The 100 Greatest Foreign Language Films

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Created by LuisCosta.

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Three years ago, BBC Culture ran its first major critics’ poll, to find the 100 greatest American films. Two further polls looked for the best films of the 21st Century and the greatest comedies ever made – and those also ended up with films from the US in the top spot.

This year, we felt it was time to direct the spotlight away from Hollywood and celebrate the best cinema from around the world. We asked critics to vote for their favourite movies made primarily in a language other than English. The result is BBC Culture’s 100 greatest foreign-language films.

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  1. 37 -

    Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi

    2001 — a.k.a. Spirited Away, in 39 top lists Check
  2. 1 -

    Shichinin no samurai

    1954 — a.k.a. Seven Samurai, in 36 top lists Check
  3. 22 -

    El laberinto del fauno

    2006 — a.k.a. Pan's Labyrinth, in 33 top lists Check
  4. 16 -

    Metropolis

    1927, in 36 top lists Check
  5. 13 -

    M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder

    1931 — a.k.a. M, in 35 top lists Check
  6. 29 -

    Oldeuboi

    2003 — a.k.a. Oldboy, in 34 top lists Check
  7. 82 -

    Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

    2001 — a.k.a. Amélie, in 27 top lists Check
  8. 2 -

    Ladri di biciclette

    1948 — a.k.a. Bicycle Thieves, in 36 top lists Check
  9. 4 -

    Rashômon

    1950 — a.k.a. Rashomon, in 34 top lists Check
  10. 7 -

    1963, in 35 top lists Check
  11. 6 -

    Persona

    1966, in 25 top lists Check
  12. 42 -

    Cidade de Deus

    2002 — a.k.a. City of God, in 22 top lists Check
  13. 8 -

    Les quatre cents coups

    1959 — a.k.a. The 400 Blows, in 26 top lists Check
  14. 9 -

    Fa yeung nin wah

    2000 — a.k.a. In the Mood for Love, in 30 top lists Check
  15. 30 -

    Det sjunde inseglet

    1957 — a.k.a. The Seventh Seal, in 25 top lists Check
  16. 49 -

    Stalker

    1979, in 22 top lists Check
  17. 11 -

    À bout de souffle

    1960 — a.k.a. Breathless, in 29 top lists Check
  18. 3 -

    Tôkyô monogatari

    1953 — a.k.a. Tokyo Story, in 27 top lists Check
  19. 23 -

    La passion de Jeanne d'Arc

    1928 — a.k.a. The Passion of Joan of Arc, in 27 top lists Check
  20. 24 -

    Bronenosets Potemkin

    1925 — a.k.a. Battleship Potemkin, in 27 top lists Check
  21. 10 -

    La dolce vita

    1960 — a.k.a. La Dolce Vita, in 22 top lists Check
  22. 28 -

    Fanny och Alexander

    1982 — a.k.a. Fanny and Alexander, in 25 top lists Check
  23. 78 -

    Wo hu cang long

    2000 — a.k.a. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in 27 top lists Check
  24. 5 -

    La règle du jeu

    1939 — a.k.a. The Rules of the Game, in 24 top lists Check
  25. 79 -

    Ran

    1985, in 25 top lists Check
  26. 89 -

    Smultronstället

    1957 — a.k.a. Wild Strawberries, in 23 top lists Check
  27. 57 -

    Solyaris

    1972 — a.k.a. Solaris, in 27 top lists Check
  28. 36 -

    La grande illusion

    1937 — a.k.a. The Grand Illusion, in 30 top lists Check
  29. 17 -

    Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

    1972 — a.k.a. Aguirre, the Wrath of God, in 18 top lists Check
  30. 31 -

    Das Leben der Anderen

    2006 — a.k.a. The Lives of Others, in 20 top lists Check
  31. 59 -

    Idi i smotri

    1985 — a.k.a. Come and See, in 28 top lists Check
  32. 72 -

    Ikiru

    1952, in 25 top lists Check
  33. 19 -

    La battaglia di Algeri

    1966 — a.k.a. The Battle of Algiers, in 29 top lists Check
  34. 40 -

    Andrey Rublyov

    1966 — a.k.a. Andrei Rublev, in 29 top lists Check
  35. 26 -

    Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

    1988 — a.k.a. Cinema Paradiso, in 20 top lists Check
  36. 21 -

    Jodaeiye Nader az Simin

    2011 — a.k.a. A Separation, in 15 top lists Check
  37. 77 -

    Il conformista

    1970 — a.k.a. The Conformist, in 20 top lists Check
  38. 46 -

    Les enfants du paradis

    1945 — a.k.a. Children of Paradise, in 21 top lists Check
  39. 90 -

    Hiroshima mon amour

    1959 — a.k.a. Hiroshima Mon Amour, in 17 top lists Check
  40. 56 -

    Chung Hing sam lam

    1994 — a.k.a. Chungking Express, in 19 top lists Check
  41. 45 -

    L'avventura

    1960 — a.k.a. L'Avventura, in 24 top lists Check
  42. 34 -

    Der Himmel über Berlin

    1987 — a.k.a. Wings of Desire, in 21 top lists Check
  43. 73 -

    Chelovek s kino-apparatom

    1929 — a.k.a. Man with a Movie Camera, in 24 top lists Check
  44. 15 -

    Pather Panchali

    1955, in 21 top lists Check
  45. 64 -

    Trois couleurs: Bleu

    1993 — a.k.a. Three Colors: Blue, in 19 top lists Check
  46. 68 -

    Ugetsu monogatari

    1953 — a.k.a. Ugetsu, in 25 top lists Check
  47. 83 -

    La strada

    1954, in 21 top lists Check
  48. 33 -

    Playtime

    1967, in 19 top lists Check
  49. 55 -

    Jules et Jim

    1962 — a.k.a. Jules and Jim, in 21 top lists Check
  50. 50 -

    L'Atalante

    1934, in 21 top lists Check
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Last updated on Nov 1, 2018 by LuisCosta; source