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World Film - the directors and their films

post #1 of 27
7/10/08 at 2:35am
Thread Starter 
I remember a thread existing that was somewhat like the one I intend to re-create here. Basically it went over most of the countries with at least some kind of prominent film industry and pointed out the "essential" films to at least get a start when really attempting to delve deeper into a nation's cinema. I'd like to cover this, but I'd mainly like to point out the more prominent directors in each country, and expand into their top films from there. Obviously this is not limited to the most popular directors, as there are tons of talents below the initial surface when looking at a country's cinema. Nor is this limited to only those who are living today. I'm an aficionado of Spanish cinema (Latin America, Spain), and I have a rather large amount of knowledge in relation to Czech and the limited amount of Slovak cinema, since I was born in Slovakia. I am, however, limited in my knowledge of French and Italian cinema, and in Asian cinema as a whole outside of the high brow stuff. So any help I can get would be wonderful.


I'll start with Spain, but I'll be adding bits on Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden and Russia (pre and post soviet) unless (hopefully) someone beats me to it.

Pedro Almodóvar - probably the most popular Spanish director of all time (at least commercially). Some of his best:

Todo Sobre Mi Madre (all about my mother)
Carne Tremula (Live Flesh)
Habla Con Ella (Talk to Her)

Luis Buñuel - there's debate as to whether or not he's prominently Mexican or Spanish, but he was born in Spain, so that's where I'll classify him. Some of his best include:

Los Olvidados (The forgotten one) - Great film, made in Mexico.
Tristana - Another great one. This one made in Spain.
Viridiana - Probably his greatest Spanish language film. Absolutely wonderful through and through.

Alejandro Amenábar - His films are probably at least known here, so I'll skip the descriptions for his two most famous.

Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes)
Mar Adrento (The Sea Inside)
Tesis - Lesser known of his, but at least as good as Sea Inside, if not better.

Other prominent Spaniards include Bigas Luna, who makes really taboo, sexual films (Las Edades de Lulu (The Ages of Lulu), Huevos De Oro (Balls of Gold)), Álex de la Iglesia, who does mostly black comedies with crime central to the plot (Crimen Ferpecto (Ferpect Crime), La Comunidad (Common wealth), El Dia De la Bestia (The Day of the beast)) and Carlos Saura, who is more of an art house filmmaker, whose films vary a lot - including a biopic of Francisco Goya, dramas (El Dorado) and music based (not a musical) films (Flamenco).

That should be enough for a good start. I'd love it if anyone would add anything to it. If not, pick a country and run with it.
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post #2 of 27
7/10/08 at 3:56am
I'll kick off with Italian cinema, more specifically Luschino Visconti, I tend to think he get's overlooked compared to his peers. He has a wonderful visual eye.

His two best movies:
Rocco and his brothers (It's about a mother and her sons moving to the city of Milan and it follows the lives of each brother as they try and adjust to city life, it's long but it's a masterpiece)

The Leopard (It's about the last days of an aristocratic family as the Risorgimento sweeps through Sicily, great cinematography and and great performance from Burt Lancaster as the aging patriarch)
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post #3 of 27
7/10/08 at 4:58am
Some quick notes about the current state of affairs of (West-)German cinema:

The Elders:

Leni Riefenstahl: As a person one hell of an interesting and conflicting character. Books have been written about her role in the third Reich and it is still controversial. However this doesn´t affect her impact on the aesthetics of cinema. Triumph des Willens - "Triumph of the will" is still a marvel to look at and continues to impact pop culture, though forbidden to show in Germany without supplemental material.

Volker Schlöndorff: Somewhat of the Posterboy of intellectual cinema in Europe and Germany in the seventies.
Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum - "The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum" is a prime example of political and bleak filming that mirrors the seventies in Germany ("Die bleierne Zeit") in a haunting way. : "There is freedom of the press, but not much freedom from it." pretty much sums this movie up. It still bears some relevance in the post 9-11 world.
Die Blechtrommel - "The Tin Drum" should be pretty well known outside of Germany. Achieved one of two Oscars for a foreign movie for a German movie. Based on the outstanding novel by Günther Grass it shows the turmoil and civil downfall of a whole society during the third Reich on an epic scale.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: On par with Schlöndorff. Another intellectual and critical viewer of society. Best example: Die Ehe der Maria Braun - "The Marriage of Maria Braun", like Schlöndorff a rather pessimistic view of German society, this time in post-war Germany, it shows the way a society slowly crawls back into materialistic riches while suffering from the unspoken crimes and atrocities of the war and the deafening silence of the culprits.

Werner Herzog: Well loved around this forum this guy is somewhat of a counterpoint to the aforementioned. The "enfant terrible" of German cinema. His collaboration and love-hate relationship with Klaus Kinski is stuff for legends. Aguirre - Der Zorn Gottes - "Aguirre - The Wrath of God" would be the prime example of their combined genius. Though the story behind the movie might be even more impressive and entertaining.

The ones that made it:

Wolfgang Petersen: He made one of the best movies in German cinema period. Das Boot. Haunting, poetic, claustrophobic and unapologetic - submarine warfare during WW2 has never been on display more accurately while creating a suspense that is unbearable in parts. Unfortunately he went to Hollywood to make his way as a director for hire. He made some solid movies afterwards but all ultimately forgettable.

Oliver Hirschbiegel: Das Experiment is based on the real life Stanford-Prison-Experiment. An intense movie that can be haunting at times. The awesome Moritz Bleibtreu carries this picture that ultimately fails to bring the message home though. He left his mark though with Der Untergang - "The Downfall". Bruno Ganz in a career defining role as Hitler in his last days in the Bunkers under Berlin. I think and hope this movie is known well around these boards but it should be seeked out by everybody that cares about history or German cinema.
Unfortunately he went on to Hollywood and made "The Invasion". Or some parts of it, whatever the real story behind that abnomination is.

Roland Emmerich: Well, fuck him.

Contemporaries - The ones to watch:

Tom Tykwer: Lola rennt - "Lola runs" exploded on the screen and pulled German cinema out of hibernation in the nineties. Visually intriguing and inventive while telling a story in a unique way this movie catapulted him and German cinema back on the map. His follow up Heaven showed that he has more up his sleeve than pretty and inventive pictures, namely directing actors and creating complex characters. I am curious where he is gonna end up, especially after the ultimate failure that Das Parfum - "The Perfume" was in my eyes.

Fatih Akin: Remember that name! His debut "Kurz und schmerzlos" is a beautiful small and smart movie about some turkish immigrant gangsters making their way in the suburbs of Hamburg. An astonishing view into the modern multicultural society in Germany through the eyes of the immigrants on the boarders of society. He made his name though with Gegen die Wand - "Head on". Winning most relevant European movie awards, this movie is just vibrant and lusting for life. A love story of unlikely characters that ultimately raises questions about the identities of Turkish immigrants living in Germany while being rooted in another culture. Love this movie. And he is even capable of good documentaries. If you want to learn more about Turkey, Germany and especially Turkish music, watch Auf der anderen Seite - "The edge of Heaven". You won´t be disappointed.

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck: Unfortunately this guy is best known for being accused of stealing Del Toro the Oscar for Pan´s Labyrinth with his debut Das Leben der Anderen - The "Life of Others". But he deserved this one. This movie trancendences above being a love story and a thriller into an true assessment of responsibility of an individual in a totalitarian system. Das Leben der Anderen should be mandatory for everybody that supports FISA. I am more than curious what he will bring to the table next.
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post #4 of 27
7/10/08 at 5:10am
Oh, and Mr. Tarkovsky: Czek?

Love this guy. He is Czek, isn´t he? Can you tell me more about him?
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post #5 of 27
7/10/08 at 5:14am
Thread Starter 
Been meaning to see Visconti's work. Heard only good things, and this just affirms it. The Leopard is also one of Scorsese's favorite films, which I think says enough.

I'll go ahead and delve into Cine Mexicano, once again anyone who wants to please add to anything I put down.

Recently Mexican directors have been getting a lot of attention thanks to Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo Del Toro (who, like Bunuel was born in Spain, but he has stated that he wishes to be regarded as a Mexican filmmaker, so I'll just do that), and Alejandro González Iñárritu, who's possibly the most talented of all three. GDT first received attention for the excellently vampirish Cronos, followed by El Espinazo del Diablo (the Devil's backbone), which is even better. Cuaron's Y Tu Mama Tambien is perhaps lesser known than say The Devil's Backbone, but it's easily as good in a completely different way. Gael García Bernal's performance in that one is just great. Aside from that, Cuaron really hasn't done much in regards to Mexican cinema, but he did make the excellent Children of Men (loved it), and continues to seek work in the U.S. Innaritu, like I said, is probably the best of the three, and pretty much blew everyone away with Amores Perros, one of my favorite films of all time. Since then he's only made at least very good films in the states. But that all is probably common knowledge, as they've been everywhere, and are pretty well known amongst our circles.

Other Mexican directors who deserve more attention include Carlos Carrera, who directed El Crimen Del Padre Amaro (The Crime of Father Amaro), again with Bernal in the title role. Hugo Rodriguez, who although born in Argentina, is purely a Mexican filmmaker (began making films long after immigration) directed the campy, low budget but still fun Nicotina in 2003. One film I just watched that I really liked was Antonio Serrano's Sexo, pudor y lagrimas (Sex Shame and Tears), which is also extremely entertaining, and has a lot to say about opposite sexes, etc.

I'll admit to knowing nothing more than forty-fifty years back when it comes to Mexican cinema (haven't seen one film from their golden age, yet), so obviously I'd love to hear some suggestions or recommendations from that or any time period, really. Still haven't seen Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like water for Chocolate), but imagine at least one of you has, so naturally I'd like to hear about it.
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post #6 of 27
7/10/08 at 5:53am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jan View Post
Oh, and Mr. Tarkovsky: Czek?

Love this guy. He is Czek, isn´t he? Can you tell me more about him?
Hahaha. Ich bin von Slowakei, aber ich mag Animation von entweder Slowakei oder das Tschechien nicht. (apologies if that's grammatically incorrect, your language confounds me, so bad at writing it)

So I really can't tell you much about it, although I've seen it before, either in Germany or iback home. Animation bores me in general, actually. I don't even watch Pixar or Dreamworks animation.

Hovorite po slovensky? (Sprechen sie Slowake?)

On that note, let's take kind of a basic look at some of the key Czechoslovak new wave directors: (I'll leave out the Czech and/or Slovak titles just to make things easier.

Miloš Forman:
The Firemen's Ball - Last Czech film made by Forman, and also in color. The government at the time thought it had double meanings and what not, so it got banned. However, he escaped with his print, and it helped make him famous.

Loves of a Blonde - Famous because it's very 70s hollywood in terms of sexual liberation. Plus it's got the "women are shaped like guitars" line, which just humors me everytime.

Jiří Menzel -
Closely Watched Trains - Lots of sexual liberal themes (normal for this time), and very anti-Nazi. Also had some things to say about the gov. at the time.

I served the King of England - Coming out in the States very soon. Based on a book by the same guy who wrote Closely Watched Trains. Very interesting film.

While those guys are perhaps the most prominent, I think the best film of the time (and I'm not alone) is Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos's The Shop on Main Street, which creates a lot of controversy in relation to origin, and which country can really claim it as their own (naturally I'll claim it as Slovak, but I'm biased - although more crew were Slovak). But then again Ján Kadár is originally from Hungary, and Klos is originally Czech. But then Ladislav Grosman (writer) is from Slovakia originally. So go figure on that one. However, if you watch one of these films, I'd definitely go for this one.

But Jesus, enough of this multi-lingual shit. This is an English language board, I will now only write in English unless I'm requested to write in others.
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post #7 of 27
7/12/08 at 2:36pm
I am loving this thread. I work at a movie theatre that shows alot of foreign fims and i get to see everything for free. Nice to see the mention of El Crimen Perfecto which i thought was a riot. Also loved The Day of the Beast. It's been many years since i saw Like Water For Chocolate. I remember the film as being very sensual and succulent if that makes any sense. I'm not good at describing scenes very well. Will have to read up on the film again.
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post #8 of 27
7/15/08 at 4:21pm
Some of the foreign directors i like specifically from the Hindi Film Indusrty are:
Yash Chopra Director of many indian films and made it a family business:-Labeled the eternal romantic and with one of the best musical senses in the business, Yash Chopra is arguably India's most successful director of romantic films. Some of his films include Veer Zaara (2004), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Darr (1993) while his son Aditya Chopra made his directorial debut with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), which had the longest-running initial release in cinema history and partly contributed to the iconic status the Bollyhood actor Shahrukh Khan holds right now.

Another Hindi Film Director that i like is Karan Johar known for pushing the envelope in his films and making what are considered norms in Indian Culture normal to all that see through his style of directing. Some of his famous films include:
Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna (Never Say Goodbye) (2006), Kal ho Na Ho (Tomorrow May Never Come) (1993), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Something is happening)(1998), and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad) (2001); among others.

Am currently waiting for his new film starring Shahrukh Khan and set to release in early 2009 called My Name is Khan.

One more is Farah Khan dance choreographer turned director and her directorial debut was Main Hoon Na (2004) and Om Shanti Om (2007)

I will come back with more from Indie Films as well but foreign. I have to say i love this thread and just what i was looking for in a movie forum~
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post #9 of 27
7/15/08 at 11:32pm
On another italian bent, 'L'Aventurra' is a very good film but very slow, he seems more interested in the events between people than actual events so this film is paced quite slowly, I thought 'Story of a love affair' was better. For whatever reason, I don't like Fellini's films, they just don't do anything for me and I've seen I, Vitelloni, La Strada and La Dolce Vita.
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post #10 of 27
7/17/08 at 8:01pm
Let me say that I'm far from an expert on classic Mexican cinema but I'll offer a suggestions if anyone wants to explore this part of the world.

Growing up, the most beloved and watched actor was Cantinflas (Mario Moreno). Cantiflas is often compared to the great silent film comedy stars, like Chaplin and Keaton. Like many Mexican films, his humor often dealt with social issues and the lives of the working poor. Some jokes might fail to connect or be understood by foreign audience, since a decent understanding of the language is needed, although I guess that's true for any comedy in a non-native language.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=i6-26mNNq6Y
http://youtube.com/watch?v=37emCbXUmnA&feature=user

Also to check out are the films made with famous singers like Pedro Infante and Antonio Aguilar (he made 167 movies!). They are sometimes compared to Elvis films but they don't really have the camp factor and they range from westerns to comedies to dramas. They are quite good actors and great singers, so check these films out if you have any interest in exploring the music and culture.
Pedro Infante: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNcUe24K7r0, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ7b00dup-o
Antonio Aguilar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8LuMgUJ7sY, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI_IgUPdmrA (Death by Rooster!)

When it comes to the action and horror films of the 70's and 80's, directors seemed to have loved Sam Peckinpah and grindhouse exploitation stuff. These dirty and dusty films never hold back on the sex and violence and usually have unique Mexican twists. That 70's-style bright red fake blood flows freely in these exploitation movies, so these are great if you're bored with the same old American trash cinema.
Some NSFW Highlights:
Absolutely fucking insane Mexican horror films Alcucarda (http://youtube.com/watch?v=9QT4vSyDRVs) and the The Mansion of Madness (http://youtube.com/watch?v=XHXDtwFMb2Y&feature=related)
Rene Cardona, Jr films like Night of the Bloody Apes (http://youtube.com/watch?v=idI4JXk2Sa0), which has real live heart surgery footage for extra squirminess.
And finally, a nice article on Mexican horror: http://www.cinefear.com/mexicanb.html
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post #11 of 27
7/22/08 at 11:15pm
Thread Starter 
Soviet Cinema is another area I'm interested in, mainly because of one director, but there are obviously other significant gents, although I'm not a big fan of early Soviet Cinema (Eisenstein and Pudovkin aren't my cup of tea beyond certain technical elements). Anyway, I'm obviously a huge Andrei Tarkovsky fan, which is challenging sometimes, mainly because of the mostly slow pace in his films, and the extreme use of tracking shots, water, and atmosphere in general. If you're looking to get a start with Sir Andrei, then I'd advise trying to find his most well known "short film" (about 45 min), which is called The Steamroller and The Violin. It contains a wonderful story, and it's much easier to follow than say, Nostalgia, or even The Sacrifice. Another one of his easier films is Ivan's Childhood, which is basically a very unconventional war film. The story is more accessible in this one, and the visuals are like usual fantastic. After that you'll probably want to check out his more well known films (Solaris, and then Stalker). I love all his films, although I'll admit to have fallen asleep during The Mirror a couple times upon first viewing (if you've seen it you'll understand). .

Another of the later-Soviet filmmakers is Sergei Parajanov. He was armenian, and his films usually deal with native elements in any given culture his film explores. Example: in The Color of Pomegranates, he delves very deeply into Armenian village life, which can make it tough to follow, but it is definitely rewarding. Another example would be in Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors, his look at a Ukrainian village. The story in that one is fantastic, and one of Scorsese's favorite foreign films, so I'd advise checking it out first.

Another example of a very good if not great Soviet film is Grigori Chukhrai's Ballad of A Soldier. It's a war film on the surface, but really it's more of a love story, and a very fine on at that. Apparently there's some anti-Soviet themes in it as well, but unfortunately I am not very in tune with Soviet politics, and cannot really access which ones they're spitting in the face of, so to speak.

If anyone wants to go into a bit of detail about Eisenstein or any of the other earlier Soviet filmmakers, feel free, I'm just not interested.
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post #12 of 27
1/5/09 at 5:01pm
Bumped.

Because this thread doesn´t deserve to die. With so many different nationalities on the board from all over the world there should be some more input possible.
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post #13 of 27
1/6/09 at 4:53pm
Thread Starter 
Cheers to that.

I'll try and get something up soon about the two national cinemas that interest me the most at the moment: Argentine and Romanian cinema. Still need to see some more films from each country, and do some more reading. I'll also work on something for Sweden and eventually (not anytime soon) Brazil. Would like to see something on French cinema, since it's easily the country with a strong film industry that I know the least about, and would like to know your opinion Jan on the German director G.W. Pabst.
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post #14 of 27
1/6/09 at 8:13pm
I am sorry to dissappoint Sir. You caught me off-guard here. I know G.W. Pabst by name only. So I cant provide you with an honest opinion about him and his body of work.

But by all means continue with your World Tour on Film. I would love to hear more about Scandinavian cinema actually. The output of these countries in the last decades have been nothing short of gems and outstanding movies. Bring it on!
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post #15 of 27
1/7/09 at 8:01pm
Canada

John Paizs
Crime Wave
Winnipeg filmmaker who made this in 80s and then became a for-hire TV director; surprising, because this cult classic is obviously the work of an auteur. It's both a farcical tribute to old crime films and dramas, and a surreal, Lynch-like entity unto itself. And I only say "Lynch-like" because the Mulholland Dr. director stole some of its imagery. A good description here...
http://www.impossiblefunky.com/archi...27%20Crimewave
Trailer: http://www.winnipegfilmgroup.com/cin...8dad9f0a1.aspx

Atom Egoyan
Ararat
This director is fairly well-known, though for the wrong movies. Where the Truth Lies was middling. The Sweet Hereafter stretched itself too thin. So while I haven't seen his Exotica yet, I doubt it could be much better than this rumination on the armenian genocide. Has an understandable love/hate relationship with its audience. See it before Egoyan settles into Oscar-contending prestige pictures for good.

Those came to mind first...surely any Chewer should know of Guy Maddin. Though I don't understand how My Winnipeg could not make a Top 15 list. It's baffling to me.
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post #16 of 27
1/10/09 at 5:40pm
Thread Starter 
I guess with Swedish cinema striking a new chord with younger audiences, I'll take a shot at pointing out some essential Swedish/Scandinavian cinema. Sweden's film industry was almost invisible to the world before Ingmar Bergman and to a lesser extent Bo Widerberg. Odds are if you're not a Swedish native speaker like I've been blessed to have been, you haven't seen a lot of Widenberg's work, as a lot of his films are only available in Sweden or some parts of Europe, and without subtitles. Let's start with Bergman though...

I don't think there's anyone here who hasn't at least heard of him, but I don't think it's realized what a big deal the man was. He made some of the greatest films since cinema began, and was actually recognized by the west for it by winning Oscars for The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukällan) and Through a Glass Darkly (Såsom i en spegel) in '60 and '61 respectively. He also won for Fanny och Alexander, and beat out Scorsese in '76 for a best director nomination. Taxi Driver was Scorsese's film that year. Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop) was nominated for best picture, but left out of the best foreign film category in 1973 I believe.

Some of my favorite, most recommended Bergman pictures include the four listed above, and also The Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen), which is Bergman's very creepy take on horror, The Passion of Anna (En Passion), which is really overlooked in the Bergman cannon. I saw En Passion as my introduction to Bergman, without knowing the "art house" style in which he worked in, and loved it to death. Persona is of course a natural pick. There is so much going on under the surface with both Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullman's characters it's staggering, and needs to be soon more than once. The Silence (Tystnaden) is really something. Quite disturbing, and deals with relationships very typical of an Ingmar Bergman film.

Someone as vital to Bergman's pictures besides the man himself, and his usual group of actors was the late great cinematographer Sven Nykvist. Nykvist won two oscars, one for Fanny och Alexander and the other for Cries and Whispers. He went on to shoot films in Hollywood and all over Europe, and is one of the most celebrated cinematographers of all time. Remarkably talented, Bergman owes as much to Nykvist for his success as anyone else in his films.

Outside of Bergman there are a few directors who have films available for viewing at the very least in Europe and the United Kingdom, if not the United States. Jan Troell isn't as known unfortunately, as Bergman, and perhaps that's because he's not as good as Bergman, but that's not important. He's still making films today, in fact I had the pleasure of seeing his latest, Everlasting Moments (Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick) in Kalmar Sweden not too long ago. It's likely that it will pick up a foreign film nomination. However, his most famous film is probably The Emigrants (Utvandrarna) which both Kubrick and Scorsese praised in interviews. It features Bergman regulars Max von Sydow and Liv Ullman, and focuses on their life/experiences in Northern, 19th century Sweden. Troell also had the distinction of shooting his own films, and usually to great effect.

Bo Widerberg is another who has had international success, as well as immense national success, at least with critics. His films have been nominated thrice for the best foreign film award. These are: Raven's End (Kvarteret Korpen), Ådalen 31 and All Things Fair (Lust och fägring stor). I've only seen Raven's End, and I recommend it to anyone who has any interest at all in Sweden or Swedish cinema. It's very difficult to find, and will likely be without English subtitles.

And everyone here knows about Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in), which has been giving Swedish cinema an immense boost in popularity. Hopefully the new found popularity will push more "film people" towards discovering the great roots of Swedish cinema.

I'll post some more about the little bit I know about Finnish/Norwegian and even Icelandic cinema later on.
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post #17 of 27
2/7/09 at 7:48pm
Gotta say, I love this thread. Can we have more of this, and less Christian Bale please, everyone?
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post #18 of 27
2/7/09 at 8:02pm
For the record, here is the other thread on the topic. Looks like both are active at the moment, but if one gets bumped later, it'd be nice if each contained a link to the other.

Since you brought up Norway, Tarkovsky, I have to mention Jaochim Trier's Reprise, one of my favorite movies of this decade. A debut film starring unknowns (though they deserve great things in the future), the movie follows two young aspiring writers who are best friends; they both submit manuscripts on the same day to the same publisher, but one gets published and meets with success while the other receives nothing but rejections. From there, their lives diverge... although the plot is much better and much less boring than I'm making it sound. The movie is filmed in a cool, playful New Wave style, too, which works unexpectedly well with the sadness the characters fall into. Anyway, I really loved this film, and I was lucky enough to write a CHUD review for Reprise here.
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post #19 of 27
2/7/09 at 8:03pm
I'm going to just throw out a plug for Indian director Satyajit Ray and his rather excellent Apu Trilogy. I just recently watched all three films, and they are pretty much superb across the board. Ostensibly, the films are about a poor family from a remote village, focusing specifically on the son, Apu, but in a broader sense they are about India itself. Each film is gripping, powerful, and thoroughly engrossing.

What makes them more astonishing is that Ray apparently had never directed a scene or shot an inch of footage before diving in and helming Pather Panchali (aka Song of the Little Road), the first film in the series. The other two films are Aparajito and The World of Apu.
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post #20 of 27
2/7/09 at 8:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by James Kimbell View Post
For the record, here is the other thread on the topic. Looks like both are active at the moment, but if one gets bumped later, it'd be nice if each contained a link to the other.
I'll do that now, James. Good idea.

I'd like to make arequest, can someone here recommend/tell me anything about the films of Carl Theoder Dreyer?
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post #21 of 27
2/7/09 at 8:48pm
The Edukators. Funny little German film about a couple who break into houses. It's more than that, a social commentary - but I watched it when drunk, on recommendation of a friend and it's mostly a pleasant blur.

After I finish my Tarkovsky season, I'll be moving onto Japanese cinema for a little refresher.
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post #22 of 27
4/27/10 at 10:29pm
Where should a man start within the world of Fassbinder?
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post #23 of 27
4/28/10 at 8:10am
Berlin Alexandersplatz
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post #24 of 27
4/28/10 at 8:11am
Just kidding. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul is probably his most accessible film; immigrant falls in love with elderly german woman. Sort of uncharacteristically warm hearted for Fassbinder, but the visual style is there in full force. I'm not a big Fassbinder dude but I enjoyed this one.
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post #25 of 27
4/28/10 at 8:53am
Ha, I added Berlin Alexandersplatz (Along with Why Does Herr R Run Amok?) to my netflix queue due to the fact it was among the few films of his i had heard anything about. Thanks for the info...Ali will be added when i get home.
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post #26 of 27
4/28/10 at 3:23pm
Careful! Berlin... is about fifteen hours - this is because it was originally broadcast as a television show, but auteurist types not being too keen on having their idols work for such a lowly medium, that fact has become conviniently buried and the current dogma seems to be "watch it in one or two goes, you feeble short attention span loser".

Can't talk about the actual quality of the series - I did start reading the book it's based on, which was very well written but such a relentless barrage of human misery that I had to give up two thirds in.
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post #27 of 27
4/28/10 at 5:36pm
I first heard about Berlin from the great Z Channel documentary, so i'm aware of the long haul i'm getting myself into. I figured if i can knock out an hour or two a night i'll be set.
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