I can't say I've seen much Japanese cinema aside from Kurosawa. What are your top Japanese films? By the way, I watched Letter From an Unknown Woman - remarkable film. I enjoyed it immensely.
Letter From an Unknown Woman is so beautiful, it's been a favorite for a good minute now. The way he put films together was so masterful, stylistically European but still grounded in Hollywood. It's made with such fluidity which really contributes to the old time atmosphere... It's probably the only heartbreaker I love.
My favorite Japanese movies are pretty typical, I don't really know hidden gems or whatever:
Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Rashamon, Drunken Angel, Hidden Fortress (Kurosawa)
Tokyo Story, Late Spring, An Autumn Afternoon (Ozu)
Ugetsu, Streets of Shame, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (Mizoguchi)
Harakiri, Samurai Rebellion (Kobayashi)
Woman in the Dunes (Teshigahara)
The Insect Woman, Vengeance is Mine (Imamura)
Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi are the holy trinity; films don't get much better than that.
I agree in that I found the story very sentimental, and I suppose what makes the film worth while is the way that he directs it. His photography is masterful: I found it quite hypnotic just watching a character walk up a flight of stairs (as ridiculous as that sounds). And I felt like a lot of subtle, perhaps humourous and playful, things were being communicated through his camera. But also, and this is critical, the performances are outstanding. The actors are believable, which is what makes the story so heart-wrenching. You actually care about them. It's like in Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass. The woman, I thought, gave one of the greatest performances I've ever seen - playing a span of what, 15 years (girl, young woman, Mother). And you're right, the pacing is just perfect. Usually these kinds of tales have me rolling my eyes, but this one had me chocked up more than once. One of the very best films I've seen from the 40s. The only one I can think of that is better is Citizen Kane.
Thanks for your Jap picks, I'll check them out some time soon.
Of all the legendary filmmakers Italy has birthed (De Sica, Rossolini, Fellini, Antonioni, Visconti, Pasolini etc.), one name towers above them all. Leone...*said with stary wide-eyed wonder*
I completely agree and understand now, your right about it being obvious. I should have figured that was the reason. Awesome poll by the way, and now I think the U. S. should not be an option.
I like the _idea_ of this poll but I don't care for the execution. Specifically South Korea is probably in my top 3 favorite countries for film but I don't necessarily want to lump them in with the other asian countries. Hence, I won't be voting. And I do think the U.S. should be a voting option.
The U.S.A. has been such a dominant cultural figure over the last century, it seems unfair to let it compete. Suppose I was doing a poll of great sculptures during the time of classical Greece. Obviously Athens would beat out every other city. The U.S.A. has made more great films than all the other countries put together (a lot more, imo). I think it's a more interesting poll without the U.S.A. competing, because a lot of interesting movies have been made all over the world.
I voted for Mexico and South Korea and the UK. Those are my 3 favorite right now.
France: Renoir, Bresson, Truffaut, Godard, Vigo, Resnais, Rivette, Marker, etc
Italy: Fellini, Antonioni, Pasolini, De Sica, Bertolucci, Pontecorvo, Rossellini, Visconti, etc
Japan: Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kobayashi, Teshigahara, Imamura, etc
I just couldn't justify voting for Russia on the basis of Tarkovsky alone...
Russia also had Sergei Eisnenstein, who basically invented modern editing. Alexander Dovzhenko is pretty amazing as well.
I would want to see a choice for Iran, whose glory days seem to be over but had a stunning run there in the late 90s.
I can't say I've seen much Japanese cinema aside from Kurosawa. What are your top Japanese films? By the way, I watched Letter From an Unknown Woman - remarkable film. I enjoyed it immensely.
Letter From an Unknown Woman is so beautiful, it's been a favorite for a good minute now. The way he put films together was so masterful, stylistically European but still grounded in Hollywood. It's made with such fluidity which really contributes to the old time atmosphere... It's probably the only heartbreaker I love.
My favorite Japanese movies are pretty typical, I don't really know hidden gems or whatever:
Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Rashamon, Drunken Angel, Hidden Fortress (Kurosawa)
Tokyo Story, Late Spring, An Autumn Afternoon (Ozu)
Ugetsu, Streets of Shame, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (Mizoguchi)
Harakiri, Samurai Rebellion (Kobayashi)
Woman in the Dunes (Teshigahara)
The Insect Woman, Vengeance is Mine (Imamura)
Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi are the holy trinity; films don't get much better than that.
I agree in that I found the story very sentimental, and I suppose what makes the film worth while is the way that he directs it. His photography is masterful: I found it quite hypnotic just watching a character walk up a flight of stairs (as ridiculous as that sounds). And I felt like a lot of subtle, perhaps humourous and playful, things were being communicated through his camera. But also, and this is critical, the performances are outstanding. The actors are believable, which is what makes the story so heart-wrenching. You actually care about them. It's like in Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass. The woman, I thought, gave one of the greatest performances I've ever seen - playing a span of what, 15 years (girl, young woman, Mother). And you're right, the pacing is just perfect. Usually these kinds of tales have me rolling my eyes, but this one had me chocked up more than once. One of the very best films I've seen from the 40s. The only one I can think of that is better is Citizen Kane.
Thanks for your Jap picks, I'll check them out some time soon.
Italy has to be number one. Just one name: Leone.
Or Fellini.
Of all the legendary filmmakers Italy has birthed (De Sica, Rossolini, Fellini, Antonioni, Visconti, Pasolini etc.), one name towers above them all. Leone...*said with stary wide-eyed wonder*
lol, can't tell if you're being serious. (because Leone is amazing, but...)
He is a very good director, although the others are more to my taste.
U.S.A., Italy, and France represent!
lolz, that's who I voted for. *does little French girl kiss on cheeks* teehee.
oh la la!
I completely agree and understand now, your right about it being obvious. I should have figured that was the reason. Awesome poll by the way, and now I think the U. S. should not be an option.
I like the _idea_ of this poll but I don't care for the execution. Specifically South Korea is probably in my top 3 favorite countries for film but I don't necessarily want to lump them in with the other asian countries. Hence, I won't be voting. And I do think the U.S. should be a voting option.
I've added South Korea and the U.S.
Why not the U. S., in my opinion it should be the winner?
The U.S.A. has been such a dominant cultural figure over the last century, it seems unfair to let it compete. Suppose I was doing a poll of great sculptures during the time of classical Greece. Obviously Athens would beat out every other city. The U.S.A. has made more great films than all the other countries put together (a lot more, imo). I think it's a more interesting poll without the U.S.A. competing, because a lot of interesting movies have been made all over the world.