A Note on Foreeign Films
jamsrt
with English subtitles. My thoughts were, "If it ain't American, it
can't be any good!"
Then, I rented a movie, called "Pelle the Conqueror". This is a film in
Swedish filmed in Denmark. Ever since then, I've been hooked. The
beauty of these foreign films is their absence of the boom-bang-TCX
Digital expolding sound of good ol' American special effects. In other
words, these films tend to rely on simple drama and the
actor's/actress's talents rather than $50 million of laser spectularism
combined with 200 decible DTX or whatever - Led Zeppelin concerts were
far more peaceful) stereo surround sound to dazzle and deafen the
audience. Then, as an added note, I've found myself going to certain
countries just because the scenary in the films was so spectacular (The
Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, and Newfoundland Canada trips were all
movie-inspired).
On this note, I have found that many foreign films tend to feature fine,
young male actors. To name a few for starters, I would recommend
"Sunday's Children" (Swedish), Ciske the Rat (Netherlands) and the
Oscar-Award winning film for best Foreign Film in 1997 "Koyla". My list
goes on and on.
On another note, Likem does an incredibly fantastic job of keeping us
readers in AFTI up-to-date with his daily TV listings - a note to Likem
- I haven't a clue how you do it but, man, we love you for doing it! If
anyone is interested, I will continue to post recommendations for
foreign films with young actors in this discussion group. Just please
let me know.
JAMSRT
Likem
wrote:
>
>If
>anyone is interested, I will continue to post recommendations for
>foreign films with young actors in this discussion group. Just please
>let me know.
>
I for one am always interested in discovering new films, and I love
many "foreign" films. One problem foreign films have in this country
(USA) is that American audiences are SO used to seeing the
flash-bang-boom approach to filmmaking that they can't handle the
slower pace of many foreign, particularly European, films. But you're
right, the slower pace allows us to ge to really get to KNOW the
characters, FEEL their emotions along with them, and to really get
absorbed with the drama, the story being told.
The other problem is that American audiences shy away from subtitled
films; like they're too stupid and lazy to read them. Personally,
I'll take a subtitled film over a dubbed one ANY day. I want to hear
the original actors' voices, inflections, sense their feelings, etc.
I don't care about some actor in a dubbing studio, who wasn't there
"in the moment," as the film was being shot.
The film you mentioned first, "Pelle the Conqueror," is a VERY
beautiful film! Not only was the boy in it terrific, but Max von
Sydow, who played his father, was nominated for a BEST ACTOR Oscar,
and he SHOULD have won. (I'm not the only one who thinks so, either.)
There are a TON of good foreign films that have been, can be, and will
be discussed here. I've seen quite a large number, so has Philo, and
others too, I'm sure.
This is far from a complete list, but perhaps just a few suggestions
for your viewing pleasure:
1. "AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS" ("Goodbye, Children") (France, 1987)--
One of my very favorite films of all time, of any type. A 1987 film
starring young teen actors Gaspard Manesse and Raphael Fejtö. It was
nominated for 2 Academy Awards, including "Best Foreign Language
Film." Also, it was nominated for and won a BUNCH of awards, too
numerous to list here; go to http://us.imdb.com/Tawards?0092593 to see
the whole list. I'm pretty sure "Au Revoir" is available for rental
in good, well-stocked rental locations, and I can't recommend it
highly enough!
2. "DU ER IKKE ALENE" ("YOU ARE NOT ALONE") (Denmark, 1979)-- This
*IS* my VERY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!!!!! You won't find it in
rental places, but you can buy it, $29.95 right now, I think, at
http://www.gayweb.com/106/106.html
I don't presume to tell you how to spend your money, but this love
story set in a Danish boarding school for boys is a film you will
treasure and watch over-and-over forever. If you haven't seen this
movie before, please just TRUST me. BUY it. WATCH it. LOVE it.
3. "BARNENS Ö" ("CHILDREN'S ISLAND") (Sweden, 1980)-- This is, in my
opinion, the GREATEST film ever made about childhood/growing up/early
adolescence, and features maybe the BEST PERFORMANCE I've EVER SEEN by
a child actor!!! It's a truly incredible film, though a bit dated.
The visual appeal of the film is part of the reason the film never got
distributed in the U.S. The other is that the Svensk Filmindustri
wanted an outrageous fee for the distribution rights; no distributor
would have ever made up the exorbitant fee they were trying to charge.
"Barnens Ö" was nominated for a Golden Berlin Bear award at the Berlin
International Film Festival in 1981, and was THE WINNER of three
"Guldbagge" Awards in Sweden (the Swedish equivalent of the Academy
Awards), for "BEST FILM," "Best Director," and "Best Actor" for the
mother's boyfriend.
When "Barnens Ö" showed at the Chicago International Film Festival,
ROGER EBERT gave it a great review! I have a copy of that, somewhere,
and someday I might even find it! The film also showed to good
notices at the San Francisco International Film Fesival.
I previously scanned several publicity stills from the film, but they
are bad scans. I need to learn how to scan better, because I have a
LOT of things to share with you, not just from this film. And I have
a poster from the film; I might be the only person in the USA with
one, unless someone saved one from one of the 2 film festivals.
You can buy "Children's Island" ("Barnens Ö") on video, but a few
WARNINGS first: (1) This is *NOT*, I repeat *NOT* the horrible, awful
mid-80s U.S. film "Children's Island," which was SO bad that even IMDb
doesn't list it!; (2) The video appears like it was made by aiming a
video camera on a tripod at a movie screen in a screening room
somewhere. I don't know if it WAS, but that's the effect. The
subtitles are the old white variety, and can be hard to read when the
background is light; (3) There are some blank spots on the tape, which
are obviously reel changes.
Those things don't matter, though. This is a GREAT film, with a
STUNNING and UNBELIEVABLY INCREDIBLE performance by it's young star,
Tomas Fryk (Pronounced something like, "frook").
Where can you get it? Hehe, I'll tell you. The place from which I
bought it a couple of years ago is the Southeast Video Connection. I
paid $39.95 there. I've sent them an e-mail to see if they're still
in business, but their website seems to be a sex site w/ lots of naked
women now. I'll let you know what I find out.
There's another place I saw it listed. Their main site is
http://www.cvmc.net/
Their specialty is "Rare Coming-of-Age Films." They rent, as well as
sell. Hahaha, they even have a listing for the HORRIBLE 1984 USA
film, "Children's Island," to which I referred above! There's good
scenery in that, but that's ALL. ANYWAY, go to:
http://www.cvmc.net/Movies.html/ChildrensIsland.shtml
for information about this film. As to buying or renting it from
them, read up on the site for details.
I can't recommend any film more highly than I recommend "BARNENS Ö"
(aka: "CHILDREN'S ISLAND")!!!!!!!!!!!
You can read more about some of these films at the CVMC website:
4. "HALFAOUINE: BOY OF THE TERRACES" (aka: ""HALFAOUINE: CHILD OF THE
TERRACES") (Tunisia, 1990) -- A SPECTACULAR visual feast!! I had the
good fortune to see this in a theatre here in L.A. This is a film
about a 13-year-old boy's sexual awakening, and I highly recommend
it!)
5. "LOS OLVIDADOS" (Mexico, 1950) -- A great film about a boy who
witnesses another boy commit a murder.
6. "CROSS MY HEART" (France, 1990) -- Awesome film about a group of
school friends who help a friend keep secret the fact that his mother
died and he's living on his own. I bought this on video at Virgin
Records/Video, so it IS available.
7. "THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP" ("LES AMITES PARTICULIERES") (France,
1964) -- From a 1945 book, this incredible, VERY special film showed
in theatres here in L.A. back in the early '80s. Imagine this: A
book in 1945 and a film in 1963 Catholic France, about 2 boys at a
Catholic School falling in LOVE with each other??? Amazing film, with
2 attractive stars. I will warn you, it's not an "upper" film like
"You Are Not Alone" is. I actually think this makes the PERFECT
double-feature WITH "You Are Not Alone." This film is ultimately
somber, and in black & white, and "You Are Not Alone" is ultimately
joyous, and in color. The PERFECT double-feature, IF seen in that
order!
8. "FOR A LOST SOLDIER" (The Netherlands, 1994) -- I can't imagine
that most of you haven't seen or at least heard of this. An excellent
film in SO many ways, it's a true story about the relationship between
a 12-year-old boy and a Canadian soldier in WWII Holland. I'm
bothered a bit by the way the soldier seduces the boy ("Candy, little
boy?" type of stuff). As interested in the man as the boy is, and as
interested as he's discovering he is in other males, it still bothers
me some how the soldier pursues and seduces him. Others I've
discussed it with don't see it the way I do, and perhaps you
won't/didn't either. Still, I *DO* recommend you see it. The film is
beautifully photographed, and the lead character in the film is quite
beautiful himself.
9. "LEOLO" (French/French-Canadian co-production, 1992) -- A
*MUST-SEE*!!! One of the funnier films I've ever seen. I love this
movie about a boy in Montreal (Leo Lauzon) who thinks he's really
Sicilian (Leolo Lozano). I won't tell you WHY he thinks that, because
it would spoil a couple of VERY funny scenes. Unfortunately, others
are not so careful, and many written descriptions of this film tell
the reason; so DON'T read them if you've never seen this before.
"Leolo" is absurdist in some ways, especially as regards Leo's
brother. But if you want to see a VERY VERY funny movie, with a cute
boy in it, and some excellent visual treats, then SEE THIS MOVIE!
10. "LOVE STRANGE LOVE" (Brazil, 1982) -- This dubbed film is about
a boy who goes to live with his prostitute mother in the brothel where
she lives. She tries to hide from him what she does for a living, but
he soon catches on. There are some AMAZING dream sequences, and some
AMAZING non-dream sequences! I believe, but I'm not sure, that the
video of this has been edited from the original version I saw back in
1982 or 83 or so, as I remember a scene (and have a still shot from
it) which is not in the video. I'm still trying to find out the truth
about that. But this is a remarkable film to watch, enjoy, and
*WATCH*!
11. "MURMUR OF THE HEART" (France, 1971) -- A true classic. You
can't be a film fan or a young-actors-in-film fan without seeing this
GREAT film. Wow, 2 films here by Director Louis Malle! This is about
a boy who needs special treatment at a spa, who ends up being hosed
off while stark naked, and who ends up having a brief sexual tryst
with his mother. :)
12. "MY FATHER'S GLORY" and "MY MOTHER'S CASTLE" (France, 1991) --
This pair of movies were filmed together, but edited and released as
separate films, in the order I listed them above. I have them both on
Laserdisc, so that might tell you how much I liked them. The
cinematography is OUTSTANDING, and the lead boy and his younger
brother are also OUTSTANDING! 2 beautiful films, 1 beautiful T-I, and
that's a dynamite combination.
13. "MY LIFE AS A DOG" (Sweden, 1985) -- This GREAT film can
certainly be rented, as it's one of the more popular foreign films in
the USA. It also shows on Showtime on cable from time-to-time, so you
can also see it there.
14. "PIXOTE" (Brazil, 1981) -- Maybe the classic "street kids" film
of all time. The filmmakers brought in a REAL street kid from Rio de
Janiero, Fernando Ramos da Silva, and cast him in the title role. He
was just AMAZING, and this film is AMAZING. It's definitely not a
"happy" film, but it's an important one, and one which should
definitely be in your library of films. Fernando made another film, I
think, and then suffered the fate of so many of the street kids in
Brazil: He was killed by the police. :(
15. "WAR OF THE BUTTONS" (France, 1961) -- A black & white delight!
Award Films looked for this film for MANY years before finally finding
it and having the video master made from the original negatives. (Or
was it that they had a new print struck from the negative, and made
the video master from THAT? I forget now!) Anyway, this is a very
fun film, not "deep" in meaning like some of the other films listed
here. Just relax and enjoy it! (Haha, where have we heard THAT line
before? <G> )
16. "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?" (Spain) -- This film is
available for purchase at Virgin, and at Tower, among other places.
It's also one of the funnier films I've seen in a LONG time. This was
made by the now-well-known director Pedro Almodovar, who is
responsible for the very funny "Women on the Verge of a Nervous
Breakdown." In THIS film, the family depicted has a 13-year-old son
who makes a living by "selling his body." His mother is quite well
aware of his chosen profession. At one point he tells her, "It's my
body, I'll do what I want with it!" The scene where he seduces his
dentist is one of the funniest scenes I've seen. VERY HIGHLY
recommended!
17. "THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE" (Australia, 1987) -- Noah Taylor stars
in this film, and is just terrific in it. He later played the same
character in a 'sequel' of sorts, "Flirting." Noah's character is a
boy who's had a platonic friendship with his good friend, but then
starts to grow up and have non-platonic feelings for her. Very highly
recommended!
18. "YOUNG TORLESS" (Germany, 1966) -- I haven't seen this in a long
time, but I remember it being very good. So good, in fact, that I
bought the book! It's about a teen boy at a boarding school. It's a
psychological drama, and done very well.
19. "CINEMA PARADISO" (Italy, 1988) -- An enormously popular film in
the USA for a foreign-language film. But it deserved every dollar it
made! The cast includes 2 boys, one pre-teen, one mid-teen, playing
the same character at different ages. There's a VERY VERY funny scene
that takes place during one of the screenings inside the Cinema
Paradiso, but I won't spoil it here. And the ongoing censoring of
films by the town's priest is very funny too. I DO recommend this!
20. "SALAAM BOMBAY!" (India, 1988) -- A really interesting film
about a boy of 10-ish who fends for himself on the streets of Bombay.
I didn't like this as well as most of the other films on this list,
but the fact that it did MAKE this list means something!
21. "WHERE THE RIVER RUNS BLACK" (Brazil, 1986) -- A stunningly
beautiful film about a boy living in the Amazonian jungle with his
mother. She dies, and when he is discovered by some men on a boat, he
is taken into the city and turned over to the American priest to
"civilize" him. This film is beautifully photographed, beautifully
acted by the older boy, age 10-12-ish (played by Alessandro Rabelo),
and others, and is QUITE a visual pleasure as well! If you don't
believe me, go to
http://www.stargalaxy.com/img_page/IG/1/0/3/8/movie_238_1.html
and see for yourself! :))
22. "JACQUOT" (aka: "JACQUOT DE NANTES") (France, 1991) -- An
absolutely GREAT film!! This is the true story of a filmmaker, told
in flashback. We see the boy learn to love films and learn to make
them, over a period of many years. We see him at 8, 13, and 17. A
subplot involves the Nazi occupation of France. I can't recommend
this film highly enough!
23. "CHILDREN OF HEAVEN" (Iran, 1998?) -- I saw this film twice
earlier this year when it played in theatres around L.A. It's an
absolutely beautiful, delightful film about the loving relationship
between a brother (about age 9-10), and his younger sister. I doubt
it's out on video (yet), and I hope it will be. It deserves to be
seen! If it comes to theatres in your area, I hope you'll make a
point to see it! BTW..., this was one of the 5 films nominated for a
"Best Foreign Language Film" Academy Award. I think it deserved to
WIN. I loved it!
24. "CENTRAL STATION" (Brazil, 1998?) -- Another film that's
probably not on video yet, and just MIGHT be making it's way through
theatres in smaller towns (?). This film too was nominated for "Best
Foreign Language Film," and while many people thought it should have
won, I actually liked "Children of Heaven" better. That's not to say
I didn't like this, because I *DID*!! This is a wonderful film about
a boy whose mother dies in an accident outside the Central Station in
Rio. He's reluctantly cared for by an old woman, and together they
set off across Brazil to find the boy's father. A beautiful film, I
recommend you see it.
I can't believe how long this post turned out to be! Haha, I didn't
mean to do that! Anyway, as you can tell, foreign-language films are
special to me, and I think are worth every bit as much attention as
American and Canadian films in English. There *IS* great filmmaking
that takes place OUTSIDE the borders of the U.S. and Canada, and it's
such a shame that our snobbery prevents us from seeing so much good
cinema from around the world.
I hope you'll check out the films I listed, or if you've seen them,
perhaps you'll share your impressions of them. I also hope that this
becomes an active thread, and that there are films discussed that I
can add to my "Movies To See.txt" file!
Likem
P.S. jamsrt: Thanks for your kind words. :)
osca...@webtv.net
1. Life Is Beautiful
2. Central Station
Both have great performances by young actors.
Central Station is due to be released on vhs and dvd on July 13th.
Also on video now is a great movie called "La Promesse" witch stars a
great young actor Jeremie Renier at about 14.
chrisp...@my-deja.com
378e7c88....@news.concentric.net>,
That is a very impressive list of foreign films
you got there. I have always been a fan of your
daily TV report, but was too lazy to post any
thank you note ;-) However, after seeing your
foreign film list, I feel it's time to show my
appreciation as well as participate on AFTI
again.
Quick comments on the films you list:
1. "AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS"
An excellent example of what great film
making can achieve. Very touching story on the
war and the innocent of the childhood.
2. "DU ER IKKE ALENE" ("YOU ARE NOT ALONE")
This movie has been many people's favorite.
Even Roger Ebert liked it when it first came
out. I'm probably the only one who think it's
overrated. Having said that, YANA is the only
film out there about boy falling love with
others that ends happily (not counting British
gay comedy "Beautiful Things"). Therefore, it
is a very enjoyable film to watch for most
folks.
3. "BARNENS Ö" ("CHILDREN'S ISLAND")
I cannot believe seeing this film mentioned on
AFTI :-) Too bad it's not readily available.
From what I heard it is a great film to see
with many memorable scenes.
Thank you for the additional info. I'm very
curious what Ebert said about this flick :-)
4. "HALFAOUINE: BOY OF THE TERRACES"
Another enjoyable film to watch although I'd
much prefer other mideast (Iranian) films
over this one.
6. "CROSS MY HEART"
Worth noted is, there are two French films
under the same English title. The other "Cross
My Heart" is about the friendship between an
old man and an 8 y/o Jewish boy during World
War II. Not a bad movie, but the "Cross My
Heart" you listed is definitly the one to look
for.
7. "THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP" ("LES AMITES
PARTICULIERES")
One of the most heart wrenching and beautiful
stories ever told on screen. Dider Haudipen
(who plays the younger boy) was a very
successful child actor during the 60s in
Europe. Angelic and sensitive, he has a perfect
screen presence.
8. "FOR A LOST SOLDIER"
The movie is a improvement over the novel it's
based on. The chocolate scene between the
soldier and the boy is a cinematic classic.
9. "LEOLO"
One of the best film in 90s. Very original and
creative. Maxime Collin was great in many
scenes. After viewing this movie, you may
develope different appetite for tomato or
liver ;-)
12. "MY FATHER'S GLORY" and "MY MOTHER'S
CASTLE" (France, 1991)
"My Father's Glory" is an absolute delight.
Everything on screen is beautiful and almost
perfect. However, its sequel is a mild
disapointment in comparason. Maybe other
readers of AFTI would feel differntly but
IMHO, "My Father's Glory" has better value.
13. "MY LIFE AS A DOG"
Charming and funny, this Swedish film will
grab every viewer's heart.
15. "WAR OF THE BUTTONS"
Much better than the Irish remake! hehe, there,
I said it. Yves Robert (who later made "My
Father's Glory") became extremly popular
after the release of "War of the Buttons" in
France. This is a very funny and entertaining
movie. The characters are generally more
interesting and more developed than the Irish
remake. Watching them back to back could
prove to be an enjoyable double features.
16. "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?"
The plot of interest (the 13 y/o boy) isn't a
big part of this funny Almodovar offering.
Still, it features a few memorible scenes and
lines. The dentist who has clear sexual
interest on the boy is portrayed somewhat
negatively.
18. "YOUNG TORLESS"
Directed by Volker Schlondoff (who also made
"Tin Drum"), this movie examines the
relationship between bullies and their
victims. There are some brutal scenes if I
remember correctly.
19. "CINEMA PARADISO"
My ticket to foreign film. Thanks to the
experience of viewing "Cinema Paradiso" i
began to search and encounter many more
great foreign films. I have watched it 11
times over the years. It still moves me like no
other film does.
24. "CENTRAL STATION"
(I'm lazy, i could have said something about
"Jacquot" and "Where the River runs Black" but
it's very late in where I am :-))
The experience of viewing this film is a
journey very few people can forget. We see the
relationship between the lady and the boy
develope in front of us. Yet unlike most other
Hollywood features, we believe this unlikely
couples' struggles and supports for each
others. A great film not to be missed that's
for sure.
I was going to recommend a few foreign films
such as "400 Blows," "Fanny and Alexander"
"Toto the Hero," "Stolen Children," and
Slingshot." But I guess I'd wait for a few
days:-)
Thanks you again for your list and daily report.
Hopefully I don't have to wait another 3 years
to post on AFTI next time;-)
I wanna say hi to a few AFTI folks I know who
may recognize my writing style under another
name. It's good to be back.
Chris
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Philo D.
<g...@geocities.com> wrote:
> 3. "BARNENS Ö" ("CHILDREN'S ISLAND") (Sweden, 1980)--
>.....
> Where can you get it? Hehe, I'll tell you. The place from which I
> bought it a couple of years ago is the Southeast Video Connection.
which can no longer be found
> ... CVMC http://www.childhoodvisions.holowww.com/
other US sources: Video Search of Miami http://www.vsom.com/
Luminous Film and Video Wurks http://lfvw.com/index.htm .
Here is a list of mine, prepared recently for another purpose.
Some overlap with Likem's list.
James Aubrey "Lord of the Flies"
Kasper Andersen "The Hideaway" "Møv og funder"
Philippe Maron "Jaquot" "Jacquot de Nantes"
Brontis Jodorowsky "El Topo"
Roberto Maccanti "1900" "Novocento"
Gaspard Manesse "Au revoir les enfants"
Bernard Brieux "Les Turlupins" "The Rascals"
Jason Edwards "Drowning by Numbers"
Marcelo Ribeiro "Amor estranho Amor" "Love Strange Love"
Pelle Hvengard "Pelle erobreren" "Pelle the Conqueror"
Jesper Salen "Kådisbellan" "The Slingshot"
Benoit Magimel "La vie est un long fleuve tranquille" "Life is a Long
Quiet River"
Noah Taylor "Flirting"
Hamish McFarlane "The Navigator"
Simon Fenton "The Power of One"
Hennrik Linnros "Söndagsbarn" "Sunday's Children"
Rachid Farrache "Attention! Une femme peut en cacher une autre" "My
Other Husband"
Fernando Ramon da Silva "Pixote"
--
Philo D. do...@earthling.net
jamsrt
I hope you'll check out the films I listed, or if you've seen them,
perhaps you'll share your impressions of them. I also hope
that this
becomes an active thread, and that there are films discussed that
I
can add to my "Movies To See.txt" file!
Holy smokes! Thank you so much for your lengthy and detailed response!
Your listing for "Children of Heaven" was a lifesaver - it had a brief showing at our local art museum's theater, but I was out of town, missed it, and then my lack of short-term memory caused me to forget the title. On the Iranian note, there is a cute little Iranian film called "The Key" (1992?). It is about a young mother who leaves her four-year-old son home alone with his infant brother. Needless to say, things go awry and the little fellow somehow manages to lock himself in the hose and lose the key. This prevents the panic-stricken neighbors from helping the kid out until the end of the film. It's very simply filmed, and it actually gets rather intense. I found it through Reel.com.
Many of the films you listed are in my current collection. I'll comment on a few of them:
"Central Station" - all I can say is that I can't wait for this to be released on video. A beautiful film.
"My Father's Castle" and "My Mother's Glory" - I enjoyed "Father" much more, perhaps because "Mother" pretty much ended on a downer note. Nonetheless, an essential set to any foreign film enthusiast's library.
"For a Lost Soldier" - sort of shocking the first time I saw it. Believe it or not, if you rent this movie in the Netherlands, it's been edited over the version available here in the states.
Here's a few others for your reference:
"Op hoop van zegen" (Netherlands, 1986 - translated "In hope of Blessing") - this stars the irrepressible Danny de Munk, who also appears in "Ciske the Rat". Based on when this movie was made, it places Danny at age 16, although he doesn't look a day over 13. I rented this in Amsterdam (NO SUBTITLES - thank God I can sort of follow the Dutch language), but have yet to find it here in the states, whereas "Ciske the Rat" is available through Reel.com or IVC. If anyone finds a source for this film, please let me know.
"Le Grand Chemin" (France, 1987 - "The Grand Highway") This stars Antoine Hubert, the director's son. He's absolutely adorable, probably about 9 or 10. Some of you may recognize this film as the basis for the 1992 American release, "Paradise" with Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith and Elijah Wood. The US version follows the French film just about to the T, with the obvious exception of where the films were shot.
"Village of Dreams" (Japan, 1998) - A film about identical twin brothers, who reminisce about the summer they were 8. A very delightful, entertaining little film that won the Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival.
Well, that's about all I have time for. I'll go through my library and see what I else I might have.
Likem
>
>3. "BARNENS Ö" ("CHILDREN'S ISLAND") (Sweden, 1980)-- This is, in my
>opinion, the GREATEST film ever made about childhood/growing up/early
>adolescence, and features maybe the BEST PERFORMANCE I've EVER SEEN by
>a child actor!!! It's a truly incredible film, though a bit dated.
>
<SNIP>
>You can buy "Children's Island" ("Barnens Ö") on video, but a few
>WARNINGS first: (1) This is *NOT*, I repeat *NOT* the horrible, awful
>mid-80s U.S. film "Children's Island," which was SO bad that even IMDb
>doesn't list it!; (2) The video appears like it was made by aiming a
>video camera on a tripod at a movie screen in a screening room
>somewhere. I don't know if it WAS, but that's the effect. The
>subtitles are the old white variety, and can be hard to read when the
>background is light; (3) There are some blank spots on the tape, which
>are obviously reel changes.
>
>Those things don't matter, though. This is a GREAT film, with a
>STUNNING and UNBELIEVABLY INCREDIBLE performance by it's young star,
>Tomas Fryk (Pronounced something like, "frook").
>
<SNIP>
>There's another place I saw it listed. Their main site is
>http://www.cvmc.net/
>Their specialty is "Rare Coming-of-Age Films." They rent, as well as
>sell. Hahaha, they even have a listing for the HORRIBLE 1984 USA
>film, "Children's Island," to which I referred above! There's good
>scenery in that, but that's ALL. ANYWAY, go to:
>http://www.cvmc.net/Movies.html/ChildrensIsland.shtml
>for information about this film. As to buying or renting it from
>them, read up on the site for details.
>
>I can't recommend any film more highly than I recommend "BARNENS Ö"
>(aka: "CHILDREN'S ISLAND")!!!!!!!!!!!
>
Well, damn. I got an e-mail from this place listing several films.
Here's what they said about "Children's Island":
CHILDREN'S ISLAND (1980): rare Swedish Coming-of-Age tale about a
preteen boy. Voted CVMC's most liked film for 1997; over a year in
the #1 slot for best renting video. THIS IS THE HIGHEST QUALITY COPY
YOU WILL FIND OF THIS FILM IN THE USA. Please note that although CVMC
does not endorse censorship, approximately 30 seconds of footage had
to be cut out of this film to make it permissible inside the USA. In
Swedish with English subtitles. $39.99
Well, I'll tell you folks. I can guarantee that I know exactly which
"approximately 30 seconds of footage" they cut out. And I can also
tell you that those 30 seconds are a MAJOR turning-point in the film,
and are crucial to our understanding of the character's development.
This is what I referred to in my original post about one of the
reasons the film didn't get a distributor here in the USA.
I'll also tell you that, if The Movie Channel could show that hayloft
scene unedited, then "Children's Island" can be shown unedited as
well.
This is distressing. I'd suggest you hold off on purchasing this film
from CVMC, and let me work on other angles. I resent them cutting
even 1 second of ANY film, much less 30. Their e-mail mentioned an
Italian film named "MALADOLESCENZA" out of which they've cut 7½
minutes, while at the same time saying that they do "not endorse
censorship." SORRY, but I don't know what else to call it. :(
Likem
Likem
wrote:
>Likem wrote:
>
>I hope you'll check out the films I listed, or if you've seen them,
>perhaps you'll share your impressions of them. I also hope that this
>becomes an active thread, and that there are films discussed that I
>can add to my "Movies To See.txt" file!
>
>Holy smokes! Thank you so much for your lengthy and detailed response!
>
>Your listing for "Children of Heaven" was a lifesaver - it had a brief
>showing at our local art museum's theater, but I was out of town, missed
>it, and then my lack of short-term memory caused me to forget the
>title. On the Iranian note, there is a cute little Iranian film called
>"The Key" (1992?).
Oh, *DO* watch for a video release of "Children of Heaven." As I
said, I liked it even more than I liked it's fellow Academy
Award-nominee, "Central Station."
There's another Iranian film that I saw a few (several?) years ago in
a theatre here in L.A.. I wish I could remember the title. I do
remember that the boy who stars in it is somewhere around 11-13-ish,
and there are scenes of him running (?) on a beach, and there are old
boats/ships there too. The guy at CVMC said that it could be "The
Runner" ("Davandeh") from 1985, but IMDb's plot description for this
doesn't ring a bell. The search goes on. There is a HUGE
Iranian/Persian community here in L.A. (why do you think "Children of
Heaven" showed here for a few months??), and there are video stores
within that community. Perhaps spurred on by this thread, I'll do
some investigating.
>
>Many of the films you listed are in my current collection. I'll comment
>on a few of them:
>
>"For a Lost Soldier" - sort of shocking the first time I saw it.
>Believe it or not, if you rent this movie in the Netherlands, it's been
>edited over the version available here in the states.
>
REALLY???? What did they cut out? Is it perhaps just the video
rental version that's been edited, but that adults (i.e. 16+ there)
could purchase the unedited version?
>Here's a few others for your reference:
>
<Snip>
>"Le Grand Chemin" (France, 1987 - "The Grand Highway") This stars
>Antoine Hubert, the director's son. He's absolutely adorable, probably
>about 9 or 10.
>
Oh, I should have mentioned this one too. This is an EXCELLENT,
TERRIFIC film. I highly recommend it!
>
>Well, that's about all I have time for. I'll go through my library and
>see what I else I might have.
Kewl. :)
Likem
Likem
<do...@earthling.net.nospam> wrote:
>In article <378e7c88....@news.concentric.net>, Likem
><g...@geocities.com> wrote:
>
>> 3. "BARNENS Ö" ("CHILDREN'S ISLAND") (Sweden, 1980)--
>>.....
>> Where can you get it? Hehe, I'll tell you. The place from which I
>> bought it a couple of years ago is the Southeast Video Connection.
> which can no longer be found
>> ... CVMC http://www.childhoodvisions.holowww.com/
>other US sources: Video Search of Miami http://www.vsom.com/
>Luminous Film and Video Wurks http://lfvw.com/index.htm .
>
Please see my follow-up posts to my first post, about the video
available through CVMC. SEE THAT POST beFORE you order from them!!!
I'm going to check out these other sources. THANK YOU, Philo!
>
>Here is a list of mine, prepared recently for another purpose.
>Some overlap with Likem's list.
>
May I assume that this is a list of films you are RECOMMENDING, vs. a
list of films with which you are familiar?
>James Aubrey "Lord of the Flies"
>Kasper Andersen "The Hideaway" "Møv og funder"
>Philippe Maron "Jaquot" "Jacquot de Nantes"
>Brontis Jodorowsky "El Topo"
>Roberto Maccanti "1900" "Novocento"
>Gaspard Manesse "Au revoir les enfants"
>Bernard Brieux "Les Turlupins" "The Rascals"
>Jason Edwards "Drowning by Numbers"
>Marcelo Ribeiro "Amor estranho Amor" "Love Strange Love"
>
>Pelle Hvengard "Pelle erobreren" "Pelle the Conqueror"
>Jesper Salen "Kådisbellan" "The Slingshot"
>Benoit Magimel "La vie est un long fleuve tranquille" "Life is a Long
>Quiet River"
>Noah Taylor "Flirting"
>Hamish McFarlane "The Navigator"
>Simon Fenton "The Power of One"
>Hennrik Linnros "Söndagsbarn" "Sunday's Children"
>Rachid Farrache "Attention! Une femme peut en cacher une autre" "My
>Other Husband"
>Fernando Ramon da Silva "Pixote"
Thanks, Philo.
Likem
P.S. Spelling note: The boy in "Pixote" is Fernando Ramos da Silva,
not Fernando Ramon da Silva. In both Spanish-speaking and
Portuguese-speaking Latin-American countries, both parents' last names
are used. Usually the two last names are used without anything
in-between. But often the mother's last name is used first, followed
by "de" in Spanish, "da" in Portuguese, both meaning "of," followed by
the father's last name. It is likely that Fernando's mother's last
name is/was "Ramos," and the father's is/was "Silva."
jeffrey wint
it was up for best foreign film in 1995. It has'nt been released on
video, and about a year ago was scheduled to play on cinamax but they
changed movies and did'nt show it.
Thanks for any info. :-)