Amph Time Out NY's top 50 foreign films of all times: 33. "The Four Hundred Blows" (1959)

34. THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957)

"Much of the prestige (and, to be fair, the intimidation) that accrues around foreign films can be attributed to this towering Swedish classic?but it?s not as difficult as you might think. Yes, our medieval Crusader hero (a sapling-young Max von Sydow) squares off against Death in a chuckleworthy chess match. Yet the brilliance of Ingmar Bergman?s psychodrama comes in the way it turns its beard-stroking symbology into a gripping experience for anyone with a little curiosity.?JR"

 

33. THE FOUR HUNDRED BLOWS (1959)

"François Truffaut?s indelible first feature helped put the French New Wave on the map. The film chronicles the troubled existence of cocky teenager Antoine Doinel, beautifully played by the precocious Jean-Pierre Léaud, who would revisit the character over four more movies. Truffaut also captures the profound somberness of postwar France, which is brought home in a heartbreaking final freeze-frame of Antoine alone by the seaside.?KU"

 

It's easy to see why Truffaut's debut attracted so much attention for him.
It's my favorite Truffaut and my favorite French film

This scene alone, reportedly improvised, is one of my favorites. Brilliant acting,
totally naturalistic.

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