko's Dinner Table
The Exterminating Angel
The Vanishing

Surprise. They're all horror/thriller films.

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterRobert G

Persona
Faa yeung nin wa (In The Mood For Love)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Sous le sable (Under The Sand)
El secreto de sus ojos (The secret in their eyes)

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterManuel

The Exterminating Angel
Eat Drink Man Woman
Norte, The Edge of History
The Scent of Green Papaya
Tokyo Story

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterIan

The Purple Rose of Cairo
Persona
Senso
In the Mood for Love
Au revoir les enfants

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterTyler

First Love.........................1939, USA, Henry Koster
Belle De Jour...................1967, France, Luis Bunuel
Zuckerbaby......................1985, West Germany, Percy Adlon
Cinema Paradiso.............1988, Italy, Giuseppe Tornatore
Farewell My Concubine...1993, China, Chen Kaige

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterGwen

Ian, good call on Eat Drink Man Woman. I love that one so much. I also love Like Water for Chocolate. And Bicycle Thieves. And Wings of Desire. I'm sure I have forgotten some I'll kick myself over later.

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterCash

I don't know if they are my TOP films, but these 5 come to mind:

Alain Corneau's Série Noire
The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos)
Ettore Scola's The Family (La famiglia)
All About Eve
Kolya

Just for the record, The Family and Kolya were very painful films to watch. I don't think I will ever be able to revisit them.

September 9, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterMarcos

Love Streams
Le Doulos
Kings of the Road
Night of the Shooting Stars
High and Low

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterJP

Hey this is great fun! And bless the person who listed Jurassic Park, she's awesome! :D

The Lion in Winter
City of God
The Passion of the Christ
House of Flying Daggers
The Triplets from Belleville

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterCarmen Sandiego

2001: A Space Odyssey
Seven Samurai
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Amour
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios.

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterPedro

Went with picks from the last 10 years to make it easier.

Rust And Bone (France, 2012)
Adrift (Brazil, 2009)
A Separation (Iran, 2011)
Elefante Blanco (Argentina, 2012)
The White Ribbon (Germany, 2009)

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterV.

A Separation (Iran, 2011)
Darling (UK, 1965)
Metropolis (Germany, 1927)
Network (US, 1976)
Rashōmon (Japan, 1950)

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterMareko

Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
All About My Mother
Mademoiselle
Taxi zum Klo
Lilja 4-ever

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterBrad

USA: The Glass Slipper-1955
ITALY: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow-1963
AUSTRIA: Sissi Movies Trilogy-1955,1956,1957
SWEDEN: Autumn Sonata-1978
FRANCE: A Man and A Woman-1966

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterIngrid_Essex

Dangerous Liaisons
8 Women
In the Mood for Love
Babettes Feast
I'm So Excited

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterMatt

Throne of Blood (japan)
The Apartment (usa)
Le Corbeau (france)
Let the right one in (sweden)
The Vanishing (netherlands)

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterDieter

The More The Merrier
(USA/1943, George Stevens-Jean Arthur)
Central Station
(Brazil/1998, Walter Salles-Fernanda Montenegro)
Donkey Skin
(France/1970, Jacques Demy-Catherine Deneuve)
Malena
(Italy/2000, Giuseppe Tornatore-Monica Bellucci)
Run Lola Run
(Germany/1998, Tom Tykwer-Franka Potente)

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterJennifer 1994

I'm confused by a few of the lists. Can you have two films in English if one of them is made in Australia or England or Italy or the US? How can The Piano and Nell both make a list? Or 2001 Space Odyssey and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered Commentershawshank

Life is Beautiful
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Babette's Feast
The Shawshank Redemption
Of Gods and Men

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered Commentershawshank

@Shawshank. I think the "Nell" inclusion was a joke.

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterCinepfile

Oops! I guess mine would be...

A Separation (Iran, 2011)
Metropolis (Germany, 1927)
Monsoon Wedding (India, 2001)
Network (US, 1976)
Rashōmon (Japan, 1950)

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterMareko

Kung Fu Hustle (China)
Pulp Fiction (US)
White Ribbon (Germany)
Volver- (.....Spain?)
Seven Samurai (Japan)

(?!?!? I dunno I blanked so hard on this dont mock me)

September 10, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterkris

cinephile & shawshank -- yes a joke due to Nell's invented language. but a funny one!

September 11, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterNATHANIEL R

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (USA)
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (Philippines)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Taiwan)
Heavenly Creatures (New Zealand)
El laberinto del fauno (Spain)

September 11, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterGarsh

My Life As A Dog (1985, Sweden)
The Man From Acapulco (1973, France)
Rocco And His Brothers (1960, Italy)
The Life Of Others (2006, Germany)
The Searchers (1956, USA) or Scaramouche (1952, USA)

September 11, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterSamuel

The Kirishima Thing (桐島、部活やめるってよ)
A Separation (جدایی نادر از سیمین‎‎)
Thanatos, Drunk (醉生夢死)
Summer Hours (L'Heure d'été)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

September 11, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterHorace

Celine & Julie Go Boating
Safe
Persona
Chungking Express
Daisies

September 11, 2017 | Unregistered Commenter7Bis

Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)
West Side Story
Infernal Affairs (無間道)
3 Idiots
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (친절한 금자씨)

September 11, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterajnrules

A Bittersweet Life (달콤한 인생; Korea; 2005)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo; Italy; 1966)
Police Story (警察故事; Hong Kong; 1985)
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し; Japan; 2001)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (US; 1977)

October 8, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterKenHashibe
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