Great movies, maybe the best movies, are made in other countries, often in a language other than English. With the advent of DVDs, there is no need to wait until they show up in an art film house if they ever do. This is the best guide to non-English movies in print.

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Product Description

Wilhelm examines more than 800 movies from the audience's point of view, with an eye toward connections to other films and filmmakers, linking the international cinema with the American filmmaking experience. 100 photos.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1227225 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 550 pages

From Library Journal
VideoHound's highly subjective but always entertaining film series continues with two volumes that demonstrate how exciting this series continues to be. Wilhelm, curator of film at the Detroit Institute of Arts, presents short critiques (100-200 words) of hundreds of non-U.S. movies from all times and countries. Interspersed are short biographies of major directors and performers, and the book concludes with excellent indexes (alone worth its price). Happily, Wilhelm examines obscure films alongside the classics, and his selections are up-to-date, making this is a strong addition to any film library. Hopp's collection is less successful. By broadening the definition of "epic," Hopp (English, Howard Payne Univ.) forces 200 films as diverse as Ran, Pinocchio, Babe, and Long Day's Journey into Night under his umbrella. As with Wilhelm's volume, the writing is lively and informative, and illustrations abound, but few patrons are likely to think of many of these films as "epic," which diminishes the primacy of this otherwise useful book. However, as Hopp includes recent releases, Epics is also worth purchasing for most film libraries. Both volumes serve as excellent companions to Magill's various film reference sources (e.g., Film Annual; Survey of Cinema).AAnthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ., TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

AN EXCELLENT REFERENCE
What a refreshing, informative book! Of course, the question of which films to include is a personal one but the choices here are excellent, with films from every era and corner of the world represented. I particularly appreciate the lack of a rating system of stars (or bones, in this series) which can tend to be short-sighted and over-simplified. Instead the author delves as deeply as he can given the space with wonderful insight.
I also liked the inclusion of films worth watching highlighted here rather than an exhaustive list of films to avoid. For the record,
there were a few swipes at several films that have over-rated reputations
here in the States and these warnings are truly beneficial.
This is a marvelous, intelligent book - a "must" for anyone who loves world cinema and takes film seriously.

Curtis Stotlar

A Great Introduction to World Cinema
I've had this book since 1999 when it first came out and I love it. I knew nothing about world cinema when I first got it, and now I'm obsessed.
I agree with the other reviewers which say it is not a thourough examination of World Cinema, but like the author says in the introduction "Videohound's World Cinema isn't meant to be a definitive list of foreign titles, but the movies described here are a good place to jump in if you're new to international cinema."
The thing that I love about this book is Wilhelm's reviews: Totally subjective. His writing has made me avoid bad movies, and appreciate good ones that I may have missed the point of.
As for the not definitiveness, go look up the director on IMDB.com if you really want to know all the things a director has done.

Excellent introduction to foreign film
This is a great place to start for the novice foreign film fan. Wilhelm writes with great enthusiasm, humour, and passion, yet tries to maintain a critical eye.

His selection of film titles and directors do at times seem a little questionable, particularly when he omits notable titles like Rules of the Game (by Renoir) or Close-Up (by Kiarostami), to the inclusion of titles like King Kong vs. Godzilla (by Montgomery ?!).

Nonetheless, with the idea that this was intended as an introduction to foreign film, he does a wonderful job in exposing truly great art, such as the works by Bresson, Bunuel, von Trier, Kaurismaki, and Herzog. Of course, less challening, yet still rewarding fare, like Shall We Dance, Kolya, and La Femme Nikita also get there due, as they should.

Even for a foreign film nut like myself, this book still remains a pleasure to turn to when I want to discover a new or forgotten film title.

This book is a wonderful starting point for those curious about discovering the exciting world of film that exists beyond American studios.