Foreign Movies - What Have You Gained?

I learned more from documentaries. For example Krautrock documentaries that cover the life of the 60s and 70s generation of youths in Germany. As members of Amon Duul II , Cluster, and others discuss their dislike for the Nazi party. Giving examples of how Hitler was rarely mentioned when they were growing up or how their parents generally refused to discuss the war with them.

If they asked about the concentration camps the adults generally acted like they knew nothing about it. I've always wondered if the youth in Germany resented that because they truly valued morality and their parents were a wake up call.

Teenagers in Germany who formed Krautrock bands rebelled against the old Germany. They seemed deeply offended by Nazis and that vibe was in their music. Can, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and several others used electronics which created a particular sound quality of a dark world . Could it be that the old Germany affected their lives and it surfaced through their music?

They wanted to create a new Germany and they expressed a lot through their music. Can used a generator for sounds that were sometimes nightmarish yet like the cosmic traveller affect you might hear in Far East Family Band or Klaus Schulze.

I strongly believe that their emotions brought on by their realization of the old Germany seriously affected their music and that they were young people searching for a better life with freedom and based on morals. Many of the Krautrock musicians seemed to have a disregard for the history of Germany and some hated it. Clearly that alone must have influenced their music to sound unique. I realize that Pink Floyd in the 60's were influential to musicians throughout Europe...but German Space Rock also sounded unique in its own way..

watching "foreign films" (meaning none-US films) is bread and butter for Friede and me; we actually watch more foreign films than US films. they are usually much more interesting than the pretty formulaic US films. there are of course exceptions; there are occasionally interesting US movies too

I agree with the sentiment of the opening post. For sure my perception of let's say Chinese, Russian, Iranian, Japanese,... society is influenced a lot by films I have seen from these countries. For sure they have shown me more than travelling (I've been to Russia, China, Japan, but for rather short times including work commitments). Not to mention the USA of course.

^ Good points! 

^ Well, I'm pretty certain that my intention was not to delve into the fields like developmental psychology.

The meaning of "intellectual" in the Cambridge dictionary is: relating to your ability to think and understand things, especially complicated ideas

moshkito wrote: Jacob Schoolcraft wrote: ... Giving examples of how Hitler was rarely mentioned when they were growing up or how their parents generally refused to discuss the war with them. ... Hi, This is very common. Both mom and dad went to their grave not saying a word, and mom was a "nurse" during her early 20's doing some nursing, on injured folks, to the point that all her life, I never saw her once put on a BAND AID on any of my brothers and sisters. The silence, is pretty obvious and in Germany even more so, since a lot of the "teachers" were folks that were "Nazi's" because there was no one else for all the teaching and education necessary. This is in that one "krautock" special that has 6 parts ... the only folks "qualified" to teach that were left over, were the ones that ... and the best that was suggested was ... never say anything! And above all ... SHUT UP! Dad left his Navy commission in Portugal, because they disliked his reviews of films and theatrical productions they thought were "subversive", which ended with dad leaving for Brazil to follow his literary work and design, and continue his writing. However a lot of this did not "end" there ... mom lost a brother to the fights after Salazar, and it was rumored that at least one other brother was a "communist" which was a group that were not specifically appreciated in Portugal and Spain. And even up to 5 years after dad passed away, this same government was still "checking out" my mom, with fake folks and situations. And all she was doing is just working on some of dad's stuff ... there were no politics. Just literature, to give you an idea! The "foreign films" that really hurt and get me, are the ones that look back at WW2 and how people got hurt and suffered and there were many of them, specially in France, where the resistance was a serious problem with people having to switch allegiances left and right every other week, to the point that whole family units broke apart and from then on, chaos ... !!! Other than that, I look at these things as all the "art" that I have never seen before and how well they color a different world. Unlike many folks, I do not see top films at all, and in my days with the PIFF (local film festival) I tried hard to get folks to go see the small stuff ... not the English, French, or American stuff ... and still 80% of the folks went to just those films! it was about the "fan" thing, and had nothing to do with film. I used to tell them that all those films will be on video (20 years ago ... now DVD), and you won't miss them, but the majority of the other films? YOU'LL NEVER SEE THEM OR HEARING ABOUT THEM ... PERIOD. All they could comment on was how unsocial I was and such a jerk! Look who's talking and think they are a vampire so they don't have to see themselves on a mirror! It doesn't matter how/what we see in it ... it's another part of the whole world, and sometimes it is a nice discovery ... though I doubt that many of us are capable enough to even consider seeing one of those places. And many of them in Africa and Latin America, are not always the most attractive things to see about the human spirit and life, sadly enough ... but there are still, great films, that slip by that we will never see or give a damn about. Sorry to sound angry about this ... but it's tough ... I suggest all the time "Visions of Light" because of how it shows cinematographers and how they "made" so many directors ... and yet, not a single person on this group has ever commented on it, and how valuable to understanding film and the work this documentary is ... one of the best ... but of course, it was Mosh that suggested and he can go to hell! You know, the light comes to everyone differently, and sometimes it has to show up ... in a way you don't like. So other than those that think the dark is more important than the light ... good luck in being able to unite the two and make sense of the inner experience of the universe! Movies, help ... except when they are Got Pun ... when the only help I get is in getting to the bathroom fast enough to throw up! Jacob Schoolcraft wrote: ... If they asked about the concentration camps the adults generally acted like they knew nothing about it. I've always wondered if the youth in Germany resented that because they truly valued morality and their parents were a wake up call. ... And they likely didn't. There was no immediate media like there was today, and sometimes you did not hear about things until a lot later. You gotta remember it was 80 years ago, and the "media" (mostly radio) was just getting started. and the only "news" that a lot of folks got, visually, were the bits and pieces at the local theater, most of which were advertising, btw ... even Orson Welles had to narrate several of these for the money to live! The one thing I have always stuck to was Edgar Froese in one of those segments ... it was a new time, a new place, with the past all gone, and no present ... we had the chance to create something new with no one criticizing it and saying it was wrong. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT, which helps the creativity all around ... nowadays, this is impossible since talent A posts 5 minutes of his music and he gets ripped senseless ... not even with sensitive critical comments. Jacob Schoolcraft wrote: ... I strongly believe that their emotions brought on by their realization of the old Germany seriously affected their music and that they were young people searching for a better life with freedom and based on morals. ... I think that the freedom to be able to do without a "professor" putting you down, and telling you that your piece of music was not worthy of the classics. In the end, a lot of the "Berlin" school folks as much as some of them were well educated, and continued their studies, were also the ones that decided that music was about experimenting and learning, not about notes and a song, or a format ... and this is the part of "progressive" that has been forgotten! One last detail ... the "krautrock" thing in Germany was not a music thing. It was an artistic upheaval as theater, film, and literature were also a part of it ... something that we don't like to discuss here because it makes the "solo" seem selfish and stupid! It's was more about the time and place and how it looked at itself, and it did it better than the American version that got stuck, and then killed most of itself by the drugs and the sex. Both NY and SF got raped by Aids later!

I totally agree with this! Don't mean to hijack the post with Krautrock...but it was important for me to see the film to basically have a clearer idea of the social environment of the German youth in those years. I was a young teenager in America collecting every Krautrock album I could get my hands on from about 72' onward. I sensed the vibe of theater and even on mid to late 70s releases like Guru Guru Tango Fango.

My dream would have been to visit the Zodiak Club to watch those bands perform. The uprising of the German youth during the late 60s in Berlin should have been a no Brainer to western culture. Should have been, but wasn't. Most Americans didn't acknowledge that concept of separation between two completely different mind sets of German culture. And all because it wasn't on a plastic lunch box..but yet...the music coming out of Germany was really meaningful and ran quite deeper than one would imagine. I influenced me to feel free spirited somehow. I see that film where Florian Fricke is walking into the Himalayas (I believe?), and that is a treasure..a precious moment with a message to me that I feel , but can't describe with words. Not unlike what people define as gnosis.

Hi,

My favourite film of last year was Argentina 1985, shot in 4:3 aspect ratio which I should have hated but I clearly didn't. I like a 'period drama' and this is a belter. Told me much about the politics of the troubled country and the many brave people that testified in the face of intimidation in order to bring members of the military Junta to justice. Should have walked away with best picture at the Oscars imo. 

I've seen a few foreign films including a few very good ones. My favorite or one of my favorites was the German film Nowhere In Africa. Typically I don't like reading while watching a movie though.