The Bicycle Thief / Bicycle Thieves (Ladri Di Biciclette) (1948) (Italy)

This is a fine example of mastery over simplicity and expressions. Applauded all over the world for its content and execution, you may find the movie very simple and straight. But I would like to suggest you two different ways to watch this movie if you still haven’t seen it. The story is about a person who needs a bicycle as a requisite to get a job. After he acquires it, giving away some of his belongings, he finds his bicycle has been stolen on the very first day of his job. Now the rest of the film is about how he goes on searching for his lost bicycle along with his 8-10 years old son. The hidden message of the movie is to see the journey of their search through the eyes of the child.

The director beautifully shows how a small child is totally dependent on his parents and completely helpless in situations out of his control. You can feel the pain and uneasiness experienced by the child as he witnesses his father doing different things to find his lost bicycle. Just see the movie keeping in mind the child and you will surely find new angles of expressions filmed brilliantly. The movie received an Honorary Oscar Award for its excellence and Indian master film-maker Satyajit Ray quoted this film as an influence on his choice of becoming a director.

If you have seen Bimal Roy’s “Do Bigha Zameen” then I would like to add that Bimal Roy also must have had “The Bicycle Thief” at the back of his mind while making the much appreciated Indian Classic. The main difference between the two is that “Do Bigha Zameen” goes too melodramatic and sentimental in its approach whereas the Italian Classic says it all without going over the top. Here lies the beauty of it which makes it better than the Bimal Roy’s movie. And this is the reason why I didn’t include “Do Bigha Zameen” in my must see movies list.

However while watching “The Bicycle Thief”, there was only one person in my mind who could play the lead if it was made in Hindi, and he was the highly respected “Mr. Balraj Sahni”. He was the only person who could have expressed the suffering of the bicycle owner in the right way, because he always thought through his heart and knew how to act without acting. So another way of watching “The Bicycle Thief” is thinking “Balraj Sahni” as the lead hero. That will again double your pleasure watching “The Bicycle Thief”. Go For It!

Directed By Vittorio De Sica

The Man Who Loved Women (1977) (French)

This is one of the most unusual and innovative kind of films which take you into the human psyche of a man and women. The film is about a middle aged man who is passionate about women and has numerous relationships in his life which is as fast as the speeding train. The director makes you understand what the male hero feels whenever he sees a beautiful woman and sometimes you feel that you may have felt the same in that situation. And later the hero also decides to write about all his relationships in a book, which is also accepted by a publisher. One of the best scene is when the women who is typing the manuscript of the book, refuses to type further as she cannot morally accept the content of the book. But its all depicted in a very light manner and the movie is not narrated in a normal way. Some may consider it as a kind of documentary work on the study of a man’s feelings towards women. But in any case the movie is enlightening enough as it also explains the thoughts of women in some situations on the other side. The greatness and the strong impact of the movie can be judged with its opening scene only. The first scene is about a graveyard where a man is being buried and there are all women and only women coming to attend his funeral. Truly entertaining and enlightening stuff, but not for the mainstream cinema lovers. Highly Recommended for all students of cinema.
Directed By Francois Truffaut
Starring : Charles Denner & Many Women

Life Is Beautiful (1997) (Italy)

The movie has a simple message which is very familiar to all of us, but only a few follow it. It simply tries to explain that “Life is a Game”, play it – enjoy it cause one day the game will end. Appreciated by critics and movie lovers all over the world, the movie is capable of winning hearts. It starts with a love story and has lighter moments of fun in the first half. Later the film gets serious as it enter the War Zone. The hero and his son are taken to a Concentration Camp in which he has to face all the hardships of a prisoner. But his son doesn’t take it as a prison, as according to his father this is all a game they are playing and the winning prize is a Tank. So the child is always explained the things from the point of view of a game and that’s a real insight and a brave attempt by the actor-director Roberto Benigni. All the explanations given to the child are written beautifully and the film is rightly titled “Life is Beautiful”. Watch it if you take your life as a gift from the almighty. And if possible do remember the message of this masterpiece, which says “Life is a Game”. Seriously Recommended to all friends.
Directed By Roberto Benigni (Also in lead role)

Amores Perros (2000) (Mexico – Spanish)

Here is another entry which goes into my list of “Most Disturbing Movies”. The movie is a kind of shock as its exceptionally bold in its content and storyline. It revolves around an accident and then moves into the life of all those people who get affected by that. The accident is re-lived from different angles and shows how it brings changes in the lives of all the characters. The most disturbing part is when the sweet puppy belonging to the model gets lost under the wooden flooring of the house and then comes out after many days crying. After watching this movie, you get a strange feeling which is a mixture of sadness and love. It is really an experience watching this highly appreciated movie. Simply not to be missed.
Directed By Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Oldboy (2003) (Korea)

The perfect example of the Brilliant, Impressive & Landmark movies made by this part of the world, Korea, in the present case. The movie was praised all over the world and was even copied by bollywood as “ZINDA”. But the hindi version could not incorporate the bold and blunt elements which can just shatter the mind of the viewer. I will not disclose the suspense part and only will like to say that it’s a film which goes in my list of “The Most Disturbing Movies”. You will be just awestruck as you go through the climax which is simply remarkable and stunning. It’s a kind of screenplay never attempted before on the silver screen. Don’t miss this unforgettable movie and see it as soon as you can.
Directed By Chan Wook Park

Babel (2006) (France – English)

This is a different kind of movie with different plots woven into one story. The director has attempted a similar kind of plot in his first movie also which was “Amores Perros”. But this time he has given more emphasis on emotions and love. All the stories just move into each other very gradually and you just go on watching how every single scene in the storyline is related to each other. As the story unfolds it keeps on opening more layers beautifully. All the characters live their roles very realistically and it all becomes quite believable. A very impressive and bold movie which also connects many cultures of the world in its brilliant screenplay. A must see for all who love this medium of storytelling.
Directed By Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Mohammed Akhzam & More

Children OF Heaven (1997) (Iran)

There are very few films made on and with children as the main characters. And this is one of those rare and classic movies which has won hearts all over the world. Its also one of the most famous movies which have earned the respect for Irani Cinema in all the countries. The story also deserves all the praises as it’s a beautiful thought portrayed on the celluloid. Its about a brother and sister who are from a poor family. The brother looses a pair of shoe of her sister when he is busy purchasing in the market for the house. Now they don’t want to tell this to their father as they know he doesn’t have the money to buy her a new pair. So they decide to share one pair of shoes to the school. It becomes possible as the girl is in a morning shift and the boy studies in the evening shift. How they manage with one pair for many days is a sheer delight to watch. And the story progresses when the boy decides to fight a race competition in which he can win a new pair of shoes as the second prize. So he says that he will not come first but will be second in the race to win the pair. The climax is just superb and there are no words to describe the emotions shown by all the child actors in the film. There are many more brilliant sequences in the movie worth watching many times. A film which will straight away win your heart and you will like to show it to all the members in your family. Don’t hesitate watching it as it is foreign language film. You will regret it if you choose to give this a miss. Strongly recommended for all in the family.
Directed By Majid Majidi

City Of God (2002) (Brazil)

This is the second most disturbing movie I have seen after “Irreversible”. The film is strictly not recommended to the young ones due to its high dosage of violence and bloodshed. It is a widely acclaimed Brazilian movie, mainly emphasizing on the children and youth involving in crime. Technically its a brilliant movie and a well shot film but it also has merciless killings and gang war scenes. The most disturbing scenes are of the killings by the children around the age of 10 & 15. It’s a rare thing imagining a scene where a child is fearlessly pressing the trigger, killing countless people and also has a big smile on his face. Another spine chilling scene is where a small child is shot at his feet and as he’s crying in pain, the other young ones are laughing at him. The film is based on real life happenings and the thought that it was all real at some place send shivers to the body. A very strong & bold movie, should not be seen with or by children as it can make a negative effect on the young minds. But strongly recommended for students of World Cinema.
Directed By Fernando Meirelles

Roshomon (1950)

Akira Kurosawa’s thought provoking extra ordinary movie revolving around a rape victim. The film is considered as among the Top 100 movies made all over the world. And it surely deserves that place as it entertains and at the same time makes you think about the human mind. There is a rape victim in the movie explaining her trauma and then the same incident is examined from the eyes of other characters related to the women. Each testimony gives a new angle to the story which is worth watching. The movie is slightly slow paced so you got to have patience watching this Kurosawa Classic but it is surely worth your time.
Directed By Akira Kurosawa
Starring : Toshiro Miffune, Takashi Shimura & More

Cinema Paradiso (1988) (Italy)

If you love cinema and art of making films, then you will simply fall in love with this classic movie from Italy. Its about the life of a filmmaker who has a close and lovable association with a projector operator in his village. The film beautifully captures the childhood, adolescence and the old age of different characters. There are many memorable sequences in the movie which will win your heart and you will like to remember them for a long time. Especially the sequences about the negatives collected by the child, the scene of fire in the theater which leads to serious consequences and brings changes in life of all the characters. There are great lessons of life in this flick, told in an impressive manner. Don’t miss a beautiful story of a lover told in a scene, which has many hidden meanings in it. The movie can change your view about love and the importance of a lover in our lives. A true classic movie based on cinema itself. Should not be missed at any cost. It will be a great loss missing it.

Directed By Giuseppe Tornatore
Starring : Phillippe Noiret & Marco Leonardi