Here are my favorite foreign films released on DVD in 2002. Most happen to be available as Criterion Collection DVDs with good special features, but my choices are based mainly on the artistic quality of the movies. Note that the year in parentheses refers to the movie's original theatrical release. Here's my idiosyncratic list of the best foreign films released on DVD in 2002.
I rarely use the word "sublime," but that's the word that best describes this French-language classic. Set in 19th century Paris, the movie uses a poetic, lyrical style as it traces the interconnected lives of a mime, an actor, a criminal, and a free-spirited woman who lives off her good looks and skills as a courtesan. I think "Children of Paradise" is one of the greatest movies of all time.
In feudal Japan, men sheltering from a rainstorm discuss an incident involving a possible murder. A samurai was found dead, and the circumstances surrounding his death are shown from conflicting points of view. It's difficult to discern the truth, but for me, "Rashomon" isn't about searching for some kind of absolute truth—it's about how differently people perceive the same external event.
Ingmar Bergman’s "Wild Strawberries" chronicles a day in the life of 78-year-old Professor Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom) as he journeys from Stockholm to a university in southern Sweden. Along the way, his mind is flooded with memories, reveries, and dreams as he tries to come to terms with his life. In my opinion, the performance of Sjostrom is one of the most compelling in all of cinema.
This Powell and Pressburger masterpiece chronicles the life of a British career soldier from 1902 to 1942, and in doing so captures the heyday and demise of the way of life and code of conduct of the British old guard that took place during those years. I love this complex film’s style and wit, its vibrant use of Technicolor, and Roger Livesey’s tour-de-force performance.
Luchino Visconti’s great neorealist Italian film captures the theme of the exploitation of the weak by the strong better than any film I know. I love the Sicilian location shooting with locals playing all the roles, the lyrical cinematography, and the operatic storytelling, which combine to give the movie a stylized, poetic feel. I find some of the images in the movie to be unforgettable.
