Foreign films share several characteristics which appeal to a great audience who look for original content in movies, this characteristic is the is the topics which differentiate them from the rest of the movies produced by american directors. By living in countries such as USA, Canada, England, etc. viewers as well as producers tend to develop a one sided approach to movie making biased by their own thoughts and experiences, and it is widely known that artists/directors/etc. who don’t have new experiences tend to create monotonous films due to the lack of inspiration and imagination.
The heart of every movie is the story line, without it a movie falls apart rather quickly, and this is a key factor which sets each country and director apart. We can see these differences in movies which portray social problems, myths, beliefs and can even be seen in action films. In other words, the problems, experiences and beliefs of a person who living in a country 3000+ miles away from the U.S. will not be the same as those problems and point of views shared by individuals residing in such country.
These conceptual differences is what attract and unite countries which are interested in each other’s ideological variations. A good example can be seen in the American-Asian movie market. Earlier american movies which included fighting sequences did not incorporate martial art moves but because of the high acceptance of such content (martial arts movies), action and fighting sequences require actors or their doubles to use such moves, regardless of their ethnic background or skin color.
An incorporation of such remark can be seen in the Walker Texas Ranger series, Jean-Claude Van Dame movies, Blade, etc.
The best independent foreign films which started these revolutions where the first Bruce Lee films such as: The Big Boss (1971), Enter the Dragon (1973), etc. But this would just cover a small portion of this foreign film genre and there are several of them, not to even mention the language/country where they were produced.
To mention some of the best recent foreign films we would have to quote (in no particular order):
– Amelie (2001): This is a French production which portrays a naive girl with a strong sense of justice who decides to help those around her, but the film is not as innocent as the description makes it sound since Amelie ends up helping a “lonely *** shop employee” which earns this movie an “R” rating, but none the less it is an exquisite French production which is very enjoyable.
– Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000): This Asian film opened the door to new and artistic fighting sequences which later on where incorporated in productions such as ‘Hero’. Recent Asian productions are known for their artistic, historical and sometimes psychological background which makes it attractive to the masses in continents far away.
– Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): This is a Spanish film which due to its quality and originality was awarded 3 Oscars and nominated 51 times in several categories. The plot line involves the step-daughter of a sadistic army officer (in 1944) who resorts to the fantasy world she created to survive her harsh reality.
As you can see the contrast and difference among these 3 productions is quite noticeable since their language, ideology and story lines are all different from each other and from traditional american films, and these basic differences will keep attracting audiences from all around the world.