Have you ever wanted to be that cultured person who has a plethora of knowledge about foreign films, but you don’t know where to begin? Here are some suggestions for foreign art-house films to begin your international film journey:
1. Metropolis (1927)
This silent film was made by German director Fritz Lang in the period between the two world wars. It tells the story of an underground worker’s struggle against the city’s urban elite. Images from the film have influenced countless other American films, including The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars. The film was daring for its time, and only a censored version was available to the public until about five years ago when the original cut was finally unearthed!
2. Breathless (1960)
This whirlwind story of a petty criminal in post-war Paris and a beautiful girl is the iconic work of director Jean-Luc Godard. This film has it all: romance, car chases, action, and Parisian fashions. The film also pioneered the innovative jump-cut editing technique.
3. Blow-Up (1966)
This is the first English-language film from Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni (who later went on to direct a film starring Jack Nicholson). The story follows a London fashion photographer who, through some casual photographs that he takes, realizes that he has witnessed a murder. Vanessa Redgrave costars and there is a musical cameo appearance by Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin fame). The film perfectly encapsulates the chic ‘mod’ scene in London in the early 1960’s– a must-see!
4. Jean de Florette (1986)
This film tells the story of a cosmopolitan French family who goes back to live in the countryside of Provence. Two families get into an ugly feud over water rights, but I dare you to watch the film and not fall in love with romantic Provence!
5. 8 1/2 (1963)
This film is one of iconic Italian director Federico Fellini’s most abstract, obscure films. The story recounts the trials and tribulations of film director Guido Anselmi (played by famous Italian leading man Marcello Mastroianni), albeit in a very confusing way. The film is a classic in the canon of Italian cinema, and boasts some famous musical arrangements by Nino Rota.
6. Death in Venice (1971)
Based on the 1912 novella of the same name by Thomas Mann, this film adaptation by Luchino Visconti tells the story of a successful composer who has experienced immense personal tragedy and takes a long summer vacation in Venice to try to shake his melancholy. In Venice, he becomes intrigued by a boy who is staying at the same hotel. Meanwhile, southern Europe experiences an epidemic of Black Plague proportions. The film deals with issues of beauty, decadence, human desire, and repression and is a must-see for anyone looking to gain a glimpse into the Europe of the pre-World War I years.