The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame III: Foreign Language Edition

I watched one last night, a good one too. As soon as I get tired fighting my computer...errggh! I'll post it.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, 1974

A widow named Emmi (Brigitte Mira) seeks shelter in a Moroccan bar one evening, where she meets Ali (El Hedi ben Salem), a Moroccan man about 25 years her junior. After a night of deep conversation and a surprising physical connection, the two become an item. But as the community around them--including Emmi's family and friends--react to the bi-racial, May-December romance, some ugly behaviors rear their heads.

I imagine that this HoF will mostly involve great movies just narrowly elbowing each other out of the way for the top slot. This was a great first film to watch for the challenge.

The strength of the film, in my opinion, is the depth and complexity of the two main characters and, by extension, their reaction to the bigotry that they begin to encounter. Their affection for each other, born from a mutual empathy, is believable. At the same time, the rift that begins to develop as time goes on is also believable. Emmi doesn't like the stress of suddenly being "the other", and Ali reflexively feels demeaned when he is pushed to be "less foreign."

The main strain that we see on Emmi's side is what happens between her and her friends and her family. The women she works with suddenly ignore her, even moving away during a lunch break like a group of petulant teenagers in a high school cafeteria. Her children shame and mock her for her choice. As an older woman who seems to be relatively socially isolated--outside of the women who live in her apartment building--she is particularly sensitive to being cut out of friendships.

On Ali's side of things, we see the many small ways in which not being a "real" German is constantly shoved in his face, both around town and at home. The local grocer deliberately "misunderstands" Ali's slightly-fractured-but-understandable German when he tries to order at the store. And at home, which should be a safe haven, he gets pressure from Emmi in what might seem like small ways. But even something as small as Emmi refusing to cook couscous feels like a rebuke, and you can understand why Ali feels stifled.

I liked that the film showed a range of responses to the couple. For example, Emmi's landlord at first takes Ali to be a subletter. When Emmi explains they are engaged, he is hardly fazed, and merely concludes that she knows what she's doing and it's none of his business. Later, when a neighbor tries to say cutting things about the couple, he smoothly shuts her down about it. Some other characters take the attitude of "Yeah, it's a bit weird, but so what?" On the other hand, no one really advocates for the couple or strongly takes their side. It feels like a very realistic depiction of bigotry--a few loudmouth creeps surrounded by a lot of "neutrals".

Both Ali and Emmi have a crisis of sorts in the final act of the film. I did feel as if Emmi's arc was a bit better realized. "Fear eats the soul" seems to best fit what she is going through--agonizing over how she is being treated and will continue to be treated. Ali's actions make sense, but we don't get the same depth of understanding about how he processes everything.

Really solid film with great performances and a message of tolerance/empathy that I appreciated.

Also: in the spirit of the game, please don't reveal who nominated stuff for me!!! My brain totally has rose-colored glasses about people I know/like more, and I want to judge films fairly and not throw something an extra half-point because it came from someone I'm more friendly with.

Takoma on the board and we knew it wouldn't take long.

When I first heard of that movie I thought it was a documentary about Muhammad Ali. I liked it a good amount but it was when I was first getting into foreign films. I think I'd like it more now.

ME TOO!!!!! I have literally thought this for YEARS and almost included that in my review. It wasn't until it was almost in the other HoF that I figured it out.

I myself was always wondering how the hell that was even possible.

Are you going to continue with the series?



Antoine and Collette(short)
Stolen Kisses
Bed and Board
Love on the Run

Port of Shadows (1938)

An early film noir...Port of Shadows is a mixed bag a three act story that lands the opening and closing but misses the middle. Port of Shadows is a story of men and women on the fringes of society. An AWOL soldier ends up in a dive bar where he hooks up with gangsters and a 17 year old who is being "taken care of" by her godfather.

The depressed guy smoking a cigarette cliche likely didn't start here but it's well used. We also have a dog that I suppose it supposed to be symbolic of our lead. The dog is well trained and poorly used which is my biggest knock of the film. Jean reluctantly taking in strays is a good idea for a film and story...but Port of Shadows just kinda glosses right over that to give us a third rate pulp gangster film.

Visually Carne demonstrates a deft ability to give us the audience a solid look at this world. Taking from German Expressionism Port of Shadows gives us the watcher a solid mood. We are also not stuck in single rooms as the film gives us the entire ghetto. That's a big plus in it's favor. I'm not sure where I'm going to rank this film when it's all said and done. The subject matter is strong but only implied you know 20-30 years later you would have gotten hit by a stronger film. I think in a lot of ways this is what the New Wave rebelled against.

Thank you for whomever nominated this one because it'll give me a lot to think about.

There's actually two other films on your list that I would've chosen for you, since I would have tried to snag Ali: Fear Eats the Soul for everyone who seemed disappointed in its disqualification in the 24th, then Shoplifters and Parasite for everyone else (who hasn't seen them yet).

I'm sure someone here has seen all three, but I didn't think that far ahead haha.

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I didn't realize that there was a series. I'll have to look into them. Thanks

I was hoping Parasite would've be chosen for me. It looks promising.

It was interesting to watch this so soon after watching Jean Cocteau’s Orphee – both different fantastical, stylised takes on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

This film has the rhythm and flavour of a musical, even though the characters don’t burst into song they do dance through the film – even the movements that aren’t part of the carnival feel like they are dancing. It isn’t just that it is set in a carnival, the carnival is also the way of telling the story.

The warmth and colour of the film were very noticeable – especially towards the end when the action shifts from the streets and homes and the carnival to almost a vision of hell where the death-figure chases Eurydice and then on to a hell of a different kind in the sterile hospital and the paper wasteland of the missing person department. The colour and tone of the film changes with these shifts in setting.

I thought this was very good and I don’t know why it isn’t more widely seen. It would definitely have been on my 1950s list had I seen it before that countdown. Thank you to whoever nominated this for me.

Just to be clear, we're not meant to reveal who nominated what yet, right?

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Some people do, some don't. I might this time, last time I didn't.

The 400 Blows made my 50's ballot, 5 people tried nominating Black Orpheus for Thursday, and I haven't seen Port of Shadows (it sounds good!).

There's no rule about it, but Takoma requested that nobody tell her what they picked for her until it's over.

This is a great idea. I really wish I'd seen this thread earlier.

Oh, I didn't know that she had requested that. I guess I didn't see that.

Just up above after her Ali write up.