8 Foreign Movies you Shouldn’t be Afraid of
Europa, Europa (Germany, 1990) — Suspense — 1 hour, 52 minutes.
imdb Summary: A boy in Nazi Germany, trying to conceal that he is Jewish, joins the Hitler Youth.
Why you should see it: Because it’s probably the craziest true story you’ll ever encounter. It’s nuts to call a Jewish kid in Nazi Germany lucky, but shit man… if you ever want to be in the wrong place at the right time, follow this guy. It also includes one of my favorite movie scenes–and a great example of a Catch 22–where boatloads of Jews are passing eachother on a river in Poland, one side fleeing an invading Germany, the other side fleeing an invading Soviet Union.
That’s enough to add to a Netflix queue for now, I think. As for the highly acclaimed Soviet “Come and See” I mentioned a few weeks back, it was good. If you need another reason to call the Nazis sick evil fucks, then it’s for you.
I’m welcome to any suggestions! Leave any you may have in the comments section!
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Crackerman:
August 12th, 2009 at 3:31 PM
I would throw “Letters From Iwo Jima” on this list.
Crackerman:
August 12th, 2009 at 3:45 PM
I wouldn’t say it’s a foreign film, but it’s all in subtitles nonetheless.
Louis:
August 12th, 2009 at 9:42 PM
I have another suggestion for a foreign film if someone hasn’t already mentioned it to you and that’s Battle Royale. If you’ve never heard of it, its a Japanese film set in the near distant future where troubled students are selected at random by class to be sent to a non-disclosed island where they participate in a game called Battle Royale. The goal is that the kids, who have bomb collars strapped to their necks, have 3 days to kill each other off on the island and should more than one person live, the collars will detonate and no one wins.
There’s a lot more to the story than this of course, but I’ll let you find that out on your own. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoy your “F-isodes” and look forward to your next one.
Ham City Kev:
August 13th, 2009 at 10:15 AM
I’ve seen Battle Royale, but it’s very hard for me to judge it because I read the book first. The filmmakers do a good job of shoving as much into 2 hours as they can, but there’s still A LOT that was left out. It’s unfortunate, but understandable–for the movie to be completely accurate it would have to be 6 hours long. I would highly recommend reading the book. It’s a bit long, but worth it.
Good call though. I know a number of people who haven’t read it but love the movie. Battle Royale 2, on the other hand, is total dogshit. I watched the first hour but found it so painful that I refused to watch the final 15 minutes.
Thanks for listening (and reading)! As Gord says, “tell your friends, tell your neighbors”
Gord Tep:
August 13th, 2009 at 10:45 AM
Thanks for the tip! I missed out on Battle Royale, but I’ve seen The Eliminator with Bas Rutten and The Condemned with Stone Cold Steve Austin — both seem to have stolen the BR story.
Gord Tep:
August 13th, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Wayne’s World and Star Wars have subtitles too. Do they count, Kev?
Ham City Kev:
August 13th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
How come Jabba gets subtitles but R2 and Chewie don’t?
Ham City Kev:
August 13th, 2009 at 1:07 PM
Gordo, the difference between BR and the knockoffs is that in BR the kids are forced to kill their friends. It’s much heavier psychologically, and the book spends seemingly the first 200 pages grueling over it. There’s a lot of details that are being left out here… just read it. It’s good.