Ranking the International Feature Film Winners
Sunday, June 5, 2022 at 10:27AM
From De Sica to Hamaguchi, the past two years of hosting the podcast The One-Inch Barrier has allowed me to watch all that films that were selected by the Academy for its International Feature Film category - 74 winners and 337 nominees (all but one title). While this category has had its issues over the years, it has also put an international spotlight on non-English language cinema on Hollywood’s biggest night. While the category has always been far from a perfect encapsulation of world cinema, it's a great jumping off point as noted in the series finale. (Cláudio Alves did a beautiful summary of our discussion - video included!).
Here is my personal not-that-definitive ranking of the winners of the category. Things are very fluid especially in the midsection...
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?
The nadirs of this category. It's not that these films have zero redeeming values but what was the necessity to recognize them as anywhere near the ‘best of year’. Also, their respective years had much stronger nominees as competition.
74. Madame Rosa (1977, France) - Dir. Moshé Mizrahi
73. Mediterraneo (1991, Italy) - Dir. Gabriele Salvatores
72. Sundays and Cybèle (1962, France) - Dir. Serge Bourguignon
UGH, WHATEVER.
These films are not at all representative of the excellence in their respective nominated lineups.
71. Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978, France) - Dir. Bertrand Blier
70. Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980, Soviet Union) - Dir. Vladimir Menshov
69. Monsieur Vincent (1948, France) - Dir. Maurice Cloche
68. The Assault (1986, Netherlands) - Dir. Fons Rademakers
67. Character (1997, Netherlands) - Dir. Mike van Diem
66. A Man and a Woman (1966, France) - Dir. Claude Lelouch
65. The Barbarian Invasions (2003, Canada) - Dir. Denys Arcand
64. In a Better World (2010, Denmark) - Dir. Susanne Bier
NOT MY PICKS BUT... SURE.
These winners possess enough elements that make an argument for their wins that I wish I could love them more. Let's call this the ‘agree to disagree’ section.
63. No Man's Land (2001, Bosnia & Herzegovina) - Dir. Danis Tanović
62. Burnt by the Sun (1994, Russia) - Dir. Nikita Mikhalkov
61. The Counterfeiters (2007, Austria) - Dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky
60. Samurai, the Legend of Musashi (1955, Japan) - Dir. Hiroshi Inagaki
59. Volver a Empezar (1982, Spain) - Dir. José Luis Garci
58. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (1964, Italy) - Dir. Vittorio De Sica
57. Dangerous Moves (1984, Switzerland) - Dir. Richard Dembo
56. The Great Beauty (2013, Italy) - Dir. Paolo Sorrentino
55. Belle Époque (1993, Spain) - Dir. Fernando Trueba
MIDDLE OF THE PACK
Titles that I respect more than I love. No issues with the wins -- it's easy to understand why others love them more and in some cases I think I should give them another shot.
54. Tsotsi (2005, South Africa) - Dir. Gavin Hood
53. Pelle the Conqueror (1988, Denmark) - Dir. Bille August
52. Shoeshine (1947, Italy) - Dir. Vittorio De Sica
51. The Walls of Malapaga (1950, France/Italy) - Dir. René Clément
50. Mephisto (1981, Hungary) - Dir. István Szabó
49. The Tin Drum (1979, West Germany) - Dir. Volker Schlöndorff
48. Gate of Hell (1954, Japan) - Dir. Teinosuke Kinugasa
47. The Virgin Spring (1960, Sweden) - Dir. Ingmar Bergman
46. La Strada (1956, Italy) - Dir. Federico Fellini
45. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, France) - Dir. Luis Buñuel
44. 8½ (1963, Italy) - Dir. Federico Fellini
43. Indochine (1992, France) - Dir. Régis Wargnier
SOLID CHOICES
Potent and empathetic storytelling.
42. Nowhere in Africa (2002, Germany) - Dir. Caroline Link
41. Journey of Hope (1990, Switzerland) - Dir. Xavier Koller
40. The Sea Inside (2004, Spain) - Dir. Alejandro Amenábar
39. Kolya (1996, Czech Republic) - Dir. Jan Svěrák
38. Another Round (2020, Denmark) - Dir. Thomas Vinterberg
37. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1971, Italy) - Dir. Vittorio De Sica
36. The Lives of Others (2006, Germany) - Dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
35. Ida (2014, Poland) - Dir. Paweł Pawlikowski
34. Through a Glass Darkly (1961, Sweden) - Dir. Ingmar Bergman
33. Amarcord (1974, Italy) - Dir. Federico Fellini
32. Black Orpheus (1959, France) - Dir. Marcel Camus
31. My Uncle (1958, France) - Dir. Jacques Tati
30. Dersu Uzala (1975, Soviet Union) - Dir. Akira Kurosawa
29. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009, Argentina) - Dir. Juan José Campanella
LOVE AND/OR RESPECT
This is a formidable set of winners that I am glad the Academy recognized even if most of them weren't my personal picks from their respective years.
28. Babette's Feast (1987, Denmark) - Dir. Gabriel Axel
27. The Salesman (2016, Iran) - Dir. Asghar Farhadi
26. Fanny and Alexander (1983, Sweden) - Dir. Ingmar Bergman
25. Forbidden Games (1952, France) - Dir. René Clément
24. War and Peace (1968, Soviet Union) - Dir. Sergei Bondarchuk
23. Black and White in Color (1976, Ivory Coast) - Dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud
22. Drive My Car (2021, Japan) - Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
21. Cinema Paradiso (1989, Italy) - Dir. Giuseppe Tornatore
20. Departures (2008, Japan) - Dir. Yōjirō Takita
FANTASTIC CHOICES
Some of the best work this category has seen.
19. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970, Italy) - Dir. Elio Petri
18. The Official Story (1985, Argentina) - Dir. Luis Puenzo
17. A Fantastic Woman (2017, Chile) - Dir. Sebastián Lelio
16. Nights of Cabiria (1957, Italy) - Dir. Vittorio De Sica
15. Closely Watched Trains (1967, Czechoslovakia) - Dir. Jiří Menzel
14. The Shop on Main Street (1965, Czechoslovakia) - Dirs. Ján Kadár & Elmar Klos
BARELY MISSED THE TOP TEN
Ask me on another day and they might have made it.
13. All About My Mother (1999, Spain) - Dir. Pedro Almodóvar
12. Antonia's Line (1995, Netherlands) - Dir. Marleen Gorris
11. Day for Night (1973, France) - Dir. François Truffaut
THE TOP TEN
These films alone give this category the justification of its existence. Again it's a personal ranking and these films have definitely stayed with me long after watching them.
10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan) - Dir. Ang Lee
This sweeping romantic epic set during the 19th century China wastes no time in pulling you into its milieu. While its action sequences are breathtaking, its emotional sensitivity fuels the film with a finely textured undercurrent. Features career-best work from its cast.
9. Life is Beautiful (1998, Italy) - Dir. Roberto Benigni
This Holocaust comedy-drama realizes its power through humor amidst turmoil in depicting the tenacity of a father's love. On a personal note, I will never forget the emotional wallop of the last thirty minutes when I saw this film roughly three years after my father's passing.
8. Amour (2012, Austria) - Dir. Michael Haneke
A film that continues to grow on repeated viewings, this piercing drama is about an aging couple faced with impending mortality. Haunting stillness looms throughout the film, with miniscule actions showing the painstaking process of marriage. Emotionally draining but rewarding.
7. Roma (2018, México) - Dir. Alfonso Cuarón
This Netflix drama brings us back to 1970s Mexico City through the eyes of Cleo, its observant central character. Through its distinctive vision, the minutiae of daily life builds into an affecting crescendo. Stunning cinematography capture the nuanced beauty of the performances.
6. Son of Saul (2015, Hungary) - Dir. László Nemes
Harrowing right from the beginning, this claustrophobic drama holds us and never lets go throughout its runtime. Géza Röhrig paints his face with crushing defeat. Through limited visual perspective and ominous soundscape, the horrors of war become more tangible and shattering.
5. Z (1969, Algeria) - Dir. Costa-Gavras
This political thriller does not pull any punches in taunting us to challenge political authority with its story. Filled with rage but executed with clarity, this is a true-blooded subversive spitfire that uses the cinematic language to incite radical change beyond the film.
4. Bicycle Thieves (1949, Italy) - Dir. Vittorio De Sica
De Sica brings us to the war-torn streets of Rome to tell a powerful story of survival: that of parenthood during trying times. In its refusal to sensationalize its drama, the film fleshes out its characters with honesty and its empathy to them feels genuine. Deeply affecting.
3. A Separation (2011, Iran) - Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Unfolding with clockwork precision, this complex tale of morality sees its multifaceted characters clash with a series of unfortunate events. The progression of the narrative is a masterclass in incisive storytelling. Meanwhile, its story is brought to life with powerful acting.
2. Rashomon (1951, Japan) - Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Four conflicting accounts of the same incident become the core of this film. Its narrative fragmentation brings forth an energized form of storytelling that continues to thrill. The film dares to ask questions about the truth and the very human nature that complicates it.
1. Parasite (2019, South Korea) - Dir. Bong Joon-ho
An engrossing take on class conflict told with palpable vigor, this genre-bending film brings its central story to life with searing vitality. Its humor cuts deep while its violence is a startling reminder of society's mercilessness. As universal and timeless as cinema could get.
What are your favorite winners of International Feature Film?
Reader Comments (26)
Well, to each his own, but I just can't with 8 1/2 not belonging to the top 3. It's one of the ultimate artistic experiences Cinema gave us in its 120 years of existence.
A few of my favorites are in your “middle of the pack” section, but I guess that’s just how it goes when there are so many choices. I would bet that looking at other people’s favorite International Film winners would yield even more varying picks than doing the same for the Best Picture winners, which I personally think is a good thing. Conversations like this are more interesting when there’s not such a solid consensus about what belongs near the top.
I’ll just add that because the theatrical cut of Fanny and Alexander is the version that won the Oscar, my ranking of it wouldn’t be too far off from where you placed it (maybe still a few spots higher), but if I were considering the full television version it would easily be in my top 10 and maybe even the top 5.
My top 10:
1.8 1/2 (a perfect movie for cinema lovers)
2.Rashomon
3.The discreet charm of the bourgeoise
4.All about my mother
5.La strada
6.Day for night
7.Z
8.Parasite
9.Fanny and Alexander
10.My uncle
Amour is my 13, Crouching tiger.. is my 15 and A separation is my 20
I really don't get your love for Life is beaitiful or Antonia.
The 5 worst winners in my opinion:
1.Mediterraneo
2.Dangerous moves
3.Nowhere in Africa
4.The counterfeiters
5.Departures
We have next to nothing in common, I'm afraid. I've seen all of them except Volver a Empazar, about which I've never heard anything good, anyway.
My Top 20:
1. Nights of Cabiria
2. A Separation
3. Rashomon
4. 8 1/2
5. Bicycle Thieves
6. The Virgin Spring
7. La Strada
8. Pelle the Conqueror
9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
10. Amour
11. Monsieur Vincent
12. Closely Watched Trains
13. The Salesman
14. Shoeshine
15. Gate of Hell
16. Parasite
17. The Lives of Others
18. Samurai - The Legend of Musashi
19. Tsotsi
20. Forbidden Games
Life Is Beautiful is easily in last place, one of the most offensive films ever made anywhere.
agree this is a fun topic with a ton of variety in people's favourites my top ten (though i have some left to see and others i saw too young and barely remember) are:
(order is only spontaneous today only and not to be taken too seriously)
1 A Separation
2 Parasite
3 Shop on Main Street
4 Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
5 All About My Mother
6 Discreet Charm of the Bourgeousie
7 Nights of Cabiria
8 Amour
9 Bicycle Thieves
10 Forbidden Games
And for fun. . .
THAT LOST?
Ten Oscar nominees for International Film
Au Revior Les Enfants
The Battle of Algiers
Flee
Pain and Glory
Pan’s Labyrinth
Raise the Red Lantern
Seven Beauties
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Woman in the Dunes
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Thanks for the walk down memory lane! I’ve seen 30-something of these winners (including all but one of the post 1995 “modern era”).
I find it hard to believe I would place anything else but “A Separation” in first place, but I heartily approve of your Top Three. And thank you for ranking one of my personal favorites (“Departures” so high! I’ve never understand why some people mysteriously don’t like it). I haven’t seen some of these films in decades but I believe my Top Ten would be:
1. A Separation
2. Rashomon
3. The Shop on Main Street
4. Parasite
5. Departures
6. The Secret in Their Eyes
7. Life is Beautiful
8. Barbarian Invasions
9. All About My Mother
10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
My least favorite was the terribly overrated “Drive My Car”.
But your list has inspired me to seek out some of the older films I’ve never seen…
Dzong2
You know how I feel about some of these choices, especially THAT FILM so high. Still, this was a great read and a nice reminder of this category's history.
Anyway, I have seen 57 winners, so far, and my current top ten are:
10) INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION, Italy
09) DRIVE MY CAR, Japan
08) CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, Taiwan
07) A SEPARATION, Iran
06) NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, Italy
05) ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, Spain
04) PARASITE, South Korea
03) RASHOMON, Japan
02) 8 1/2, Italy
01) FANNY AND ALEXANDER, Sweden
Boy, this list has strong recency bias.
Departures higher than 8 1/2 and Fanny and Alexander and La Strada... Life is Beautiful in the top ten...
Wow, some choices.
I'm behind in this category- I've only seen 15 of the winners!
1- Drive my Car
2- Cinema Paradiso
3- All About my Mother
4- Black Orpheus
5- Parasite
6- Fanny and Alexander
7- Rashomon
8- Life is Beautiful
9- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
10- Bicycle Thieves
11- Roma
12- La Strada
13- 8 1/2
14- Day for Night
15- Garden of Finzi-Continis
I do have about 10 of these on my DVR currently, so I will be expanding my list soon.
Everyone is entitled to their personal opinion. But I could never go on a long road trip with anyone who had LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL in their top twenty but nothing by Fellini or Bergman. Just sayin'. ;)
While Life is Beautiful is a fantastic, truly deserving masterpiece, I just can't stand that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" a.k.a. "Taoism for dummies" is so well regarded (specially since Zhang Yimou's "Hero" sweeps the floor with it, and came out only one year later)... and the fact that CTHD is over such films like "Day for Night", "The Assault" (a film that sent me chills), "8 1/2" or even "Belle Epoque" (actually underrated, even if my pick for 1993 would have been "The Wedding Banquet" with "Three Colors: Blue" as runner up), is mindblowing to me.
I haven't thought much about this topic, but it's an entertaining one. At least for today for a Top 10 I think I'd go:
Z
The Lives of Others
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
8 1/2
Parasite
A Separation
Another Round
The Great Beauty
No Man's Land
It's interesting to see so much disagreement about some titles in this thread. People's #1 "That lost?!?" might be worth discussing, or "The much-praised title that I just don't connect with is ____".
@NATHANIEL R: Glad to see The Shop on Main Street and Nights of Cabiria in your top ten. :)
@Anthony Tranchina: Love to see some Departures love. There's some great stuff waiting for you with these films.
@Cláudio Alves: Your top ten is very you, but seeing Investigation make it actually surprises me. Interesting.
@TomG: Will be interesting to see your revised list when you finally get to watch more films.
@Finbar McBride: Interesting question. Here's mine for now:
The Battle of Algiers
Caravan
Hero
The Missing Picture
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Raise the Red Lantern
Seven Beauties
Waltz with Bashir
Woman in the Dunes
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
@Edwin: Thank you for saying that. Why should I be beholden to the certain titles just because those titles have been canonized? This is subjective, let people do their stuff.
@ScottC: Right? Interesting to see commenters get riled up when I don't include certain titles in the top 10 (8 1/2, mostly). If they really love those films, why would they even need my opinion on them?
@cal roth: I'm not questioning 8 1/2's importance in cinema. This ranking is based on personal preference. Just like you said, "to each his own".
@Carlos Fernández: It's all right if you don't get my love for those films. It's the beauty of filmgoing; there's no one response to a film. Filmgoing is a personal experience.
@Amy Camus: Great to hear that we have "next to nothing in common"! Monotony in film discourse is boring and unhealthy.
@Jésus Alonso: Heyyy, interesting to read your take on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
@John From: I do think the 2010s gave the strongest set of winners. Can't do anything if my ranking doesn't satisfy you.
@Dan H: Don't worry. I have no plans to go on a long road trip with you either. Just sayin'. ;)
I have to side with Juan Carlos on 8 1/2... I do think it's a very strong film but i don't "love" it the way I love some of Fellini's others (La Dolce Vita and Nights of Cabiria being my favourites by him) so i wouldn't rank it highly in this list. Oddly i think of it the same way I think of Rashomon... Both are clearly hugely influential but in some ways I prefer what they inspired more than the origin story if you will.
Best of the rest - 20 favorite losers:
1958 - Big Deal on Madonna Street
1964 - Woman in the Dunes
1966 - Battle of Algiers
1971 - The Emigrants
1972 - The New Land
1976 - Seven Beauties
1980 - Kagemusha
1982 - Flight of the Eagle
1985 - When Father Was Away on Business
1991 - Raise the Red Lantern
1998 - Central Station
2001 - Amelie
2009 - A Prophet
2012 - War Witch
2013 - Omar
2013 - The Missing Picture
2014 - Leviathan
2017 - Loveless
2018 - Shoplifters
2019 - Corpus Christi
@NATHANIEL R: Thank you. To not "love" a film does not minimize or ignore its larger influence in the history of cinema. That can be assessed objectively. Loving a film or not is subjective.
@Amy Camus: Wonderful picks! I don't love all of them, but all noteworthy.
Oh, I like that idea of sharing favorite losers. Some of my most beloved nominees that didn't win include:
THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964)
WOMAN IN THE DUNES (1964)
THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1966)
THE EMIGRANTS (1971)
SEVEN BEAUTIES (1975)
AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS (1987)
RAISE THE RED LANTERN (1991)
FAREWELL, MY CONCUBINE (1993)
TONI ERDMANN (2016)
QUO VADIS, AIDA? (2020)
@Cláudio Alves: 1964 did give us two killer nominees (both, I prefer over the eventual winner). Even the other nominee, Sweden's RAVEN'S END, is a masterfully quiet piece.
I’ve never agreed with most of the winners so there are a lot of great “losers”:
1. Caravan
2. The Insult
3. Central Station
4. Hero (agree…it’s much better than Crouching Tiger)
5. Wild Tales
6. Quo Vadis, Aida?
7. Timbuktu
8. Pan’s Labyrinth
9. Incendies
10. The Hunt
@Anthony Tranchina: Hooray for anoother Caravan! I hope more people get the chance to see it and hopefully, love it the same way that we do. :)
Oooh fav losers. I wanna play too.
1. UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
2. RAISE THE RED LANTERN
3. WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
4. CENTRAL STATION
5. SEVEN BEAUTIES
6. THE CLASS
7. SALAAM BOMBAY!
8. JU DOU
9. FIREMAN'S BALL
10. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT
@ Juan Carlos Ojano- It's funny to me that my favorite foreign films were either not winners, not nominated, or not even submitted for Oscars.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Throne of Blood
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Parallel Mothers
Wild Strawberries
Winter Light
Silent Waters
Orpheus
Salaam Bombay
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Hero
@NATHANIEL R: If I remember correctly, THE CLASS was included in your Film Bitch Awards way back in '08! Right? Haha and I love your THE FIREMEN'S BALL mention. It's my clear runner-up to WAR AND PEACE in '68.
@TomG: I agree, a lot of the best films ever are not even nominated or submitted at the Oscars! I've discussed it in my podcast multiple times; this Oscar category is best used as a jumping off point rather than a limiting instrument in exploring world cinema in all its glorious vastness.