ILX TOP 50 FILMS OF 2000-2004 BALLOTS/VOTING - ends Jan. 3

Ocean's 11, sweet Jesus. Come to some non-Hitler furrin films with me this weekend, hon!

Well, he did include two of them in the film, didn't he? Though maybe the problem is that he didn't treat them as representatives of a minority rather than characters in story, whose ethnicity has no relevance, only their personality, which is why people don't think of the as "ethnic". Which I think should be seen as a positive thing.

(x-post)

Race does matter in France, but should race matter in every French movie, even in such a non-realist flick as Amélie?

I also didn't nominate L'Esquive, one of my fave films that debuted in NYC this year, about Muslim kids in a Paris project (won a buncha Cesars):

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=1506

Or maybe not if, like me, you think that's a gross exaggeration.

What are the correct terms, then? I guess the two characters in Amélie could be described as North African, but in the film's world they're quite French and their ethnicity is never discussed. I put "ethnic" in quotes because it is often used as a shorthand for "non-white", even though white people are obviously "ethnic" as well.

Of course terms like "white", "black" and "race" are problematic too, since there's no essential grounds for their usage - they can't be avoided, however, as long as people are being classified according to them.

Good job in mixing my point with a totally different discussion to make it sound suspicious.

Granted, there isn't an in-depth discourse on the nature of race and nationalist hegemony running through Amelie, but since its a slightly twee, nostalgic love story (of sorts) that's not too surprising. My main problem with what you're saying is that you could aim that claim at SO MANY films - most Hollywood love stories, for example. If your sole objection is lack of non-white characters, why select this film in particular?

Also, in your point above, you seem to be suggesting that all characters who are not white should have storylines that make a point of this. Surely this would be a step backwards?

handy guide to republican talking points - ethnicity has no relevance, only their personality, which is why people don't think of the as "ethnic". Which I think should be seen as a positive thing.

In this fucking film, not neceessarily in every film, or in general!!! This is getting tedious, I'm off.

x-post to ethan

x-post i'm saying that evidently the racism of the film requires knowledge of more than some Louis Malle.

Do you think the Socialist mayor running Paris is particularly racist? I'm sure there are worse options.

I don't think Paris is an outrageously racist place, at least no more than the rest of the world. I saw more overt racism in, say New York. And far more in Florida.

1. 25th Hour (Lee, 2002)
2. Mulholland Dr. (Lynch, 2001)
3. Before Sunset (Linklater, 2004)
4. Morvern Callar (Ramsay, 2002)
5. Twilight Samurai (Yamada, 2002)
6. Jackass: The Movie (Tremaine, 2002)
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004)
8. Dirty Pretty Things (Frears, 2002)
9. crazy/beautiful (Stockwell, 2001)
10. City Of God (Meirelles, Lund, 2002)
11. Gosford Park (Altman, 2002)
12. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (Tarantino, 2003)
13. The Good Thief (Jordan, 2002)
14. Wonder Boys (Hanson, 2000)
15. Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000)

01. George Washington (Green, 2000)
02. Time of the Wolf (Haneke, 2003)
03. The Return (Zvyagintsev, 2003)
04. 25th Hour (Lee, 2002)
05. La Cienaga (Martel, 2001)
06. Bright Leaves (McElwee, 2003)
07. Crimson Gold (Panahi, 2003)
08. The Ninth Day (Schlondorff, 2004)
09. Los Angeles Plays Itself (Andersen, 2003)
10. Elephant (van Sant, 2003)
11. Million Dollar Baby (Eastwood, 2004)
12. Mulholland Dr. (Lynch, 2001)
13. What Time is It There? (Tsai, 2001)
14. Wisconsin Death Trip (Marsh, 1999)
15. Saddest Music in the World (Maddin, 2003)

least:

Dogville (von Trier, 2003)
Lost in Translation (Coppola, 2003)
The Dreamers (Bertolucci, 2003)

Lost In Translation
The Dreamers
Ichi The Killer

If anyone who voted for it will send a correction, I'll change it.