Foreign Language Films and the Oscar : The Nominees and Winners, 1948-2017

The Academy Awards--that yearly Hollywood bash that brings together the glamour and glitz of the international film industry--is highly revered yet has been minimally explored beyond the category of Best Picture. Over the last decade, more than 2,000 films have been submitted for the title of Best Foreign Language Film. Of those, 312--including Italy's__8 1/2__, Sweden's__Through a Glass Darkly__and Mexico's__Pan's Labyrinth__, as well as Denmark's lesser-known__Harry and the Butler__, Yugoslavia's__I Even Met Happy Gypsies__and Nicaragua's__Alsino and the Condor__--have received nominations. This guide lists each nominee--from the first-honored__Shoeshine__in 1948 through Iran's second Oscar winner,__The Salesman__, in 2017--chronologically and includes synopses, basic facts about personnel and production qualities, and rankings among annual competitors that often differ from those of the Academy. The Academy Awards--that yearly Hollywood bash that brings together the glamour and glitz of the international film industry--is highly revered yet has been minimally explored beyond the category of Best Picture. Over the last decade, more than 2,000 films have been submitted for the title of Best Foreign Language Film. Of those, 312--including Italy's 8 1/2 , Sweden's Through a Glass Darkly and Mexico's Pan's Labyrinth , as well as Denmark's lesser-known Harry and the Butler , Yugoslavia's I Even Met Happy Gypsies and Nicaragua's Alsino and the Condor --have received nominations. This guide lists each nominee--from the first-honored Shoeshine in 1948 through Iran's second Oscar winner, The Salesman , in 2017--chronologically and includes synopses, basic facts about personnel and production qualities, and rankings among annual competitors that often differ from those of the Academy. Volumes have been written about the Academy Awards - that yearly Hollywood bash that brings together the glamour, glitter and Oscar gold of the international film industry - but few books have dealt directly with specific categories beyond Best Picture. Foreign Language Films and the Oscar does just that, and it's an eye-opener for true cinephiles. "This guide lists each nominee--from the first-honored Shoeshine in 1948 through Iran's second Oscar winner, The Salesman, in 2017--chronologically and includes synopses, basic facts about personnel and production qualities, and rankings among annual opponents that differ from those of the Academy"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Table of Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 12 The Honorable Years: 1948–1956 18 Making Waves: 1957–1967 26 New Realities: 1968–1973 61 In the Doldrums: 1974–1986 81 Fabulous Flicks: 1987–2000 122 Political Perspectives: 2001–2017 165 Index 218