Mr. Wolf's BIG List of Forgotten, Overlooked and Underappreciated Films.
by Mister_Wolf | created - 17 Jul 2011 | updated - 28 Dec 2022 | PublicWith this list I hope to shine a light on lesser-known/under-viewed films I feel deserve a little more attention - All films on this list have received less than 10,000 votes.
Also, one film I had to remove because it's labeled "Adult": Yoshiwara enjô (1987)
If you have any comments/suggestions, feel free to leave them here: Letterboxd
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1. I Love You, I Love You (1968)
91 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
After attempting suicide, Claude is recruited for a time travel experiment, but, when the machine goes haywire, he may be trapped hurtling through his memories.
Director: Alain Resnais | Stars: Claude Rich, Olga Georges-Picot, Anouk Ferjac, Alain MacMoy
Votes: 3,270 | Gross: $0.06M
Said to have inspired Michel Gondry's 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', the story also has a lot in common with Chris Marker's 'La Jetée' and Terry Gilliam's 'Twelve Monkeys', obviously.
2. The Ogre of Athens (1956)
103 min | Crime, Drama
A peaceful, frightened little man is mistakenly identified as "the dragon", a notorious criminal at large. He briefly and reluctantly rules the underworld until they realize their mistake.
Director: Nikos Koundouros | Stars: Dinos Iliopoulos, Margarita Papageorgiou, Giannis Argyris, Thanasis Vengos
Votes: 2,192
Golden Lion nominee 1956 (no winner awarded). Routinely regarded as one of the greatest Greek films of all-time.
3. Memories of Underdevelopment (1968)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama
A Cuban man cycles through his opinions and memories as the threat of foreign invasion intensifies and the rest of his family moves to Miami.
Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea | Stars: Sergio Corrieri, Daisy Granados, Eslinda Núñez, Omar Valdés
Votes: 4,772 | Gross: $0.03M
Ranked as the 144th best film of all time in a 2012 Sight & Sound poll.
4. Man Facing Southeast (1986)
R | 105 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A patient in a mental hospital claims to be an extraterrestial. Could he be right?
Director: Eliseo Subiela | Stars: Lorenzo Quinteros, Hugo Soto, Inés Vernengo, Cristina Scaramuzza
Votes: 4,583 | Gross: $0.73M
The makers of this film actually sued several people connected to the 2001 science fiction film 'K-PAX' on the grounds of plagiarism, but that complaint was later withdrawn. Watch both films for yourself and see the similarities.
5. An Inspector Calls (1954)
Approved | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A wealthy family is visited by a police inspector, who questions the family about the suicide of a young working-class woman.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Alastair Sim, Arthur Young, Olga Lindo, Brian Worth
Votes: 5,240
6. The Sandglass (1973)
124 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Józef visits his dying father at a remote mental institution, where time itself doesn't seem to exist, and the line between dreams and memories becomes indistinguishable.
Director: Wojciech Has | Stars: Jan Nowicki, Tadeusz Kondrat, Irena Orska, Halina Kowalska
Votes: 4,962
Palme d'Or nominee 1973 ('Scarecrow' (1973) and 'The Hireling' (1973) shared the honor). Not exactly material for the casual filmgoer.
7. The House That Screamed (1969)
GP | 94 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A strict headmistress runs a secluded school for wayward girls in 19th century France, whose students are disappearing under mysterious circumstances.
Director: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador | Stars: Lilli Palmer, Cristina Galbó, John Moulder-Brown, Maribel Martín
Votes: 4,122
Stylish and no doubt influential Spanish thriller from the writer/director of 'Who Can Kill a Child?' (1976). One thing you can say about Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, he knew how to end a horror film proper.
8. La Chienne (1931)
Not Rated | 95 min | Crime, Drama
Maurice Legrand, a meek cashier married to a nagging wife, has a secret passion: he's a Sunday painter. He falls in love with Lulu, a young woman dominated by Dédé, the pimp who she works for. Dédé pushes Lulu into a relationship with him.
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Michel Simon, Janie Marèse, Georges Flamant, Roger Gaillard
Votes: 4,837
'The Bitch'
It was remade by Fritz Lang in the United States as 'Scarlet Street' (1945).
Notes: From Wikipedia - In the film Michel Simon falls in love with Janie Marèze, and he did off-screen as well, while Marèze fell for Georges Flamant, who plays the pimp. Renoir and producer Pierre Braunberger had encouraged the relationship between Flamant and Marèze in order to get the fullest conviction into their performances - (Flamant was a professional criminal but an amateur actor). After the film had been completed Flamant, who could barely drive, took Marèze for a drive, crashed the car and she was killed. At the funeral Michel Simon fainted and had to be supported as he walked past the grave. He threatened Renoir with a gun, saying that the death of Marèze was all his fault. "Kill me if you like", responded Renoir, "but I have made the film"
9. The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
Not Rated | 77 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The boss of a publishing company is a womanizer and a jerk, but what would happen if he suddenly disappeared?
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: René Lefèvre, Florelle, Jules Berry, Marcel Lévesque
Votes: 3,706 | Gross: $0.04M
10. Summer Interlude (1951)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Romance
A lonely woman recalls her first love thirteen years prior during a brief summer vacation.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Maj-Britt Nilsson, Birger Malmsten, Alf Kjellin, Annalisa Ericson
Votes: 6,661
Golden Lion nominee 1952 ('Forbidden Games' (1952) won). Considered Ingmar's first "important" film. Bergman established many of the themes he'd explore more thoroughly in future films here.
11. The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (1955)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The delirious journey of a mentally disordered man, who is obsessed with committing the perfect crime.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Ernesto Alonso, Miroslava, Rita Macedo, Ariadne Welter
Votes: 5,886
12. El Sur (1983)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A woman reflects on her childhood relationship with her father, attempting to understand the depths of his despair and the truth of his myths.
Director: Víctor Erice | Stars: Omero Antonutti, Sonsoles Aranguren, Icíar Bollaín, Lola Cardona
Votes: 6,137
Golden Hugo winner 1983. Palme d'Or nominee 1983 ('The Ballad of Narayama' (1983) won). Made 10 years after his first film, this is Víctor Erice's enigmatic follow-up to his brilliant masterpiece 'The Spirit of the Beehive', a neglected gem.
13. Marketa Lazarová (1967)
Not Rated | 162 min | Drama, History, Romance
A grim portrayal of the shift from Paganism to Christianity in medieval central Europe - as a young virgin promised to God is kidnapped and raped by a marauder who her religious father seeks to kill in return.
Director: Frantisek Vlácil | Stars: Josef Kemr, Magda Vásáryová, Nada Hejna, Jaroslav Moucka
Votes: 6,020
Voted the greatest Czech film of all-time.
14. Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)
Unrated | 193 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A mysteriously linked pair of young women find their daily lives preempted by a strange boudoir melodrama that plays itself out in a hallucinatory parallel reality.
Director: Jacques Rivette | Stars: Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier, Marie-France Pisier
Votes: 6,353 | Gross: $0.03M
Just see it. Many will be perplexed to the point of disliking it, others, like I, will be enthralled by its strange magic.
15. Les Visiteurs du Soir (1942)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
In medieval France, the Devil intervenes when one of his two envoys, sent to seduce and deceive mortals, falls instead for a victim.
Director: Marcel Carné | Stars: Arletty, Marie Déa, Fernand Ledoux, Alain Cuny
Votes: 2,462
'The Devil's Envoys'
16. The Fantastic Adventures of Unico (1981)
Not Rated | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
When Unico, a young unicorn, is taken from his family by evil gods, his powers of joy and happiness are put to the test. Can Unico's power triumph the darkness?
Directors: Toshio Hirata, Osamu Tezuka | Stars: Katsue Miwa, Ryouko Kitamiya, Kazuko Sugiyama, Junko Hori
Votes: 899
Starts out light, but soon gets very dark. Thus is the fate of "Unico". AKA - 'The Fantastic Adventures of Unico'.
17. The Woman Next Door (1981)
R | 106 min | Drama, Romance
Two ex-lovers wind up living next door to each other with their respective spouses. Forbidden passions ensue.
Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Fanny Ardant, Henri Garcin, Michèle Baumgartner
Votes: 8,807
18. Twisted Nerve (1968)
M | 118 min | Drama, Thriller
Martin Durnley (Hywel Bennett) is a troubled young man. With a mother who insists on treating him like a child, a stepfather who can't wait to see the back of him, and a brother with Down's... See full summary »
Director: Roy Boulting | Stars: Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Billie Whitelaw, Phyllis Calvert
Votes: 2,412
Daryl Hannah's catchy whistling from 'Kill Bill' was borrowed this film and was composed by Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Hitchcock's frequent collaborator.
19. Stars (1959)
91 min | War, Drama
The tragic love of a Jewish girl and a Nazi officer is presented as a symbol of human purity defeated by fascism and racial prejudice.
Director: Konrad Wolf | Stars: Sasha Krusharska, Jürgen Frohriep, Erik S. Klein, Stefan Pejchev
Votes: 466
20. Tales of a Street Corner (1962)
38 min | Animation, Short, Fantasy
In a small and colourful town, a little girl, a tiny grey mouse, a plentiful sycamore tree, a troublesome moth and a vivid community of posters coexist in a forgotten street corner.
Directors: Yusaku Sakamoto, Eiichi Yamamoto
Votes: 266
Osamu Tezuka’s childhood experiences in wartime Japan indelibly shaped the themes and motifs of his manga and anime. His award-winning animation Story of a Certain Street Corner (aka Tales of the Street Corner/ ある街角の物語, 1962) is the most lyrical expression of Tezuka’s humanist, anti-war sentiments...-Nishikata Film Review
21. La voix du rossignol (1925)
13 min | Animation, Short, Fantasy
A partly-animated short film, a fairy-tale-like telling of why the nightingale only sings at night. A young girl who has caught a nightingale dreams about the nightingale and its mate, and ... See full summary »
Director: Wladyslaw Starewicz | Star: Nina Star
Votes: 456
22. The Little Mermaid (1968)
29 min | Animation, Short, Family
Based on the fairy tale by Andersen. A film about love and friendship. The little mermaid falls in love with a handsome prince and saves him from death. To be with him, the Little Mermaid loses her voice in exchange for a human form.
Director: Ivan Aksenchuk | Stars: Nina Gulyaeva, Anatoliy Papanov, Vladimir Troshin, Viktoriya Ivanova
Votes: 562
'The Little Mermaid' "On the motives of a fairy tale of Andersen. The Film is about love and friendship. Mermaid falls in love with fine prince and rescues him from destruction. She wanted to be with him so she loses her voice in exchange for a human appearance."
23. A Summer at Grandpa's (1984)
93 min | Drama
A coming-of-age story about a young brother and sister who spend a pivotal summer in the country with their grandparents.
Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Chi-Kuang Wang, Shu-Chen Li, Hsiu-Ling Lin, Mei-Feng
Votes: 1,740
Grandpa (Koo Chuen) and Grandma (Mei Fong) live in the fertile Taiwanese countryside. A boy (Wang Chi-Kwang) and his sister (Sun Cheeng-Lee) are packed off to their grandparents when their mother falls ill. Though relationships are strained at first, the boy and girl end up having a wonderful summer with grandpa, as the old man takes them on fishing trips and helps them in their search for a lost cow. Summer At Grandpa's didn't have a very long theatrical life in Taiwan, though it proved more successful on the international scene. The film's original title was Tung-Tung-Te-Chia-Ch'i, which in itself is reason enough to see it - Allrovi
24. Flame of My Love (1949)
96 min | Drama, Romance
A woman's struggle for equality in Japan in the 1880s. Eiko Hirayama leaves Okayama for Tokyo, where she helps the fledgling Liberal Party and falls in love with its leader Kentaro Omoi, ... See full summary »
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito, Kuniko Miyake, Ichirô Sugai
Votes: 480
25. White Sun of the Desert (1970)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
At the end of the Russian Civil War, Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov is ordered to guard the harem of a Caspian Sea guerrilla leader.
Director: Vladimir Motyl | Stars: Anatoliy Kuznetsov, Pavel Luspekayev, Spartak Mishulin, Kakhi Kavsadze
Votes: 7,832
26. The Cloud-Capped Star (1960)
Not Rated | 126 min | Drama
A selfless young woman (Supriya Choudhury) sacrifices her own happiness for her unappreciative family.
Director: Ritwik Ghatak | Stars: Supriya Choudhury, Anil Chatterjee, Gyanesh Mukherjee, Bijon Bhattacharya
Votes: 3,236
27. Caught (1949)
Approved | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
An ambitious young LA department store model gets her wish of marrying a millionaire but she eventually discovers that rich life isn't always a happy one.
Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Ryan, Frank Ferguson
Votes: 4,353
28. The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short (1965)
94 min | Drama
Govert Miereveld is a schoolteacher who has an unhealthy obsession with Fran, one of his students. On the day of Fran's graduation, Govert decides that he needs to tell her.
Director: André Delvaux | Stars: Senne Rouffaer, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Hector Camerlynck, Hilde Uitterlinden
Votes: 1,089
29. The Executioner (1963)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Comedy
An undertaker marries an old executioner's daughter and must continue his father-in-law's profession after his retirement, although he doesn't like it.
Director: Luis García Berlanga | Stars: Nino Manfredi, Emma Penella, José Isbert, José Luis López Vázquez
Votes: 7,430
30. Erotikon (1929)
85 min | Drama, Romance
A young woman is seduced and abandoned by a man who was invited to stay at his home by her father in a stormy night. Noticing that she is pregnant, the girl decides to leave home and start a new life.
Director: Gustav Machatý | Stars: Karel Schleichert, Ita Rina, Olaf Fjord, Theodor Pistek
Votes: 643
'Erotikon' - Remarkably frank for any era, EROTIKON is drenched in a ripe sensuality that flows freely from every frame. A young woman is seduced and abandoned by a stranger. What happens next appears to follow the ages-old dictate of guilt, humiliation, and punishment but director Gustav Machat has something far more adult up his sleeve. A genuine scorcher from Czechoslovakia -Brown Paper Tickets
31. The Ear (1970)
94 min | Drama, Thriller
After coming home from a Party gathering one night, a Czech official becomes convinced that he is about to be the subject of a political purge and tries to do damage control, while also dealing with his turbulent marriage.
Director: Karel Kachyna | Stars: Jirina Bohdalová, Radoslav Brzobohatý, Gustav Opocenský, Miroslav Holub
Votes: 3,308
32. A Report on the Party and Guests (1966)
71 min | Comedy, Drama
A small group of bourgeois guests head for a birthday party of a prominent figure. As they go through the woods and have a picnic, they are suddenly surrounded by a bunch of suspicious strangers.
Director: Jan Nemec | Stars: Helena Pejsková, Jana Pracharová, Zdena Skvorecka, Pavel Bosek
Votes: 1,823
33. The Devil Strikes at Night (1957)
97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A serial killer strikes again during World War II in Germany. The wrong man is arrested and a detective hunts down the real killer, but justice in Nazi Germany is not so easily administered.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Claus Holm, Mario Adorf, Hannes Messemer, Peter Carsten
Votes: 1,580
34. It Always Rains on Sunday (1947)
92 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
An escaped convict tries to hide out at his former lover's house, but she has since married and is reluctant to help him.
Director: Robert Hamer | Stars: Googie Withers, Jack Warner, John McCallum, Edward Chapman
Votes: 2,378 | Gross: $0.01M
35. The Year My Voice Broke (1987)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama, Romance
In rural 1960s Australia, a boy watches helplessly as his best friend falls in love with a small-time criminal, setting off a violent chain of events.
Director: John Duigan | Stars: Noah Taylor, Loene Carmen, Ben Mendelsohn, Graeme Blundell
Votes: 2,278 | Gross: $0.21M
36. The Music Lovers (1971)
R | 123 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Piano teacher Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky struggles against his homosexuality by marrying, but unfortunately he chooses a nymphomaniac whom he cannot satisfy.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Glenda Jackson, Max Adrian, Christopher Gable
Votes: 3,019 | Gross: $0.20M
37. The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960)
Approved | 124 min | Drama
In Oklahoma in the 1920s, Rubin Flood (Robert Preston) loses his job as a travelling salesman when the company goes bankrupt. This adds to his worries at home. His wife Cora (Dorothy ... See full summary »
Director: Delbert Mann | Stars: Robert Preston, Dorothy McGuire, Eve Arden, Angela Lansbury
Votes: 838
38. Devil in the Flesh (1947)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama, Romance
During World War I, the star-crossed affair of an underage French student with a woman engaged to a soldier.
Director: Claude Autant-Lara | Stars: Micheline Presle, Gérard Philipe, Denise Grey, Jean Debucourt
Votes: 898
39. Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947)
72 min | Drama
A young boy follows Tashiro home to his tenement housing complex on the outskirts of Tokyo, the boy who was separated from his carpenter father somehow and somewhere in Kudan. All Tashiro ... See full summary »
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chôko Iida, Hôhi Aoki, Eitarô Ozawa, Mitsuko Yoshikawa
Votes: 2,247
40. Olivier, Olivier (1992)
R | 110 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Olivier, the nine-year-old son of Elisabeth and country veterinarian Serge, vanishes one afternoon on the way to his grandmother's house. The emotional aftermath of his disappearance sends ... See full summary »
Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Brigitte Roüan, François Cluzet, Jean-François Stévenin, Frédéric Quiring
Votes: 1,873 | Gross: $1.26M
41. A Time to Live and a Time to Die (1985)
Not Rated | 138 min | Biography, Drama
The semi-autobiographical film on director Hou Hsiao-Hsien's childhood and adolescence, when he was growing up in Taiwan, living through the deaths of his father, mother and grandmother.
Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Chia-bao Chang, Neng Chang, Chih-Chen Chen, Han-wen Chen
Votes: 3,511
42. A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958)
Approved | 132 min | Drama, Romance, War
On the Russian front in 1944, German private Ernst Graeber receives a leave and visits his family in Germany but Germany isn't the same country he left behind.
Director: Douglas Sirk | Stars: John Gavin, Liselotte Pulver, Jock Mahoney, Don DeFore
Votes: 3,711
43. The Green Ray (1986)
R | 99 min | Drama, Romance
It's July, and Delphine has nowhere to go for the summer. She feels very bored and "empty", but this won't last; one day she accidently meets someone who seems to be totally made for her...
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Marie Rivière, María Luisa García, Vincent Gauthier, Amira Chemakhi
Votes: 10,484 | Gross: $0.04M
44. Angel (1937)
Approved | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A woman and her husband take separate vacations, and she falls in love with another man.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall, Melvyn Douglas, Edward Everett Horton
Votes: 3,211
45. The Dawns Here Are Quiet (1972)
PG-13 | 188 min | Drama, History, War
During World War II in a small village outpost, a Soviet sergeant has his troop replaced by an all female unit. As they finally begin to appreciate one another, German paratroopers are spotted nearby and the realities of war emerge.
Director: Stanislav Rostotskiy | Stars: Andrey Martynov, Irina Dolganova, Elena Drapeko, Ekaterina Markova
Votes: 4,771
46. Illustrious Corpses (1976)
PG | 120 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
An investigation of the judges' assassinations reveals a political background.
Director: Francesco Rosi | Stars: Lino Ventura, Tino Carraro, Marcel Bozzuffi, Paolo Bonacelli
Votes: 2,797
47. Nine Lives (1957)
96 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
During World War II, nine members of the Norwegian Resistance are trapped by the Germans in a deadly ambush. Only one escapes, and a fierce hunt through the ice desert has begun.
Director: Arne Skouen | Stars: Jack Fjeldstad, Henny Moan, Alf Malland, Joachim Holst-Jensen
Votes: 1,891
48. A City of Sadness (1989)
157 min | Drama, History
The story of a family embroiled in the "White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government after their arrival from mainland China in the late 1940s.
Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Shu-Fen Hsin, Sung-Young Chen, Jack Kao
Votes: 6,096
Seen through the prism of the Lin family, this complex family drama from Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao Hsien details a brief but crucial moment in Taiwanese history between 1945, when 50 years of Japanese colonial rule came to an end, and 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Kuomintang forces established a government-in-exile after the Communist army captured mainland China. The film opens with the reedy voice of Emperor Hirohito announcing Japan's surrender as the eldest of the Lin clan's four sons awaits the birth of his child in a coastal town not far from Taipei. Soon afterward, he changes the name of his Japanese decorated bar to "Little Shanghai" and begins trading in the post-war black market. The second son has died in Philippines during the war. The third son, who had a nervous breakdown in Shanghai, starts to consort with Shanghaiese drug dealers upon his return to Taiwan. Once the eldest learns of the third's dealings, he forces him to stop. In retaliation, the Shanghaiese mob arranges for the third son to be imprisoned on trumped up charges of collaboration with the Japanese. The youngest son, Wen-ching, is a gentle deaf-mute photographer who has leftist leanings. The film climaxes with the notorious Incident of February 28, 1947, a Tiananmen Square-style massacre of native Taiwanese committed by Kuomintang troops resulting in between 18,000 to 28,000 causalities. The wounded pour into the neighbor clinic as Wen-ching and his friend Hinoe get arrested. After his release, Hinoe heads for the mountains to join the leftist guerillas while Wen-ching promises to look after his friend's sister Hinomi. Soon after, Wen-ching and Hinomi marry. Just as she is about to bear a child, however, the Kuomintang arrests Wen-ching for his involvement with the guerillas - Allrovi
49. The Round-Up (1966)
90 min | Drama, History, War
In Hungary, the national movement led by Kossuth has been crushed and the Austrian hegemony re-established, but partisans carry on with violent actions. In order to root out the guerilla, ... See full summary »
Director: Miklós Jancsó | Stars: János Görbe, Zoltán Latinovits, Tibor Molnár, Gábor Agárdi
Votes: 3,300
50. The Story of the Fox (1937)
63 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When Renard the Fox's mischievous pranks go too far, King Lion is forced to attempt to bring the trickster to justice.
Directors: Irene Starewicz, Wladyslaw Starewicz | Stars: Claude Dauphin, Romain Bouquet, Sylvain Itkine, Léon Larive
Votes: 1,553
51. The Cremator (1969)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Set in Central Europe during World War II, a demented cremator believes cremation relieves earthly suffering and sets out to save the world.
Director: Juraj Herz | Stars: Rudolf Hrusínský, Vlasta Chramostová, Jana Stehnová, Milos Vognic
Votes: 10,769
52. The Devil's Trap (1962)
85 min | Drama
A priest travels to investigate a miller suspected to be working with the devil.
Director: Frantisek Vlácil | Stars: Vítezslav Vejrazka, Miroslav Machácek, Cestmír Randa, Vít Olmer
Votes: 747
Although this well-wrought Czech drama has a definite materialistic slant the story is entertaining, set in the 16th century when the Inquistion was still in force. A small town is one day visited by a priest who is there on a secret mission. He is a member of the Inquisition sent to investigate the activities of a local miller. The miller and his son are the descendants of an old family whose ancestral home burned down a century ago, but was rebuilt from scratch. The miller inherited much of his knowledge about the land, water, and a building's stability from generations of family experience. His reputation for finding water and predicting when a structure might collapse have come to the attention of the Inquisition -surely he must be in league with the Devil - Allrovi
53. Distant Thunder (1973)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama
As food shortages reach catastrophic proportions, Gangacharan attempts to preserve his privileged situation while his generous wife Ananga conversely tries to help and support the community.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Soumitra Chatterjee, Bobita, Sandhya Roy, Chitra Banerjee
Votes: 1,720
54. Oci ciornie (1987)
118 min | Comedy, Romance, Drama
An Italian tells his story of love to a Russian. In a series of flashbacks, Romano Patroni leaves his wife to visit a spa where he falls in love with a Russian woman. He returns to Italy resolved to leave his wife and marry his love.
Director: Nikita Mikhalkov | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Silvana Mangano, Marthe Keller, Elena Safonova
Votes: 3,512 | Gross: $2.20M
55. Melody (1971)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two youngsters declare to their parents that they want to get married as soon as possible.
Director: Waris Hussein | Stars: Mark Lester, Tracy Hyde, Jack Wild, Colin Barrie
Votes: 3,171
A more charming film you are not likely to find, and you just can't beat that ending! Where's the love?
Tracy Hyde did a little more acting throughout the years, but not much. Mark Lester retired from film in 1977, but there is a rumored comeback. Jack Wild continued acting sporadically until 2005, but tragically died in 2006 from oral cancer caused by his alcoholism and smoking. He was 53.
56. The Goddess (1960)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama
A young woman is deemed a goddess when her father-in-law, a rich feudal land-lord, has a dream envisioning her as an avatar of Kali.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Sharmila Tagore, Soumitra Chatterjee, Chhabi Biswas, Karuna Bannerjee
Votes: 2,799 | Gross: $0.09M
57. The Third Part of the Night (1971)
107 min | Drama, Horror, War
Set during the occupation of Poland during World War II. Some German soldiers slaughter a woman, her son, and mother-in-law. The husband and his father escape by being in the forest. The ... See full summary »
Director: Andrzej Zulawski | Stars: Malgorzata Braunek, Leszek Teleszynski, Jan Nowicki, Jerzy Golinski
Votes: 2,695
58. Unfinished Piece for the Player Piano (1977)
103 min | Drama
In Imperial Russia, the nobility has its own entertainments, disputes and worries.
Director: Nikita Mikhalkov | Stars: Aleksandr Kalyagin, Elena Solovey, Evgeniya Glushenko, Antonina Shuranova
Votes: 3,772
59. The Travelling Players (1975)
230 min | Drama, History, Music
Greece, 1939-1952: Fascist, Nazi, and Communist conflict, as seen through the eyes of a family of travelling provincial players.
Director: Theodoros Angelopoulos | Stars: Eva Kotamanidou, Vangelis Kazan, Aliki Georgouli, Kiriakos Katrivanos
Votes: 4,351
60. The Bridge (1959)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, History, War
In 1945, Germany is being overrun, and nobody is left to fight but teenagers.
Director: Bernhard Wicki | Stars: Volker Bohnet, Fritz Wepper, Michael Hinz, Frank Glaubrecht
Votes: 8,646
61. The Silence of the Sea (1949)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Romance, War
In occupied France, an elderly man and his niece are forced to give shelter to a German army lieutenant who seemingly loves their country and culture.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Howard Vernon, Nicole Stéphane, Jean-Marie Robain, Ami Aaröe
Votes: 5,651
62. The Homecoming (1973)
PG | 111 min | Drama
In a dreary North London flat, the site of perpetual psychological warfare, a philosophy professor visits his family after a nine-year absence, and introduces the four men, father, uncle, and two brothers, to his wife.
Director: Peter Hall | Stars: Cyril Cusack, Ian Holm, Paul Rogers, Terence Rigby
Votes: 857
63. Toto the Hero (1991)
PG-13 | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Thomas believed he was switched at birth with Alfred. Feeling cheated, Thomas spent his life plotting revenge against Alfred, his perceived lifelong adversary who he felt stole the privileged life that should have been his.
Director: Jaco Van Dormael | Stars: Michel Bouquet, Mireille Perrier, Jo De Backer, Thomas Godet
Votes: 6,342 | Gross: $1.23M
64. Whistle Down the Wind (1961)
Unrated | 99 min | Crime, Drama
When an injured wife murderer takes refuge on a remote Lancashire farm, the owner's three children mistakenly believe him to be the Second Coming of Christ.
Director: Bryan Forbes | Stars: Alan Bates, Bernard Lee, Hayley Mills, Norman Bird
Votes: 3,748
65. Moonlighting (1982)
PG | 97 min | Drama
Nowak (Irons), a Polish contractor, leads a group of workmen to London so they can provide cheap labor for a government official based there. Nowak must manage the project and the men as ... See full summary »
Director: Jerzy Skolimowski | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Eugene Lipinski, Jiri Stanislav, Eugeniusz Haczkiewicz
Votes: 3,522
66. Betrayal (1983)
R | 95 min | Drama, Thriller
An affair between a literary agent and his best friend's wife. The story unfolds in reverse-chronological order.
Director: David Hugh Jones | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Hodge, Avril Elgar
Votes: 1,745
A film told in reverse chronological order. Sound familiar? Besides the obvious film, you may also remember a Seinfeld episode, "The Betrayal", that was actually inspired by this film's structure. Great film ... and great Seinfeld episode!
67. Peppermint Frappé (1967)
94 min | Drama, Thriller
Julian, a middle-aged single doctor, meets his childhood friend Pablo again. The latter is back from Africa and has just married a beautiful young blonde, Elena. Julian falls in love with ... See full summary »
Director: Carlos Saura | Stars: Geraldine Chaplin, José Luis López Vázquez, Alfredo Mayo, Emiliano Redondo
Votes: 1,973
68. Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
American Walter Elbertson (Timothy Bottoms), in his late teens, is feeling lost within his family of overachievers. Thirtysomething Englishwoman Lila Fisher (Dame Maggie Smith) is ... See full summary »
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Maggie Smith, Timothy Bottoms, Don Jaime de Mora y Aragón, Emiliano Redondo
Votes: 942
Filmed in 1971 under the title The Widower, Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing finally reached the screen in 1973. Set in Spain, the film stars Timothy Bottoms as the aimless son of doctor Charles Baxter. While bicycling through the Spanish countryside, Charles makes the acquaintance of much-older Lila (Maggie Smith.) He falls in love with her, but she is resistant. Eventually touched by Charles' clumsy sincerity, Lila invites him to bed....-Allrovi
69. The Aviator's Wife (1981)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Romance
A young student is devastated when he finds that his girlfriend is cheating on him. In order to find out why she did it, he decides to spy on her and her lover.
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Philippe Marlaud, Marie Rivière, Anne-Laure Meury, Mathieu Carrière
Votes: 5,177
70. Center Stage (1991)
126 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Biopic of 1930s Chinese actress Lingyu Ruan.
Director: Stanley Kwan | Stars: Maggie Cheung, Han Chin, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Carina Lau
Votes: 2,719
71. Who Can Kill a Child? (1976)
R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A couple of English tourists arrive on an island where all the children have gone crazy and are murdering the adults.
Director: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador | Stars: Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome, Antonio Iranzo, Miguel Narros
Votes: 8,025
Also known as 'Island of the Damned'.
72. Hue and Cry (1947)
82 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A gang of street boys foil a master crook who sends commands for robberies by cunningly altering a comic strip's wording each week, unknown to writer and printer. The first of the Ealing comedies.
Director: Charles Crichton | Stars: Alastair Sim, Frederick Piper, Harry Fowler, Vida Hope
Votes: 1,781
73. The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
Not Rated | 81 min | Comedy
Chaos ensues for staff and students alike after an all-boys and an all-girls school are amalgamated into one.
Director: Frank Launder | Stars: Alastair Sim, Margaret Rutherford, John Turnbull, Richard Wattis
Votes: 1,884
Laugh-out-loud hilarious! Seek this one out.
74. Black Rain (1989)
Not Rated | 123 min | Drama, War
The story of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, based on Masuji Ibuse's novel.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Yoshiko Tanaka, Kazuo Kitamura, Etsuko Ichihara, Shôichi Ozawa
Votes: 3,950
75. Ludwig (1973)
R | 238 min | Biography, Drama, History
The reign of the tormented Ludwig, king of Bavaria, from 1864 to 1886.
Director: Luchino Visconti | Stars: Helmut Berger, Romy Schneider, Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano
Votes: 5,994
76. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
PG | 100 min | Drama
A middle-aged misfit struggles to raise her daughters, one popular and the other a promising science student.
Director: Paul Newman | Stars: Joanne Woodward, Nell Potts, Roberta Wallach, Judith Lowry
Votes: 2,660 | Gross: $0.18M
Brutally great performance by Woodward. Nell Potts, who gives a terrific and guileless performance herself, is Woodward's real-life daughter, and she and her father, Paul Newman, were once cast as the father and daughter grifters in the film 'Paper Moon', but dropped out, much to Ryan and Tatum O'Neal's good fortune. Nell only starred in two films, this and 'Rachel, Rachel' (1968), both directed by Paul Newman and starring Joanne Woodward.
77. Zoo in Budapest (1933)
Passed | 94 min | Drama, Romance
An orphan girl escapes her caregivers to be with a young man raised at the zoo whose only previous friends are the animals.
Director: Rowland V. Lee | Stars: Loretta Young, Gene Raymond, O.P. Heggie, Wally Albright
Votes: 510
78. School for Scoundrels (1960)
Approved | 94 min | Comedy
A young man finds a very special school. It teaches him how to take advantage of people. He begins to put the lessons into operation.
Directors: Robert Hamer, Hal E. Chester, Cyril Frankel | Stars: Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, Alastair Sim, Janette Scott
Votes: 3,893
Remade in 2006. Awful film. The original is king!
79. Léon Morin, Priest (1961)
Not Rated | 117 min | Drama, Romance, War
Set during occupied France, a faithless woman finds herself falling in love with a young priest.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva, Irène Tunc, Nicole Mirel
Votes: 5,669 | Gross: $0.04M
80. My Name Is Julia Ross (1945)
Not Rated | 65 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Julia Ross secures employment through a rather nosy employment agency, with a wealthy widow, Mrs. Hughes, and goes to live at her house. 2 days later, she awakens - in a different house, in... See full summary »
Director: Joseph H. Lewis | Stars: Nina Foch, May Whitty, George Macready, Roland Varno
Votes: 3,746
81. The Wolves (1971)
131 min | Crime, Drama
After going to prison for killing the boss of the Kanno gang, a gangster gets released early - only to find that his ex-gang has merged with the Kannos. But with bitter resentments lingering on both sides, bloodshed is bound to begin anew.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Rumi Aiki, Hideyo Amamoto, Noboru Andô, Mitsuko Aoi
Votes: 617
Wolves is set in Japan in the 1920s. The disintegration of the ancient samurai traditions is paralleled with the rise of the Yakuza, Japan's equivalent of the Mafia. Three gangsters try to keep themselves from getting killed, not only by their higher-ups but by those who perceive them as a threat against the old ways. Evocatively photographed, Wolves allows Western audiences a glimpse of an oft-ignored chapter in Japanese history - Allrovi
82. Moy drug Ivan Lapshin (1985)
100 min | Drama
Russian provincial town in the middle of the 1930s Stalin's Great Purge. Ivan Lapshin, the head of the local police, does what he has to do. And he does it well.
Director: Aleksey German | Stars: Andrei Boltnev, Nina Ruslanova, Andrey Mironov, Aleksey Zharkov
Votes: 2,644
Alexei German's third film as director is based on stories written by his father, prominent author Yuri German. The mostly black-and-white film begins with a present-day color sequence, then reverts to monochrome and the freezing winter of 1935, when the narrator was nine years old. The boy lived in an apartment with his father and two other men, Police Chief Ivan Lapshin (Andrei Boltnev) and his officious underling (Alexei Zharkov). The story focuses on Lapshin as he tracks down a gang of crooks in his provincial Russian village, helps his recently widowed friend, and enters into a tentative relationship with an actress (Nina Ruslanova). Capable direction by German and a talented ensemble cast make this detailed look at the pre-purge Soviet Union both entertaining and richly rewarding - Allrovi
83. Ice Cold in Alex (1958)
Approved | 130 min | Adventure, Drama, War
During World War II in North Africa, a medical field unit must cross the desert in their ambulance in order to reach the British lines in Alexandria.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: John Mills, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, Harry Andrews
Votes: 6,589
84. The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952)
Not Rated | 116 min | Drama
A childless middle-aged couple faces a marital crisis.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Shin Saburi, Michiyo Kogure, Kôji Tsuruta, Chishû Ryû
Votes: 3,672
Re-released in 1972, Ochazuke No Aji, or The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice, is one of those films whose transcendent simplicity transforms an ordinary story into something special. A man with very simple tastes and habits meets with growing exasperation from his more sophisticated wife. She treats him with increasing disrespect and nearly has an affair, but something changes her attitude and she returns to him with an appreciation for his simplicity and reliability.-Allrovi
85. Romeo, Julie a tma (1960)
92 min | Drama, Romance, War
During World War II, a young student from Prague hides a Jewish girl inside his house. But not all of his neighbors are willing to take the risk.
Director: Jirí Weiss | Stars: Ivan Mistrík, Daniela Smutná, Jirina Sejbalová, Frantisek Smolík
Votes: 468
86. Beggars of Life (1928)
Not Rated | 84 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
After killing her treacherous step-father, a girl tries to escape the country with a young vagabond. She dresses as a boy, they hop freight trains, quarrel with a group of hobos, and steal ... See full summary »
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Wallace Beery, Richard Arlen, Louise Brooks, Bob Perry
Votes: 1,320
87. A Story from Chikamatsu (1954)
Not Rated | 102 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Ishun is a wealthy but unsympathetic master printer who has wrongly accused his wife and best employee of being lovers. To escape punishment, the accused run away together, but Ishun is certain to be ruined if word gets out.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Kazuo Hasegawa, Kyôko Kagawa, Eitarô Shindô, Eitarô Ozawa
Votes: 4,948
The Crucified Lovers
88. Lonesome (1928)
Passed | 69 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two lonely people in the big city meet and enjoy the thrills of an amusement park, only to lose each other in the crowd after spending a great day together. Will they ever see each other again?
Director: Pál Fejös | Stars: Barbara Kent, Glenn Tryon, Fay Holderness, Gusztáv Pártos
Votes: 2,600
89. When the Cat Comes (1963)
104 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
People arrive in a small village with a strange cat wearing glasses. When someone takes them off, he can color people, according to their nature and mood. Adults consider him dangerous; children love him.
Director: Vojtech Jasný | Stars: Jan Werich, Emília Vásáryová, Vlastimil Brodský, Jirí Sovák
Votes: 2,065
90. Voyage to Cythera (1984)
120 min | Drama
An old communist returns to Greece after 32 years in the Soviet Union. However, things aren't the way he had hoped for.
Director: Theodoros Angelopoulos | Stars: Manos Katrakis, Mary Hronopoulou, Dionysis Papagiannopoulos, Dora Volanaki
Votes: 3,089
91. History Is Made at Night (1937)
Passed | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A wealthy divorcée falls for a charming Parisian, but her insanely jealous ex-husband will do anything to get her back.
Director: Frank Borzage | Stars: Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur, Leo Carrillo, Colin Clive
Votes: 2,491
92. Entranced Earth (1967)
111 min | Drama
In the fictional Latin American country Eldorado, a poet tries to effect political change by influencing powerful men.
Director: Glauber Rocha | Stars: Jardel Filho, Paulo Autran, José Lewgoy, Glauce Rocha
Votes: 3,578
93. Jana Aranya (1975)
131 min | Drama
A bright and idealistic young man steels himself for the dog-eat-dog business world, only to flounder in a job market packed with thousands of other hopefuls.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Pradip Mukherjee, Rafique Ahmed, S. Bagchi, Ajit Banerjee
Votes: 1,817
94. The Smiling Madame Beudet (1923)
26 min | Short, Drama
An unhappily married woman devises a scheme to get rid of her husband.
Director: Germaine Dulac | Stars: Germaine Dermoz, Madeleine Guitty, Jean d'Yd, Yvette Grisier
Votes: 2,944
95. Bad Girl (1931)
Passed | 90 min | Drama, Romance
A man and woman, skeptical about romance, nonetheless fall in love and are wed, but their lack of confidence in the opposite sex haunts their marriage.
Director: Frank Borzage | Stars: James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Minna Gombell, Frank Darien
Votes: 1,603
Pretty good film. No seedy pre-code story here as the films title might imply; just light drama. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Borzage won the Academy Award for Directing.
96. Confession (1937)
Approved | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Aging down on her luck cabaret singer murders a respectable composer. On trial she slowly gives in and explains her crime. They had a complicated history.
Director: Joe May | Stars: Kay Francis, Basil Rathbone, Ian Hunter, Jane Bryan
Votes: 1,326
German director Joe May brought a decidedly Teutonic ambience to his American film Confession--no surprise, since the film was based on the 1935 German production Mazurka. Kay Francis plays a onetime singer who confesses to the murder of her pianist, Basil Rathbone. In flashback, we learn that Rathbone had been responsible for the breakup of Francis's marriage. Years later, Rathbone came back into her life, this time with the intention of seducing Ms. Francis' grown daughter (Jane Bryan). In a variation of Madame X, Francis was stuck with the dilemma of deflecting Rathbone from his "mission"--and of keeping her true identity secret from her daughter. Prior to Mazurka, the Hans Rameau story upon which Confession was based had been filmed as a silent picture starring Gloria Swanson - Allrovi
97. Morgiana (1972)
106 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Klara and Viktoria are sisters. Their father dies, leaving most of his property to Klara. When Klara becomes involved with a man that her sister loves, Viktoria begins to plot her murder.
Director: Juraj Herz | Stars: Iva Janzurová, Josef Abrhám, Nina Divísková, Petr Cepek
Votes: 1,542
98. Careful, He Might Hear You (1983)
PG | 110 min | Drama
His mother dead, PS lives in Sydney with working-class Aunt Lila and Uncle George. When he's six or eight, his posh Aunt Vanessa descends from England. Named a co-guardian by PS's feckless,... See full summary »
Director: Carl Schultz | Stars: Wendy Hughes, Robyn Nevin, Nicholas Gledhill, John Hargreaves
Votes: 864
Brilliant, heartbreaking film! Unjustly and CRIMINALLY forgotten!
99. San Diego I Love You (1944)
Approved | 83 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance
A harried daughter tries to keep her wacky family together while trying to sell her eccentric father's latest invention, a collapsible life raft.
Director: Reginald Le Borg | Stars: Jon Hall, Louise Allbritton, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore
Votes: 181
Just a Great film. There is a charmingly brilliant scene where Virginia, the daughter of an inventor, convinces a bus driver, played by the great Buster Keaton, to leave his scheduled route and take a leisurely, romantic drive along the beach. Great stuff!
100. At Home Among Strangers, a Stranger Among His Own (1974)
97 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Set during the Civil War between the Reds and the Whites that followed the 1917 revolution in Russia
Director: Nikita Mikhalkov | Stars: Yuriy Bogatyryov, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Sergey Shakurov, Aleksandr Porokhovshchikov
Votes: 3,512
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