1980s Best Foreign Language Film: Personal Rankings
Monday, November 11, 2024 at 11:00AM 
While we’ve got the 1980s fever on this site with Nathaniel listing some of his favorite films and Cláudio sharing his personal Best Actress ballots from the decade, I will chime in with perhaps the category that is one of the closest to me: Best Foreign Language Film (now named International Feature Film). That’s why in 2020, I started my podcast called The One-Inch Barrier where I - together with guests - discussed this category per year...
The 1980s was a curious decade for this category, with many of the nominees not having the cultural imprint in today’s cinematic landscape save for a few bonafide classics. In this article, I will share my personal ranking of the nominees of this decade per year together with shout-outs to some submissions that the Academy didn’t nominate. You can click on the titles per year for the corresponding podcast episodes in which I discussed the specific years. Feel free to share your own picks or remind me of other submissions that I should catch up with.
1980 (53rd Academy Awards)
1. France - The Last Metro
2. Hungary - Confidence
3. Spain - The Nest
4. Japan - Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior)
5. USSR - Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears [OSCAR WINNER]
Further Research: Canada - Good Riddance / Italy - A Leap in the Dark / Netherlands - In for Treatment
1981 (54th Academy Awards) - with Chris James
1. Switzerland - The Boat is Full
2. Poland - Man of Iron
3. Japan - Muddy River
4. Hungary - Mephisto [OSCAR WINNER]
5. Italy - Three Brothers
Personal Alternates: France - Diva / Brazil - Pixote (disqualified)
Further Research: West Germany - Lili Marleen / Taiwan - If I Were for Real
1982 (55th Academy Awards)
1. France - Coup de Torchon (“Clean Slate”)
2. Sweden - The Flight of the Eagle
3. Spain - Volver a Empezar (“To Begin Again”) [OSCAR WINNER]
4. Nicaragua - Alsino and the Condor
5. USSR - Private Life
Further Research: Switzerland - Yol / West Germany - Fitzcarraldo / Hungary - Time Stands Still
1983 (56th Academy Awards) - with Cláudio Alves
1. Hungary - Job’s Revolt
2. Sweden - Fanny & Alexander [OSCAR WINNER]
3. Spain - Carmen
4. Algeria - Le Bal
5. France - Entre Nous
Further Research: West Germany - A Woman in Flames / Japan - Antarctica / Taiwan - Growing Up
1984 (57th Academy Awards)
1. USSR - Wartime Romance
2. Switzerland - Dangerous Moves [OSCAR WINNER]
3. Argentina - Camila
4. Israel - Beyond the Walls
5. Spain - Double Feature
Personal Alternate: Philippines - Of the Flesh
Further Research: Thailand - Nam Pu / Hong Kong - Homecoming / Venezuela - The House of Water
1985 (58th Academy Awards)
1. Argentina - The Official Story [OSCAR WINNER]
2. Yugoslavia - When Father Was Away on Business
3. France - Three Men and a Cradle
4. West Germany - Angry Harvest
5. Hungary - Colonel Redl
Personal Alternates: USSR - Come and See / Philippines - This is My Country
Further Research: Taiwan - Kuei-Mei, a Woman / Peru - The City and the Dogs
1986 (59th Academy Awards)
1. Czechoslovakia - My Sweet Little Village
2. France - Betty Blue
3. Canada - The Decline of the American Empire
4. Netherlands - The Assault [OSCAR WINNER]
5. Austria - 38
Further Research: Sweden - The Sacrifice / Mexico - The Realm of Fortune / Puerto Rico - La Gran Fiesta
1987 (60th Academy Awards)
1. France - Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children)
2. Norway - Pathfinder
3. Denmark - Babette’s Feast [OSCAR WINNER]
4. Spain - Course Completed
5. Italy - The Family
Personal Alternate: West Germany - Wings of Desire
Further Research: Japan - Zegen / Cuba - A Successful Man / Hungary - Diary for My Lovers
1988 (61st Academy Awards)
1. Spain - Women on the Verge of the Nervous Breakdown
2. India - Salaam Bombay!
3. Denmark - Pelle the Conqueror [OSCAR WINNER]
4. Belgium - The Music Teacher
5. Hungary - Hanussen
Personal Alternate: Netherlands - The Vanishing (disqualified)
Further Research: China - Red Sorghum / Peru - The Mouth of the Wolf / USSR - Commissar
1989 (62nd Academy Awards) - with Nathaniel Rogers
1. Canada - Jesus of Montreal
2. Italy - Cinema Paradiso [OSCAR WINNER]
3. Denmark - Waltzing Regitze
4. France - Camille Claudel
5. Puerto Rico - What Happened to Santiago
Personal Alternates: Burkina Faso - Yaaba / Austria - The Seventh Continent
Further Research: Taiwan - A City of Sadness / Greece - Landscape in the Mist
What are your favorite Foreign Language Film nominees and winners from the 1980s? Which submissions do you wish got nominated?
Reader Comments (11)
Kagemusha is by far best than all winners (I've seen them all), but what's intriguing is that three films nominated for best direction were not nominated as foreign film, Das Boot, Ran and My Life as a Dog.
The directors branch can be quite petty and I love it!
I consider Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander the finest film ever made. The rich storytelling and exquisite imagery make for a spellbinding experience and each rewatch has ample nuance to enhance the viewing.
My own choices (I've seen at least 4 each year)
1980: Kagemusha
1981: The Boat Is Full
1982: Flight of the Eagle
1983: Carmen
1984: Camila
1985: When Father Was Away on Business
1986: My Sweet Little Village
1987: Babette's Feast
1988: Pelle the Conqueror
1989: Cinema Paradiso
1980
1.Kagemusha (The ebst year for the category in the decade)
2.Moscow does not believe in tears
3.El nido
4.The last metro
5.Confidence
1981
1.Man of iron
2.Mephisto
3.The boat is full
4.Muddy river
5.Three brothers
1982
1.Coup de torchon (the only worthy nominee)
2.Volver a empezar
3.The flight of the eagle
4.Private life
5.Alsino y el cóndor
1983
1.Fanny and Alexander
2.Le bal
3.Carmen
4.Job's revolt
5.Entre nous
1984 (the worst year for the category in the decade)
1.Wartime romance
2.Dangerous moves
3.Double feature
4.Camila
5.Beyond walls
1985
1.When father was away on business
2.La historia oficial
3.Angry harvest
4.Colonel Redl
5.Three men and a cradle
1986
1.Betty Blue
2.The decline of the American empire
3.The assault
4.My sweet little village
5.38
1987
1.Au revoir, les enfants
2.Babette's feast
3.The family
4.Pathfinder
5.Asignatura aprobada
1988
1.Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios
2.Salaam Bombay!
3.Pelle the conqueror
4.Hanussen
5.The music teacher
1989
1.Cinema Paradiso
2.Jesus of Montreal
3.Camille Claudel
4.Waltzing Regitze
5.Lo que le paso a Santiago
@ Amy and Carlos: Love your picks! I'll always appreciate people who are give this category the time and dedication it deserves (even if not all lineups are great).
Wait! I haven't seen any of the 1981 nominees. Is that even possible? Who am I?
Does Further Research mean those are submissions that you have yet to see but appear promising based on the summary? Because I'm working on trying to watch all the Taiwan submissions and can confirm that all of the Taiwan films you listed as "Further Research" are great if you haven't seen them. I would also give a shout-out to 1984's Old Mao's Second Spring. It doesn't seem to be as well remembered among the New Taiwan cinema entries but is bolstered by a strong story (about a widowed veteran purchasing a bride and having doubts about her fidelity especially after watching a friend struggle with reeling his own rebellious bride) as well as terrific performances by Sun Yueh and Zhang Chuen-Fang, the latter of whom was so memorable as the losing-suffering mother in Growing Up the year before.
@ ajnrules:
Hi! You are absolutely right, "further research" just means I am yet to watch those films, but am very interested. My dream (or folly) is to be able to watch as many submissions from any given year and then come up with my personal ballot from the pool of films I've watched. Then I do preliminary research before I track them down.
I am looking forward to seeing the Taiwanese submissions! I'll take your word, esp on Old Mao's Second Spring. I find a lot of the Taiwanese submissions to be very interesting. This also goes to their picks from the 1990s like Flowers of Shanghai and Super Citizen Ko.
1980-The Last Metro
1981-Possession
1982-Fitzcarraldo
1983-L'Argent
1984-Boy Meets Girl
1985-Shoah
1986-The Sacrifice
1987-Wings of Desire
1988-My Neighbor Totoro/Grave of the Fireflies (tie)
1989-The Dekalog
this has reminded me on how many of these I still need to see. I didn't start seeing international cinema regularly until the late 80s so I missed most of this decade of international cinema. That said I was OBSESSED with DIVA (1981) when I discovered at my local video store so I'm glad you list it as an alternate. so many great movies over the decades have been past over. It's still such a blight on the category that instant classics like RUN LOLA RUN (98), IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (00) and 4 MONTHS 3 WEEKS AND THREE DAYS (07) weren't nominated despite all the hoopla for them.
my own choices of best from the submission lists from the late 80s (though I should not really choose since there are *so many submissions* i haven't seen from each year)
1986: FAV SUBMISSION: Betty Blue (nominee) /
FAV NOT SUBMITTED: Jean De Florette/Manon of the Spring (France)
1987: FAV SUBMISSION: Wings of Desire (NOT nominated) /
FAV NOT SUBMITTED: Law of Desire (spain)
1988: FAV SUBMISSION: Women on the Verge... (nominee) /
FAV NOT SUBMITTED: Grave of the Fireflies (Japan)
1989: FAV SUBMISSION: Jesus of Montreal (nominee) /
FAV NOT SUBMITTED: ???
"Parasite" was the first ever foreign language film to win "Best Picture" but if I had my way the following films would have been nominated (and maybe won) Best Picture;-
The Official Story. This should have received many more nominations than it did. Especially Best Picture, Director and Actress for Norma Aleandro.
Woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. One of Almodovar's best. Absolutely hilarious with winning performances all round.
Cinema Paradiso - yes it is a bit mushy but it is just magical - and the music score is sublime.
And I have to admit "Betty Blue" (the uncensored version) was a doozy.