"Foreign" Films

From The Criterion Collection, bastion of great films:

 

"In this photograph of the Brattle Theatre circa 1953, you can see a sign that says "Opening Soon! Foreign Films." The brilliant idea behind the sign belonged to Harvard classmates Cy Harvey and Bryant Haliday, without whom the Brattle Theatre would probably not be showing the eclectic array of films it does to this day; there would be no Janus Films, which Harvey and Haliday founded together in 1956; and there would be no Criterion Collection as we know it. Cy Harvey, the last surviving of the two Janus founders, passed away last week at the age of eighty-five. He was stylish, kind, courageous, and retained a deep love of cinema long after he left Janus Films in the mid 1960s. He will be deeply missed, and we thought we would share this image as a testament to his youthful vision, one that still sustains us all today."

 

Fact is, many of the greatest films in history were not made in America. It's a shame more people in the U.S. don't get to see them. Thanks to Cy and Bryant for making it possible for us to see the timeless films of these and other great directors:

 

Japan: Kurosawa, Ozu, Ichikawa, Kobayashi

Italy: Fellini, Rosi, Olmi, Antonioni, Cavani

Germany: Fassbinder, Lang, Wenders

Austria: Spielmann

France: Goddard, Malle, Varda, Truffaut, Cocteau, Renoir, Clouzot, Melville, Bresson

UK: Hitchcock, Pressburger, Powell, Lean, Olivier, Gilliam, Reed, Merchant

Australia: Weir, Roeg

Canada: Cronenberg

Czech Republic: Forman, Menzel

Denmark: von Trier, Christensen

India: Nair, Ivory, Ray

Iran: Kiarostami

Mexico: del Toro, Buñuel

Norway: Skjoldbjærg

Poland: Polanski

Soviet Union: Tarkovsky, Eisenstein

Spain: Bardem

Sweden: Bergman

 

And here's the cool thing. If you have a Hulu Plus subscription, you can see them all, anytime you like!