Every year the Academy Awards pays tribute to foreign films. This year the recipient of the award was The Great Beauty (this has not yet been released on dvd). The library has a remarkable collection of foreign films, so pay tribute to them by checking them out from your local branch of the Burlington County Library System! What follows is a primer of some of the library's best foreign film offerings.
Note: To search for films of a particular country in the catalog, type 'dvd' into the search bar and click search. On the left-hand side of your screen there should be a 'Subject' heading; click 'Expand All' below it. When you find the country you want (ex. Foreign films -- Germany -- Audio-visual materials) click the hyperlink.
French
A touching tale of a loving couple whose unbreakable bonds of marriage are tested by life's greatest challenge.
A talk show host and his wife and son seem to be living an ideal life until clandestinely-filmed videotapes of their private lives start to show up on their front porch. As the tapes reveal more secrets, the resulting stress and fear leads to conflict, obsession, and deceit for the couple and brings back episodes from the husband's childhood when he wronged a young Algerian boy.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The French editor of Elle magazine, Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.
Malik el Djebena, who is condemned to six years in prison, cannot read or write, but soon figures out the politics of the prison. Though Malik is only 19-years-old, the leader of the Corsican gang who rules the prison corners him and gives him certain 'missions' to carry out. He quickly gains the confidence of the gang leader, as these assignments begin to toughen him up. But Malik soon develops some plans of his own.
German
Takes you into Hitler's bunker, in 1945, during the brutal and harrowing last days of the Third Reich. Seen through the eyes of Hitler's infamous secretary Traudl Junge, optimism crumbles into grim realization and terror as it becomes clear that Germany's defeat is inevitable. As the Russian army circles the city, the dimly lit halls of the underground refuge become an execution chamber for the Fuhrer and his closest advisors.
Alex's proud, socialist mother falls into a coma for eight months. When she wakes, her heart is weak, so Alex has to keep the secret that the Berlin Wall has fallen and capitalism has triumphed. What begins as a little white lie turns into a major scam.
The Lives of Others (Leben Der Anderen)
Set in East Berlin in 1984, a secret service agent assigned to monitor a playwright and his girlfriend begins to question his assignment and his loyalty to the government.
A thrilling post-MTV, roller-coaster ride about two star-crossed lovers who have only minutes to change the course of their lives. Time is running out: Lola has just received a frantic call from her boyfriend Manni, who's accidentally lost a small fortune he was to deliver to his mobster boss. If they cannot find a way to replace the money within twenty minutes, Manni will surely suffer severe consequences.
More Films...
The Band's Visit (Bikur ha-Tizmoret)
The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel from Egypt for a cultural event. Once there, they find the expected delegation is not there to meet them. Arrangements to get to their destination of Petah Tiqva have not been taken care of either. They find their own ride and arrive instead at the remote town of Beit Hatikva. Stuck there until the next morning's bus, the band, lead by the repressed Tawfiq Zacharaya, gets help from the worldly lunch owner, Dina, who offers to put them up for the night. As the band settles in the best it can, each of the members attempts to get along with the natives in their own way. What follows is a special night of quiet happenings and confessions as the band makes its own impact on the town and the town on them.
Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan
Delves into the dramatic and harrowing early years of the ruler who was born as Temudgin in 1162. Follows Temudgin from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny. Shows the future conqueror and reveals him not as the evil brute, but as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader.
A mother desperately tries to overturn her son's murder conviction, find the killer who set him up, and have him released from prison. Includes featurette and deleted scenes.
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Driven by a deep sense of duty and a love for his country, Damien abandons his burgeoning career as a doctor and joins his brother Teddy in a dangerous and violent fight for freedom. As the Irish freedom fighters' bold tactics bring the British to a breaking point, both sides finally agree to a treaty to end the bloodshed. But, despite the apparent victory, civil war erupts and families who fought side by side, find themselves pitted against one another, putting their loyalties to the ultimate test.
