It's pretty much assumed that the primary focus of this site is on classic Hollywood films. That tends to be my own personal bias, as well. However, it would be unfair to ignore all the great classic films made in countries where English is not the official language, as well as the actors, actresses, and directors associated with those films. This site already has quite a few links to Web sites dealing with those films and people, but they're scattered through several different categories. So as of now, we have a category in the Net Links Library, called Foreign-Language Films.

I don't particularly care for the term "foreign." It denotes "stranger" and "other." But I guess if it's good enough for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Oscars ("Foreign Language Film"), we're stuck with it until something better comes along.

Just for the sake of clarity, this category does not include British or Canadian films and people, even though Brits and Canadians are definitely not citizens of the United States (Canadians ARE North Americans, of course). It's strictly for films made in a language other than English, for actors and actresses born outside the U.S. and for whom English is a second language, if they speak it at all, and for directors whose films were made primarily in languages other than English. (Foreign-born directors who worked primarily in early Hollywood, like Lubitsch and Lewton, are not included.) We're talking films that require either dubbing (yuck) or subtitles.

There was a discussion thread on the Classic Movies Forum, asking people to list their favorite foreign films. Here some of the top choices, plus other key films by the top foreign directors, with links to the Internet Movie Database. They should all be on your viewing list, and of course this is merely a sampler. There are hundreds of wonderful films in this category, and if I've left out your favorite, you have my apologies!

• Amarcord (1974) - Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film about life in the 30s in Italy is his most popular films. There are many others, including La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8 1/2 (1963).
  Buy Amarcord Posters
  
  
• The Battleship Potemkin (1925) - Sergei Eisenstein's masterpiece of the Russian revolution. Other classic Eisenstein films include Ivan the Terrible (1945) and Alexander Nevsky (1938).
  Buy The Battleship Potemkin Posters
  
  
• The Bicycle Thief (1948) - The masterpiece of Italian Neo-Realism by Vittorio de Sica, who also directed Two Women (1961), with one of Sophia Loren's greatest performances.
  Buy The Bicycle Thief Posters
  
  
• Breathless (1959) - French New Wave classic by Jean-Luc Godard, who also directed It's My Life (1962) and Masculine-Feminine (1966).
  Buy Breathless Posters
  
  
• Cinema Paradiso - Though made in 1988, which is a little too recent to be considered a "classic" based on our working definition (20 years old or more), this is such a wonderful film by Giuseppe Tornatore that I'm breaking the rule and including it.
  Buy Cinema Paradiso Posters
  
  
• Diabolique (1954) - A French suspense film by Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Simone Signoret.
  Buy Diabolique Posters
  
  
• Diva (1981) - Italian suspense film involving a mixup between a blackmail tape and an illegal opera recording.
  Buy Diva Posters
  
  
• Fanny And Alexander (1982) - Ingmar Bergman's semi-autobiographical masterpiece, and probably the most palatable to American tastes. Other great Bergman films, which can be an acquired taste, include Cries and Whispers (1972), The Silence (1963), and Persona (1966).
  Buy Fanny And Alexander Posters
  
  
• Godzilla (1954) - Not the pinnacle of Japanese filmmaking, but entertaining, nevertheless! The first of many.
  Buy Godzilla Posters
  
  
• The Golden Age (1930) - Spanish director Luis Bunuel's controversial (at the time) masterpiece of surrealism was co-written by Salvador Dali. Other great Bunuel films include Viridiana (1961), An Andalusian Dog (1929), Exterminating Angel (1962), and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972).
  
  
• Le Grand Chemin (1987) - Though more recent than I usually like to include here, this is a charming movie that's well worth seeing.
  
  
• The Grand Illusion (1937) - A WW I film by Frenchman Jean Renoir, whose other works include A Day in the Country (1936) and The Rules of the Game (1939).
  
  
• The King of Hearts (1966) - A wonderful film, in a combination of English, German, and French, by Phillippe De Broca.
  
  
• L'Aventura (1960) - The first segment of Michelango Antonioni's trilogy examining spiritual and moral decay. The other two films in the trilogy are The Night (1960) and The Eclipse (1962).
  
  
• The Leopard (1963) - Italian director Luchino Visconti's spectacular film set in 1860 stars Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale. Other great Visconti films include Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and Boccaccio '70 (1962).
  
  
• A Man And A Woman (1966) - This romantic Claude Lelouche film was a cult hit in the 60s.
  Buy A Man and a Woman Posters
  
  
• Seven Samurai (1954) - Great Akira Kurosawa film remade in the U.S. as The Magnificent Seven. Included among the many excellent Kurosawa films are Ikiru (1952), Yojinbo (1961), and Kagemusha (1980).
  Buy Seven Samurai Posters
  
  
• The Wild Child (1969) - Francois Truffaut's filmed version of the true story of a child who grew up without human contact. Other great Truffaut classics include The 400 Blows (1959), Shoot the Piano Player (1960), Jules and Jim (1961), and Day For Night (1973).
  
  
• Z (1969) and State of Seige (1973) - Powerful political films by Costa-Gavras.

Now on to the Web sites. There are four categories here: Directors, Actors & Actresses, Individual Films, and General Sites. Some of these sites are not available in an English version; if so, that will be noted. Please keep in mind that I can only list sites that I'm aware of, so if I've left out any that you know of, please don't hesitate to send me an email and I'll correct the error.

Directors

Akira Kurosawa Database
The English version of the site dedicated to the Japanese film director has a filmography, biography, and links list, plus a wonderful collection of Japanese posters and stills.

The Epic Images of Kurosawa
Stu Kobak of Films on Disc examines four great epic films from the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.

Actors & Actresses

Women of Italian Films
A tribute to Italian silent film actresses, a new section of David Pearson's excellent Silent Ladies site, with extensive contributions from Marco Gaetani, of Tuscany, Italy.

Marcello Mastroianni
A tribute to the great Italian actor, in three languages, including English, after a fashion!

The Max Von Sydow Homepage
Jens Wall's simple site contains news, a brief bio, and links to Von Sydow information. Not updated recently.

Individual Films

Barry's Temple of Godzilla
Get stomped at Barry's Temple of Godzilla, and find out all about the latest Godzilla movie, plus a lot more.

General Sites

60 Years of German Classic Cinema
An extensive list of films for rent, part of the German Language Video Center, an American-based source for German language videos.

Truth-in-Cinema Quest
A multi-media site with a variety of interesting articles and viewpoints regarding specific directors and the art of film in general, with a very strong international flavor (in English, however).

Other classic movie checklists that you'll enjoy.