90s CINEMA

[oscar jubis]

The 1990s was one of the best decades in the history of American cinema because of the coming-of-age of an independent movement. How did it come about? A brief flashback. The Hollywood studio system lost power and influence somewhere in the early 60s. A crop of new filmmakers appeared. These were influenced by Italian Neo-Realism and the French New Wave,and buoyed by the counterculture and the rise of cinephilia. Their films were for the most part financed by the studios, now willing to give decision-making power and artistic freedom to the directors. The last half of the 60s and first half of the 70s make up a decade when several emerging American directors (Altman, Scorsese, etc.) produced a crop of outstanding films. Then came Jaws and Star Wars, which gave birth to the era of the blockbuster by breaking box office records. Hollywood decided to invest in the production and marketing of banal spectacles highly dependent on costly special effects which appealed primarily to youth looking for escapism (even critic Pauline Kael, by then a populist who rarely reviewed so-called art films, decried this lamentable development). As a result, the 1980s is probably and arguably the worst decade in the history of American movies.

Of course there were excellent American films made every year of that decade, but less of them. I've come to this personal conclusion fairly recently, after four decades of compulsive movie watching. There have always been American independent movies or "amerindies". Among my favorites: Salt of the Earth (1954), Shadows (1958), Wanda (1970), and Eraserhead(1977). But by the late 80s, these no longer seemed isolated products by renegade mavericks but part of a growing movement inspired by the Do It Yourself (DIY) ethos of the punk rock scene, fed by college film programs, and supported by institutions such as the Sundance Institute and its film festival. The mainstream press took notice in 1989, when Jarmusch's Mystery Train, Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies and Videotape, and Gus van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy were released in close proximity. Yet this was only the beginning. The indie movement truly came of age in the 90s. Hollywood responded by investing a modest but significant amount of its vast resources into projects by young filmmakers with a vision (not unlike what happened 20 years earlier). As a result, American cinema in general experienced a renaissance.

[oscar jubis]

There are more French movies on my foreign-language lists than movies from any other country. It's not because I particularly favor films from France (I don't even speak French) and it's not because the 90s were the best decade in French cinema. Do French films get better distribution in the U.S.A. than films from elsewhere? Perhaps so, but I don't think this accounts for their high output of quality movies. Consider for instance how many 90s films directed by excellent French directors Jacques Rivette, Philippe Garrel, and my beloved Alain Resnais never turned up at American theatres. The obvious conclusion is that, with the exception of the 1940s, France has consistently produced great cinema since the origins of the medium. Only the United States can reasonably make a similar claim. Moreover, what became clear to me during the 90s is that, as far as European cinema is concerned, Spain took second place as Italy and Germany experienced a serious decline (German cinema appears to be coming out of the dark as of late. I wish I could say the same about Italy, but Gianni Amelio is the only Italian director producing consistently at a high level).

There were interesting films coming from several Latin American countries during the 90s. Among them: Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brasil and Argentina. But we had to wait until the current decade to experience the explosion of new talent from the southern half of our hemisphere. In particular, what's happening right now in Argentina is unprecendented. Mexico and Brasil are close behind. And Chile is finally developing what can be rightly called a film industry.

Yet what concerns us here is the 1990s, when the groundbreaking films were actually coming out of Asia and the Middle East. From China proper: 5th-generation directors Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou were at the top of their game and top-tier film festivals took notice. Other important Chinese directors of that generation, like Tian Zhuangzhuang, were less successful in circumventing obstacles placed by the all-powerful Communist party. From Hong Kong: Stanley Kwan and Wong Kar Wai, the latter becoming as famous worldwide among film buffs as Fellini or Bergman had been. During the second half of the 90s, South Korea experienced a creative surge in filmmaking, which sprang from the country's political and social changes. Hur Jin-ho, Im Kwon-taek and Hong Sang-soo are my favorite Korean directors, but there were many others producing remarkable films. Kim ki-duk and and Park Chan-wook have achieved wide popularity, especially among younger film lovers. A crop of Iranian filmmakers, led by the great Abbas Kiarostami, created wonderful movies characterized by hidden complexities beneath seemingly simple narrative facades.

And finally, the enigma of late 20th century cinephilia: how did tiny Taiwan, that island nation obsessed with business and technology, produce three masters of the art of cinema of the stature of Tsai Ming Liang, Edward Yang, and Hou Hsiao Hsien? The latter has been called "currently the world's best narrative filmmaker" and the label is well deserved. What's frustrating for me, here in the USA, is the poor distribution and exhibition of Taiwanese cinema during the 90s. Only Tsai Ming Liang received anything approaching adequate dissemination of his filmography.

[oscar jubis]

I've been compiling lists of favorite movies and directors since middle school. That was a long time ago. Yet I've rarely if ever made lists of favorite actors or performances. Moreover, I find it difficult to properly describe a performance and to write intelligently about acting. I think this is as common among amateurs like myself as well as professional film critics (who often come to film from unrelated fields). As a matter of fact, the two American critics who provided consistent insight into film acting are either dead (Pauline Kael) or long retired (Manny Farber).

When I write about film I dedicate more space to the work of directors, writers and cinematographers than actors. I concentrate on a given performance almost exclusively when it is significantly accomplished, or significantly detrimental to the overall picture. Then again, I respond to great acting as much as anybody and the performances listed below have given me great joy and inspiration. If movie appreciation is subjective, rating a performance is even more so, for many reasons. Chief among them is the difficulty in separating performance from the nature of the character (For instance, is Reese Witherspoon's Oscar-winning performance in Walk the Line the best one of 2005? Perhaps the fact that Ms. June Carter Cash was such a wonderful, generous, talented and attractive human being played a part in swaying Academy voters.) Please don't take the order too seriously, even though the top five (or so) are, in my humble opinion, among the best performances in the history of cinema. Let's start with the females:

JENNIFER JASON LEIGH---- (Georgia)
ROMANE BOHRINGER-------(Savage Nights)
CRISSY ROCK------------- (Ladybird, Ladybird)
JULIETTE BINOCHE-------- (Three Colors: Blue)
EMILY WATSON----------- (Breaking the Waves)
AMANDA PLUMMER-------- (Butterfly Kiss)
SANDRINE BONNAIRE------ (Joan the Maid)
BRENDA BLETHYN--------- (Secrets & Lies)
EMMANUELLE BEART------- (A Heart in Winter)
ISABELLE HUPPERT-------- (La Separation)
MERYL STREEP------------ (Bridges of Madison County)
KATRIN CARTLIDGE-------- (Claire Dolan)
MARIBEL VERDU----------- (Lovers)
HOLLY HUNTER------------ (The Piano)
MAGGIE CHEUNG----------- (The Actress)
GONG LI------------------- (Shanghai Triad)
LUMI CAVAZOS-------------(Like Water For Chocolate)
CECILIA ROTH------------- (All About My Mother)
PENELOPE CRUZ----------- (Jamon, Jamon)
NATACHA REGNIER--------- (The Dreamlife of Angels)

[oscar jubis]

HENRY CZERNY--------- (The Boys of St. Vincent)
SEAN PENN------------- (Dead Man Walking)
EAMONN OWENS-------- (The Butcher Boy)
HARVEY KEITEL--------- (Bad Lieutenant)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS----- (In the Name of the Father)
BILLY BOB THORNTON--- (Sling Blade)
ULISES DUMONT-------- (Yepeto)
DAVID THEWLIS-------- (Naked)
FEDERICO LUPPI-------- (Martin-H)
TIMOTHY SPALL-------- (Secrets & Lies)
JIM CARREY------------ (The Cable Guy)
DANNY GLOVER--------- (To Sleep with Anger)
JIM BROADBENT-------- (Topsy-Turvy)
DANIEL AUTEUIL-------- (My Favorite Season)
JEREMY IRONS---------- (Reversal of Fortune)
RUSSELL CROWE-------- (The Insider)
RAY WISE-------------- (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON---- (Jungle Fever)
JOE PESCI-------------- (Goodfellas)

[Johann]

I thought I'd seen a lot of movies oscar.
You put me to shame in that dept.

Your lists reinforce how many films I still need to see or watch again. But that's a great thing, an exciting incentive/prospect.

I might be dropping anchor in Ottawa again- I'm being needled.
Plus I'm considering going to the T.O. fest this year.
I wanna meet Roger Ebert- get him to sign my copy of Book of Film, get a photo... He usually comes to the Toronto fest.

[oscar jubis]

Toronto...I have great memories of the '95 fest but can't afford to go this year and make new ones. Perhaps I should watch less movies and work more hours... Maybe I'm too much like the protagonist of Somerset Maugham's "The Razor's Edge"...

Ebert is a regular fixture at Toronto. He's hosted festival tributes to Duvall, Scorsese and Beatty, and he has introduced personal faves as part of the fest's Dialogues: Talking with Pictures series. In '95, Siskel and him had a 90-minute live show in which they discussed films using chosen clips. Sold out in minutes I was told.

My "90s project" at filmleaf is coming to an end. One more, very long post listing important, highly regarded films of that decade not available on dvd. Half the films listed have never been released on any format! Basically what this means, given the way cinema is consumed nowadays, is that these are movies in danger of oblivion or extinction.

[oscar jubis]

Basically, this is my dvd wish list for the 90s. There are two lists for each year: one for films never released on any format in the USA; a second one for films released on highly perishable and obsolete vhs. Many of these tapes have become rare or extinct, often the copies available for purchase are expensive and worn out (a few out-of-print and subpar dvds are included too).

It's a fact that the number of "repertory" theatres has been shrinking for two decades and that yesterday's movies are consumed at home on digital discs (What would Henri Langlois say?). Films that are not released on this format will fall into permanent oblivion. There are thousands of movies released worldwide every year and to the bulk of them I say: "good riddance". But I think extinction of the films listed below would constitute a great cultural loss (I think it's particularly important to preserve the 20 American films on these lists; documentaries, film essays, and fiction independents of significant educational and entertainment value).

More than half are movies I would like to watch again because they are special. The remainder are films I have never seen that have been highly regarded by critics and juries of major film festivals (underlined titles). Coming up with these lists involved a great deal of research and there are likely errors. I would appreciate comments from anyone wishing to point them out or to suggest titles deemed worthy of inclusion. Hopefully I'll find myself editing out newly-available titles often.

1990

NO, or THE VAIN GLORY OF COMMAND (Manoel de Oliveira)
NOUVELLE VAGUE (Jean Luc Godard)
BLACK SNOW (Fei Xie)
FALLEN FROM HEAVEN (Francisco Lombardi)
HOW TO LIVE IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (Harun Farocki)
AMELIA LOPEZ O'NEILL (Valeria Sarmiento)
THE STING OF DEATH (Oguri Kohei)
THE FAMINE WITHIN (Katherine Gilday)
LETTERS FROM ALOU (Montxo Armendariz)
LE PETIT CRIMINEL (Jacques Doillon)

SONG OF EXILE (Ann Hui) rare vhs
AY CARMELA! (Carlos Saura) vhs
LARKS ON A STRING (Jiri Menzel) vhs
URANUS (Claude Berri) vhs
TILAI (Idrissa Ouedraogo) vhs
LIFE IS SWEET (Mike Leigh) rare dvd

1991

A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang)
I DON'T HEAR THE GUITAR ANYMORE (Philippe Garrel)
WOMAN OF THE PORT (Arturo Ripstein)
THE SUSPENDED STEP OF THE STORK (Theo Angelopoulos)
GERMANY 90 NINE ZERO (J.L. Godard)
HORS LA VIE (Maroun Bagdadi)
PRINCE OF SHADOWS (Pilar Miro)
PARIS AWAKENS (Olivier Assayas)

BUTTERFLY WINGS (Juanma Bajo Ulloa) rare vhs
LIFE AND NOTHING MORE (Abbas Kiarostami) vhs
TOTO THE HERO (Jaco van Dormael) vhs
THE HOURS AND THE TIMES (Christopher Munch) vhs
LOVERS (Vicente Aranda) vhs
VAN GOGH (Maurice Pialat) vhs
THE OX (Sven Nykvist) vhs
NIGHT AND DAY (Chantal Akerman) vhs

1992

THE ACTRESS (Stanley Kwan)
THE LAST BOLSHEVIK (Chris Marker)
PARAJANOV: THE LAST SPRING (Mikhail Vartanov)
ONCE UPON A TIME, CINEMA (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
GUELWAAR (Ousmane Sembene)
AN INDEPENDENT LIFE (Vitaly Kanevsky)
LA FRONTERA (Ricardo Larrain)

DREAM OF LIGHT (Victor Erice) rare vhs
THE PANAMA DECEPTION (Barbara Trent) rare vhs
THE STOLEN CHILDREN (Gianni Amelio) rare vhs
THE LONG DAY CLOSES (Terence Davies) vhs
THE BEST INTENTIONS (Bille August) vhs
THE OAK (Lucian Pintilie) vhs
SAVAGE NIGHTS (Cyril Collard) vhs
A PLACE IN THE WORLD (Adolfo Aristarain) vhs
THE LAST DAYS OF CHEZ NOUS (Gillian Armstrong) vhs
VACAS (Julio Medem) rare dvd

1993

SMOKING/NOT SMOKING (Alain Resnais)
WHISPERING PAGES (Alexandr Sokurov)
EXTERIOR LIGHT (Mark Rappaport)
THE BIRTH OF LOVE (Philippe Garrel)
FROM THE EAST (Chantal Akerman)
MAN BY THE SHORE (Raoul Peck)
BUCCANEER SOUL (Carlos Reichenbach)
THE BEGINNING AND THE END (Arturo Ripstein)

THE WOMEN FROM THE LAKE OF SCENTED SOULS (Fei Xie) vhs,bad subs
LATCHO DROM (Tony Gatlif) vhs
RUBY IN PARADISE (Victor Nunez) vhs
THE RED SQUIRREL (Julio Medem) vhs
MATINEE (Joe Dante) rare dvd
THE PUPPET MASTER (Hou Hsiao Hsien) subpar dvd

1994

SATANTANGO (Bela Tarr)
THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES (Abbas Kiarostami)
COLD WATER (Olivier Assayas)
COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER (Deborah Hoffman)
U.S. GO HOME (Claie Denis)
HIGH SCHOOL II (Frederick Wiseman)
DIEU SAIT QUOI (Jean-Daniel Pollet)
A CONFUCIAN CONFUSION (Edward Yang)
RED ROSE WHITE ROSE (Stanley Kwan)
CITIZEN LANGLOIS (Edgardo Cozarinsky)
COMING TO TERMS WITH THE DEAD (Pascale Ferran)

UP, DOWN, FRAGILE (Jacques Rivette) rare vhs
AN UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER (Lucian Pintilie) rare vhs
THE DAY THE SUN TURNED COLD (Yim Ho) rare vhs
FAST TRIP, LONG DROP (Gregg Bordowitz) rare vhs
LADYBIRD, LADYBIRD (Ken Loach) vhs
BLUSH (Li Shaohong) vhs
ASHES OF TIME (Wong Kar Wai) subpar dvd
WILD REEDS (Andre Techine) rare dvd

1995

JOUR DE FETE-color version (Jacques Tati)
2X50 YEARS OF FRENCH CINEMA (Jean Luc Godard)
JLG BY JLG (Jean Luc Godard)
WHEN IT RAINS (Charles Burnett)
SALAAM CINEMA (Mohsen Mahkmalbaf)
SEE HOW THEY FALL (Jacques Audiard)
PATRON (Jorge Rocca)
DON'T FORGET YOU'RE GOING TO DIE (Xavier Beauvois)
BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE BIG BLUE SEA (Marion Hansel)

ART FOR TEACHERS OF CHILDREN (Jennifer Montgomery) extinct vhs
LE CONFESSIONNAL (Robert Lepage) vhs
BANG (Ash) vhs
THE WHITE BALLOON (Jafar Panahi) vhs
LAND AND FREEDOM (Ken Loach) vhs
BEYOND THE CLOUDS (Michelangelo Antonioni) rare dvd
FROM THE JOURNALS OF JEAN SEBERG (Mark Rappaport) rare dvd

1996

THE PHANTOM HEART (Philippe Garrel)
COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (Peter Chan)
THE DAY A PIG FELL INTO THE WELL (Hong Sang-soo)
L'APPARTEMENT (Guilles Mimouni)
A MOMENT OF INNOCENCE (Mohsen Mahkmalbaf)
MAHJONG (Edward Yang)
ORIENTAL ELEGY (Alexandr Sokurov)
THE SUICIDE (Gregg Bordowitz)
THE DOG IN THE MANGER (Pilar Miro)
LETGOHAND VASKA (Peter Gothar)
DRIFTING CLOUDS (Aki Kaurismaki)
A PETAL (Jang Sun-woo)
TOO LATE (Lucian Pintilie)
HOW ANGELS ARE BORN (Murillo Salles)

JAZZ '34:REMEMBRANCES OF KANSAS CITY SWING (Robert Altman) rare vhs
NIGHTJOHN (Charles Burnett) rare vhs
THIEVES (Andre Techine) vhs
NENETTE AND BONI (Claire Denis) vhs
THE QUIET ROOM (Rolf de Heer) vhs
THREE LIVES AND ONLY ONE DEATH (Raul Ruiz) vhs

1997

BLUE MOON (Ko-I Cheng)
PUBLIC HOUSING (Frederick Wiseman)
SUZAKU (Naomi Kawase)
KITCHEN (Jim Ho)
THREE STORIES (Kira Muratova)
THE OYSTER AND THE WIND (Walter Lima, Jr.)
LIFE IS ALL YOU GET (Wolfgang Becker)

SAME OLD SONG (Alain Resnais) vhs
TANGO LESSON (Sally Potter) vhs
BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT (Emir Kusturica) vhs
DESTINY (Yousef Chahine) vhs
WESTERN (Manuel Poirier) vhs

1998

INQUIETUDE (Manoel de Oliveira)
THE APPLE (Samira Mahkmalbaf)
HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA (Jean Luc Godard)
CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST (Jin-ho Hur)
KHROUSTALIOV MY CAR! (Alexei Guerman)
MR. ZAO (Lu Yue)
VIETNAM: LONG TIME COMING (Blumenthal/Gilbert)
DANCE ME TO MY SONG (Rolf de Heer)
CIRCLE'S SHORT CIRCUIT (Caspar Stracke)
SOMBRE (Philippe Grandieux)
DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE (Ziba Mir-Hosseini)
WIND WITH THE GONE (Alejandro Agresti)
THE FARM: ANGOLA,USA (Garbus/Rideau)
DIVINE (Arturo Ripstein)

CABARET BALKAN (Goran Paskaljevic) vhs
WEST BEIRUT (Ziad Doueiri) vhs

1999

BELFAST, MAINE (Frederick Wiseman)
JUAN, I FORGOT, I DON'T REMEMBER (Juan Rulfo)
YEPETO (Eduardo Calcagno)
CLOUDS OF MAY (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
THE CARRIERS ARE WAITING (Benoit Mariage)
GOD'S WEDDING (Joao Cesar Monteiro)
THRONE OF DEATH (Murali Nair)
SACHS' DISEASE (Michel Deville)
SICILIA! (Straub/Huillet)
NEGATIVE SPACE (Chris Petit)

SET ME FREE (Lea Pool) vhs

[Johann]

Important and impressive post oscar.

Film preservation is an extremely noble cause.
So many people don't know what they're missing.
A tragedy.
So few understand the "cultural" part of what you posted.

Cinema is a very existential thing, like a song, or even the words I'm typing now.

You can't really retract it.

I think I read in an HST book or somewhere that there will be less geniuses in the future.

Why?

COMMUNICATION.

But we have shafts of hope and light to guide us, people like Marty Scorsese & Stanley Kubrick & many other film industry people who take/took film preservation seriously.

Roger Ebert said movies make us better people.
He's right. Only cinephiles really know what that means.

"In a dark time
the eye
begins to see"

[oscar jubis]

Watching movies makes us better people because movies are windows to worlds, persons and points of view different than our own. Ignorance and insensitivity are negative forces that need to be defeated via the search for knowledge and the development of empathy. Cinema can be a conduit to precisely that. This doesn't mean we should frown on movies that provide sheer escapism and entertainment (I'm a huge fan of the films of Peter Jackson and I'll never forget the message of Sullivan's Travels). But perhaps at their most sublime, films are bridges of understanding and portals to everything that exalts our spirit.

Someone could argue that there are more than enough movies out there, in theatres and home video formats, to feed the most insatiable cinephile. I don't think that's open for debate. I watched 312 movies during the first half of 2006 yet my netflix queue is at 71 titles and growing. The point of my last post is not that there aren't enough films to watch. The rationale for the list is that each of those films that remain unavailable amounts to a unique voice being silenced, a boarded-up window to a particular and specific place.

I love your comment about the "shaft of hope and light", past and present, fighting to preserve, distribute, and exhibit a century of worthy cinema. Mr. Scorsese has even become a teacher of sorts on his excellent video surveys of American and Italian cinema.

I'm still pondering this idea you planted that there'll be less geniuses in the future. I associate genius with originality. Perhaps there's less of that going around. Or perhaps truly original works are harder to access because the "gate keepers" don't know what to make of them...

[Johann]

Well said, Sir, well said.

"boarded up windows"- great analogy.
It's so true that undistributed films are cultural losses.

The idea that there will be less geniuses in the future stuck with me when I read it and it seems to be true.
People just don't communicate like they used to.
Even 20 years ago people talked freely about anything- politics, Hollywood, whatever. Now everyone is AFRAID to say anything. They'll get locked up! Big Brother will come a-knockin'!

I agree genius is close to originality.
But I also think genius is tied tight to consciousness.

What I wonder about is just how many people are conscious.
It seems as though most people are the Living Dead.
"Asleep", as Jarmusch kindly put it.
Zombies, arms outstretched as they lumber down the street...

In my warped mind I wanna be one of those people that Kerouac wrote about:
Mad, Mad to Live, Mad to Die, burning, burning like a Roman candle.


It's a hard road to hoe, but in the meantime.... :)

[Johann]

What can you tell us about Histiores du Cinema?

I've been trying to find it in video stores but no one carries it!

[oscar jubis]

Kerouac is certainly an inspiration. I think true cinema genius requires being perceptive, observant, and able to forget every film one has seen. I think someone from a rural area in Asia or Africa who has never seen a movie would make a more interesting and original movie than a cinema junkie like me.

The title Histoire(s) du Cinema sounds like a filmed encyclopedia of world cinema but it isn't that at all. It's a 20-years-in-the-making Godard project consisting of 8 episodes lasting between 26 and 38 minutes about "his secret cinema of formative viewing experiences, personal illuminations and epiphanies". It's a highly concentrated, multi-layered audiovisual essay that likely requires and rewards repeat viewings.
Check out these screen captures (http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/godard_historys_images.html).

Histoire(s) has been available on home video only in Japan (for a small fortune). Gaumont France is scheduled to release a 4-disc box on July 26th, priced at about 50 E. I haven't been able to find out if it has English subs. A guy from Hong Kong sells dvd-r copies for under $40 US, but admits the images are "vhs-quality". I'm convinced Histoire(s) will eventually get a proper US or UK release (it's too notorious to be forgotten) so I'll wait until then.

[Johann]

Huge thanks for the info!

The VanCity theatre has "Histoires" in their archives- I talked to a volunteer about it at the box-office when I noticed the soundtrak sitting behind him on a shelf. I asked what it was- it had Godard's name & HISTOIRES Du CINEMA on it- a large box set, bigger than a CD box set. He didn't know much about it except that it was the soundtrack and he didn't know if it was a companion to the print or if it was just music, or what.

It was a large black box set, like an "encyclopedia".

I'll try to find out more.

[Johann]

Powerful screen captures, by the way.

They remind one of Chris Marker, or even Greenaway's superimpositions.

[oscar jubis]

Right on both counts. The captures look like Greenaway's superimpositions and the whole project uses methods and delves into themes common to Marker. Marker's latest, Immemory is apparently available exclusively as a CD-Rom. My guess is that the black box set you saw at the VanCity theatre is the CD-Rom version of Histoire(s). It could also be the Japanese dvd version but it's less likely because you would notice the Japanese writing.

[Sano]

Great effort Oscar!!!

I also like to find obscure titles and inform people that more movies should be available on home video.

Some of the films you've mentioned I consider masterpieces, but I haven't seen many from the ones listed.

I could provide you with some additional films from the 90s I consider to be important but which aren't readily available everywhere:


1990
Docteur Petiot (Christian de Chalonge / France)
God afton, Herr Wallenberg - En Passionshistoria från verkligheten Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg (Kjell Grede / Sweden, Hungary, Norway)

1991
Niaz The Need (Alireza Davoudnejad / Iran)
Trys dienos Three Days (Sharunas Bartas / Soviet Union)
Verfehlung (Heiner Carow / Germany)

1992
El viaje The Voyage (Fernando E. Solanas / Argentina, Mexico, UK, Spain, France)
Goh-hime Basara - The Princess Goh (Hiroshi Teshigahara / Japan)
Topâzu Tokyo Decadence (Ryu Murakami / Japan)

1993
Charachar Shelter of the Wings (Buddhadev Dasgupta / India)
God sobaki The Year of a Dog (Semyon Aranovich / Russia, France)
Lan feng zheng The Blue Kite (Tian Zhuangzhuang / China, Hong Kong)

1994
Koridorius The Corridor (Sharunas Bartas / Lithuania, Germany)
Otaku (Jackie Batiste, Jean-Jacques Beineix / France, Japan)

1995
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life (Stephen and Timothy Quay / UK, Germany, Japan)
Lust och fägring stor Love Lessons (Bo Widerberg / Sweden, Denmark)
Unter der Milchstraße Under the Milky Way (Mathias X. Oberg / Germany)

1996
Few of Us (Sharunas Bartas / Lithuania, Portugal, France, Germany)
Swallowtail (Shunji Iwai / Japan)

1997
Kyua Cure (Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Japan)
Mai fu Surveillance (Jianxin Huang, Yazhou Yang / China)
Nettoyage à sec Dry Cleaning (Anne Fontaine / France, Spain)
Photographing Fairies (Nick Willing / UK)
Verrückt bleiben - verliebt bleiben (Elfi Mikesch / Germany)

1998
Alone. Life Wastes Andy Hardy (Martin Arnold / Austria)
Il fantasma dell'opera The Phantom of the Opera (Dario Argento / Italy, Hungary)
Kanzo sensei Dr. Akagi (Shohei Imamura / Japan, France)

1999
Balkan baroque (Pierre Coulibeuf / France)
Models (Ulrich Seidl / Austria)
Pripyat (Nikolaus Geyrhalter / Austria)


PS:
"Life is all you get" used to be one of my favorites some years ago, but it's actually nothing special. There are dozens of better german films from the 90s.

[oscar jubis]

Thank you for your contribution. I will respond to part of your list now. I'll deal with the remaining titles in a future post.

Originally posted by Sano
I could provide you with some additional films from the 90s I consider to be important but which aren't readily available everywhere:
1990
Docteur Petiot (Christian de Chalonge / France)
This interesting-sounding film is available here on vhs. I have not seen it yet.

Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg (Kjell Grede / Sweden, Hungary, Norway)
A good film. Available here on dvd.

1991
Niaz The Need (Alireza Davoudnejad / Iran)
Available here on vhs. I plan to watch it soon. My local video shop has a copy.

Trys dienos Three Days (Sharunas Bartas / Soviet Union)
One of several titles by Bartas included on your list. None of his films has had wide distribution. None available on home video.

Verfehlung (Heiner Carow / Germany)
Unavailable here. Carow's Coming Out played at our Gay and Lesbian FF and is available on dvd.

1992
El viaje The Voyage (Fernando E. Solanas / Argentina, Mexico, UK, Spain, France)
I've been a fan of Solanas for decades. I watched this at the Miami IFF, a good political allegory but not available on video. Solanas' masterpiece is called Sur. Also very good Tangos: El Exilio de Gardel and The Cloud (which I watched during a trip to Buenos Aires). Solanas has turned to the documentary form over the past few years.

Goh-hime Basara - The Princess Goh (Hiroshi Teshigahara / Japan)
Teshigahara's last film is available on a dvd (region free, with English subs) released in Hong Kong by Panorama.

Tokyo Decadence (Ryu Murakami / Japan)
I watched this story of a submissive prostitute who specializes in s&m. Murakami wants to both titillate and provoke thought and the contradictory aims cancel each other out. Film is quite stylish though. Available on dvd.

1993
Charachar Shelter of the Wings (Buddhadev Dasgupta / India)
Premise sounds lovely. I would be very interested in watching it. Not your typical Bollywwod film. Not on video anywhere apparently.

God sobaki The Year of a Dog (Semyon Aranovich / Russia, France)
Winner of the Silver Bear at Berlin. Not on video.

The Blue Kite (Tian Zhuangzhuang / China, Hong Kong)
A masterpiece. I've seen it thrice. Available on dvd.

1994
Otaku (Jackie Batiste, Jean-Jacques Beineix / France, Japan)
Very interesting doc. Not available here but obviously it should be.

1995
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life (Stephen and Timothy Quay / UK, Germany, Japan)
I like the films by the Quays and this is no exception. Available on dvd. If you like the Quays, check out the films of Canadian director Guy Maddin.

Lust och fägring stor Love Lessons (Bo Widerberg / Sweden, Denmark)
Very good film released here under the title All Things Fair. Available on dvd.

Unter der Milchstraße Under the Milky Way (Mathias X. Oberg / Germany)
I attended the Toronto Film Fest in 1995 when it had its world premiere but didn't see it.

[Sano]

The three films by Bartas are available on VHS in the Netherlands. Don't know how to purchase them though...

Tokyo Decadence is available on DVD only in a censored version (20 to 40 minutes missing, depending on the sources) an uncut VCD seems to be available in HongKong (maybe via Yesasia).
For me this is one of the best Japanese films. Don't think their is any titillation though - film seemed very depressing to me.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Sano
1996
Swallowtail (Shunji Iwai / Japan)
I liked Iwai's Love Letter ('95) very much and I would like to watch this follow-up. I think this is available in Asia but can't confirm.

1997
Kyua Cure (Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Japan)
Good film. Available on dvd.

Mai fu Surveillance (Jianxin Huang, Yazhou Yang / China)
Not available but also not curious.

Dry Cleaning (Anne Fontaine / France, Spain)
Good film. Available on dvd.

Photographing Fairies (Nick Willing / UK)
Worth watching. Available on vhs.

Verrückt bleiben - verliebt bleiben (Elfi Mikesch / Germany)
Not shown outside Germany as far as I know. Not available.

1998
Alone. Life Wastes Andy Hardy (Martin Arnold / Austria)
I would love to watch this ingenious short. Popular in film schools from what I'm told.

The Phantom of the Opera (Dario Argento / Italy, Hungary)
IMdb voters rate this as the worst of the 28 films Argento has written or directed. Even the screen captures look awful. I'm not a fan of the Italian shockmeister but I liked Suspiria (great cast) and Deep Red.

Dr. Akagi (Shohei Imamura / Japan, France)
A Great film. Available on dvd.

1999
Balkan baroque (Pierre Coulibeuf / France)
This doc is a 2000 release.

Models (Ulrich Seidl / Austria)
I didn't like his fiction move (Dog Days) but this expose of unbridled narcissism sounds appealing even if the target is a bit too obvious.

Pripyat (Nikolaus Geyrhalter / Austria)
This doc about the titular Ukrainian village located 5 kms. from Chernobyl was shown by The Sundance Channel here but I was busy with festival press screenings. I wish I had taped it because it's otherwise not available.