Favorite Foreign-Language Films of 1991
1. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang/Taiwan)
2. BUTTERFLY WINGS (J. Bajo Ulloa/Spain)
-- TOTO THE HERO (Jaco Van Dormael/Belgium)
4. DAYS OF BEING WILD (Wong Kar Wai/Hong Kong)
-- LIFE AND NOTHING MORE (Abbas Kiarostami/Iran)
-- LA BELLE NOISEUSE (Jacques Rivette/France)
7. DELICATESSEN (Jeunet & Caro/France)
-- RAISE THE RED LANTERN (Zhang Yimou/China)
9. LIFE ON A STRING (Chen Kaige/China)
-- LOVERS ON THE BRIDGE (Leo Carax/France)
-- THE OX (Sven Nykvist/Sweden)
Runners Up
Lovers (Aranda), Highway Patrolman (Cox), Germany Year 90 Nine Zero (Godard), Night and Day (Akerman), Van Gogh (Pialat), Zentropa (Trier), Memories of Yesterday (Takahata), Rhapsody in August (Kurosawa), Woman of the Port (Ripstein), Double Life of Veronique (Kieslowski), Madame Bovary (Chabrol).
As far as I'm concerned, 1991 is simply the best year for films from around the world. Notice the prominent directors featured among the runners-up. These "also-rans" compare favorably with Top 10 lists from other years, especially the 1980s.
Re: The Hours and the Times
I haven't seen this but something I read relates to it.
I read a book on the Beatles (can't remember which one exactly)
where it's reported that Brian Epstein was constantly trying to hit on John.
Then, in Barcelona (is this in the movie oscar?), in a hotel room, John has finally had enough of Brian's lusting and stands up, drops his drawers, and says:Alright, Brian- put it in my arse!.
Brian just sat there, looked at John and said:
That's not exactly what I do, John...
Have I ruined your image of Lennon? When I read it it ruined mine...