MovieChat Forums > Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2002) Discussion > Don't get how this is considered one of ...

Don't get how this is considered one of the greatest foreign films

posted 11 years ago by seahawk3133
35 replies | jump to latest

I'm not trying to start a thread on bashing Amelie. I watched it, was intrigued with the idea and would recommend it to anyone who hasn't watched it yet.

I just don't get how this is considered one of the greatest foreign films ever. Why is it so well considered? Or is it the cool thing to claim it is an all-time great?

I've only seen about 25 foreign films and Amelie wouldn't make my top 10. Films like M, Seven Samurai & The 400 Blows are greats, not Amelie

7/10

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] babett3 10 years ago

I didn't think this movie was great at all. It has a nice feel to it but I thought it was boring at times and nothing really special. To be honest I was disappointed because it is rated this high and I had expected more of this movie. For me this was nothing more then an average movie I rated 6/10.

[–] EmmaPopell 10 years ago

Just recently caught this delightful little gem. It is a shame you thought it was boring at times. I feel just the opposite...if you miss a moment, you might miss a very important ingredient in the film. I thought it was brilliant!

It reminded me of Cold Comfort Farm, in the way that one person can ultimately change others' lives for the better, and I love that message.

I rate this film in my top ten because I could watch it again and still see something I didn't notice before and it is such a beautifully filmed movie.

Hope you give it another try sometime, when you can enjoy it better!

[–] philthegreatone-786-63058 10 years ago

Yes i really enjoyed Amelie as well. It was fun to watch. Audrey was very charming. But it is not even close to be one the great foreign films

U mentioned Seven Samurai. I would also mention, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,
The Lives Of Others, City Of God, Life Is Beautiful just to name a few

[–] FrankBooth_DeLarge 10 years ago

I enjoyed this movie and didn't regret watching it. I agree with the opening poster's 7.5 rating as that is about what I would give it, but it's definitely not one of the best foreign language films I've ever seen. I love Seven Samurai and Das Boot, which are both in my top ten movies of all time. M, Man Bites Dog, Head-On, Amarcord, Persona, Wild Strawberries, Spoorloos, 8 1/2, Nights of Cabiria, Through A Glass Darkly, Delicatessen, The Lives of Others, The Hunt, City of God, Oldboy, Downfall, Pan's Labyrinth, Amores Perros, The Killer, Audition, Bicycle Thieves and All About My Mother are some other titles that come to mind as films that moved me or at least made more of an impact on me than Amelie did. Then again, it could be a matter of taste as well, which would explain why Amelie hit the perfect note for many people that it didn't quite reach for me.

It's a well made movie for sure and I can see why it gained mainstream success in America, but it still falls short, for me at least, compared to a lot of other foreign language films I've watched.

Trailer For My Second Feature
http://youtu.be/ppeBy_vmkD8

[–] UnimpressedBouncer 10 years ago

Its truly an amazing film and yes it is on my top 10 of the greatest foreign movies and this comes from a guy that rarely likes romantic movies.

[–] bex753 10 years ago

Everybody is entitled to their opinion and taste in films.
This to me is a great film that hits every mark, so to me this is a great HEA film

[–] TheEnigmaticRonin 10 years ago

remains a mystery. Its very overrated.

" Look, there's two women fuc*ing a polar bear "

[–] jm5-247-303149 10 years ago

Not a mystery at all, the film is brilliantly creative, thoughtful, whimsical, romantic. Great film. Easily a 9/10.

[–] makaroney 10 years ago

Nice movie. But not even in top 1000 outside US for me. Bergman, Fellini, Herzog, Wenders, Tarkovski, Kieslowski, Wajda, Carne, Fassbinder, Renoir, Ozu, Mizoguchi, Antonioni, Lang, Murnau, Tarr, Oshima, Visconti, Almodovar, Saura, Verhoeven(holland works) i could go on and on. So many great directors with better films.

[–] shawn5 10 years ago

I clearly don't get why you guys make a distinction between "american" films and "foreign" ones ? It sounds like all films from outside US are *beep* !
Can I remind you that the top 250 from this site is composed of films from all over the world.

I love cinema and since I'm a teen my grandpa showed me films in OV, with subtitles of course. And now I can't watch a movie or series that is dubbed.
So I don't know in which language you watched Amélie, but a lot of the essence of the movie is lost if its dubbed.

When I go to the theater it is mostly because I want to be transported in an other world that the current reality, to daydream during two hours, and Amelie do that perfectly. So who cares if its not the real Paris, it's the point.

There is too much films out there for having a personal number one, it depends on my mood. When I watch Gladiator, or La Vie est Belle I know that I will be sad at the end.
With Amélie, you feel great and fill with hope, and sometimes that's all you need.