Foreign Language Films

[SisterNightroad]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

Just finished watching Life Is Beautiful...bang, half way through it changes big time. As soon as it finished my wife turned to me and said 'Sometimes it's really crap being a human being'. I wouldn't say I sobbed but I certainly shed some tears at the end.

It has that effect on everyone. I still remember when I watched it in biddle-school during the cinema extra class, even the boasters were crying. I've never wanted to see it in its entirey again. Maybe now I should try again.

[FuzzyPlum]

Originally Posted by SisterNightroad

It has that effect on everyone. I still remember when I watched it in biddle-school during the cinema extra class, even the boasters were crying. I've never wanted to see it in its entirey again. Maybe now I should try again.

Yeah, it's not a film I'd like to watch again in a hurry. I have strange feelings about it. On the one hand I want to say its a beautiful film with really beautiful cinematography. At the same time, I think I'd feel rather awkward saying that due to the subject matter. There were some really subtly disturbing moments and there are still questions in my head about it that I'm mulling over.

[SisterNightroad]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

Yeah, it's not a film I'd like to watch again in a hurry. I have strange feelings about it. On the one hand I want to say its a beautiful film with really beautiful cinematography. At the same time, I think I'd feel rather awkward saying that due to the subject matter. There were some really subtly disturbing moments and there are still questions in my head about it that I'm mulling over.

I think such a movie more than anything wants/has to raise questions in the viewer and if it has succeded we can say it is a good movie. I think it deserved all the praises that it got, but like you said, it's awkward that in Italy TV always air that as a Christmas movie...

[FuzzyPlum]

Originally Posted by SisterNightroad

I think such a movie more than anything wants/has to raise questions in the viewer and if it has succeded we can say it is a good movie. I think it deserved all the praises that it got, but like you said, it's awkward that in Italy TV always air that as a Christmas movie...

Christmas? Wow. I suppose its good to reflect at that time of the year on how good (the vast majority of) our lives are comparitively speaking.
By the way, Roberto Benigni really reminds me a lot of a French actor I like called Pierre Richard.

[SisterNightroad]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

Christmas? Wow. I suppose its good to reflect at that time of the year on how good (the vast majority of) our lives are comparitively speaking.

That's exactly the spirit behind it. Italians are a population of melodrama and political critique, even better if they're together. If you could see show schedules here you'd see a bunch of period dramas, hystorical dramas, tragedy and politically involved shows and the customary hip american tv series here and there.

By the way, Roberto Benigni really reminds me a lot of a French actor I like called Pierre Richard.

Good god it's true. Usually he's been compared to Woody Allen but this one really looks like his reddish headed brother.

[FuzzyPlum]

Sister Nightroad- I sat down last night ready to watch 'La Grande Bellezza'. I was a bit peed-off to find the DVD I bought only had German and French subtitles. Merda!
Had to watch Ex Machina instead which I've had sitting around for a while. Sorry Iamnotafraid (I know you recommend it highly), I thought it was pretty good, but it didn't blow me away. I didn't particularly find the ending hard to foresee which left me a bit deflated.
Will have to re-order The Great Beauty.

[SisterNightroad]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

Sister Nightroad- I sat down last night ready to watch 'La Grande Bellezza'. I was a bit peed-off to find the DVD I bought only had German and French subtitles. Merda!
Had to watch Ex Machina instead which I've had sitting around for a while. Sorry Iamnotafraid (I know you recommend it highly), I thought it was pretty good, but it didn't blow me away. I didn't particularly find the ending hard to foresee which left me a bit deflated.
Will have to re-order The Great Beauty.

Once it happened the very same thing to me with a documentary that I had to watch and analyze for my Developmental Psychology class, "Promises" about children living the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I was so happy that I found a cheaper sale and then I discovered that it only had French, Arabic and Jew subtitles. I had to watch it in English, at least there was an English audio, and it wasn't easy.

Thaks for Ex Machina, I won't buy it but I'll download it this summer.

[iamnotafraid]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

Had to watch Ex Machina instead which I've had sitting around for a while. Sorry Iamnotafraid (I know you recommend it highly), I thought it was pretty good, but it didn't blow me away. I didn't particularly find the ending hard to foresee which left me a bit deflated.

Yes, I really like that movie. I don't think it was made
to blow you away. It kind of simmers. But there are
many things going on in that movie. And I think it
takes more than one viewing to notice.

What I like best are the questions it raises concerning
A.I. - without even considering what Nathan thought
Caleb really wanted to know.

Being a Christian makes me wonder how far man will
be allowed to go. Or how far man can go before it becomes
sin. It's most fascinating.