JANUARY 7, 1991 FILM 19 France, Italy, Sweden head import list films dominate the foreign-lan­ Miramax released the most pop­ hits. Two of de Sica's final films, states estimated b.o. grosses. By LAWRENCE COHN guage list. ular foreign-language film of the 'We'll Call Him Andrea" and Thus, Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" The traditional common de­ decade, "Cinema Paradiso," with­ "The Voyage," did not receive performance in 1960 would be nominator for popularity of for­ out any MPAA rating or contro­ U.S. theatrical exposure, and Fel- comparable to a $70-million-gross- N E W Y 0 R K From "La Dolce Vita" eign imports has been sex. Films versy. Five years earlier, Cine- lini's latest two features, "Inter- ing mainstream release today. to "Cinema Paradiso," foreign- in the '50s and '60s offered audi­ com distributed the leading for­ vista" and "Voices From The Many of the older titles bene­ language films have played a ences the forbidden fruit of more eign-film hit, Merchant Ivory's Moon," have failed to find U.S. small but significant part in U.S. fited from the kind of in-depth explicit scenes than were per­ English-language "A Room With distribution deals to date. distribution not possible today, exhibition over the last three missible under the old produc­ A View," which grossed $25- decades. Not included in the list of top due to the former acceptance of tion code governing American million domestically and played foreign-language films is Bernar­ dubbed-into-English foreign films The accompanying charts list­ films. Early Swedish imports like a year without an MPAA rating. do Bertolucci's $35-million gross­ in the U.S. marketplace. The gross­ ing the greatest successes among "One Swedish Summer" and Ing- The 1969 Swedish film "I Am er from 1973, "Last Tango In es from dubbed prints are in­ foreign-film imports are based mar Bergman's first internation­ Curious (Yellow)" tops the list of Paris." Starring Marlon Brando cluded in the total b.o. for these on a VARIETY study of specialized al success "Summer With Mon- modern imports, representing the and featuring a predominantly earlier films. Films such as "I film distribution. ika" had fleeting nude scenes. breakthrough film that the Su­ English-language soundtrack Am Curious (Yellow)," the Dan­ The bulk of the data is extrap­ Brigitte Bardot was the top draw preme Court ruled could be (with significant French seg­ ish sex comedy hit "Without A olated from the VARIETY 1968-90 on the art-theater circuit in the ments as well), the Alberto Gri- Stitch" and the ground-breaking theater sample of over 10,000 late '50s, and 20 years later Laura For a country-by-country maldi production was an Italian- Isabel Sarli smash "Fuego" made films, compiling boxofftce figures Antonelli had comparable impact. rundown on foreign films, French co-production backed by all earnings in subtitled versions. reported by theaters in over 20 By 1990, U.S. filmmakers had see page 86. United Artists. "Stitch" even played at U.S. drive- key U.S. cities. ins with subtitles. been making sensual pictures for shown publicly in U.S. theaters. Leading Italian filmmakers like For foreign-language and other two decades as well as thousands Soon after, U.S. soft-core and Bertolucci, Luchino Visconti, Fran­ "A Man And A Woman," "El­ specialized art-house films, this of pornographic features and vid­ co Zeffirelli, Michelangelo An- vira Madigan" and "La Cage aux urban sample captures from 40% then hard-core porn films re­ eotapes. Yet Miramax was still a placed foreign films at the na­ tonioni and Sergio Leone are not Folles" transcended the art-film to 75% of the total gross. widely represented on the list hit at the b.o. with two sexy tion's "art theaters," bringing market by becoming popular The composite chart listing 60 imports, "The Cook, The Thief, because they often chose to make both the X rating and notion of "date" films. To a lesser extent, of the biggest foreign hits has His Wife And Her Lover" (a their films in English for a wider recent hits like "My Life As A been expanded beyond the com­ French-Dutch co-production shot "art picture" into disrepute. international audience. Dog," "Women On The Verge Of prehensive 1968-90 sample back in English) and "Tie Me Up! Tie Federico Fellini and the late Ticket price inflation (a quad­ A Nervous Breakdown" and "Cin­ to 1960, using annual film-rental Me Down!" Both had ratings prob­ Vittorio de Sica are the most rupling over the three-decade ema Paradiso" have also expand­ data on the older pictures. lems, ultimately receiving the successful Continental directors timespan) is not taken into ac­ ed past the core audience of for­ French, Italian and Swedish NC-17 tag that replaced the X. on the list, each with numerous count in compiling this list, which eign-film buffs. Top 60 foreign-language films in the U.S.

Theatrical grosses, 1960-90. 30. Manon Of The Spring Orion CI., '87 C. Berri 5,100,000 TITLE U.S. DISTRIB, YEAR DIRECTOR U.S. B.O. 32. Seven Beauties Cinema 5, 76 L. Wertmuller 5,000,000 1.1 Am Curious (Yellow) Grove Press, '69 V. Sjoman $19,000,000 32. Bread And Chocolate World Normal, 78 F. Brusati 5,000,000 2. La Dolce Vita Astor/Landau/AlP, '60 F. Fellini 18,000,000 34. Amarcord New World, 74 F. Fellini 4,700,000 3. La Cage aux Folles UA, 79 E. Molinaro 17,000,000 35. The Emigrants WB, 72 J. Troell 4,500,000 4.Z Cinema 5, '69 Costa-Gavras 15,000,000 36. Get Out Your Handkerchiefs New Line, 79 B. Blier 4,300,000 5. A Man And A Woman Allied Artists, '66 C. Lelouch 13,000,000 37. Autumn Sonata New World, 79 I. Bergman 4,200,000 6. Emmanuelle Columbia, 75 J. Jaeckin 11,500,000 37. Entre Nous UA Classics, '83 D. Kurys 4,200,000 7. Cinema Paradiso Miramax, '90 G. Tornatore 11,300,000 39. The Innocent Analysis, 79 L. Visconti 4,100,000 8. Das Boot Triumph, '82 W. Petersen 11,000,000 39. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! Miramax, '90 P. Almodovar 4,100,000 9. Story Of 0 Allied Artists/Lorimar, 75 J. Jaeckin 10,000,000 41. Satyricon UA, 70 F. Fellini 4,000,000 10. Eight And A Half Embassy, '63 F. Fellini 9,500,000 41. Cries And Whispers New World, 73 I. Bergman 4,000,000 11. Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow Embassy, '64 V. de Sica 9,200,000 41. Kagemusha 20th Fox, '80 A. Kurosawa 4,000,000 12. Marriage Italian Style Embassy, '64 V. de Sica 9,000,000 41. The Tin Drum New World, '80 V. Schlondorff 4,000,000 12. Elvira Madigan Cinema 5, '67 B. Widerberg 9,000,000 41. Return Of Martin Guerre European Classics, '82 D. Vigne 4,000,000 46. Belle de Jour 14. Dear John Sigma 3, '64 L.-M. Lindgren 8,800,000 Allied Artists, '69 L. Bunuel 3,900,000 46. Mephisto 15. Cousin Cousine Libra, 76 J.-C. Tacchella 8,500,000 Analysis, '82 I. Szabo 3,900,000 48. Camille Claudel Orion CI.,'89 16. My Life As A Dog Skouras, '87 L. Hallstrom 8,100,000 B. Nuytten 3,800,000 49. La Traviata Universal Classics, '82 F. Zeffirelli 17. Fanny & Alexander Embassy, '83 I. Bergman 8,000,000 3,700,000 50. The Last Metro UA Classics, '81 F. Truffaut 3,500,000 18. Women On The Verge Of Orion CI., '88 P. Almodovar 7,500,000 A Nervous Breakdown 50. The Official Story Almi, '85 L. Puenzo 3,500,000 52. Wings Of Desire Orion CI.,'88 19. Ran Orion CI., '85 A. Kurosawa 7,100,000 W. Wenders 3,400,000 53. Wifemistress Quartet, 79 M. Vicario 20. Two Women Embassy, '61 V. de Sica 7,000,000 3,300,000 54. Face To Face Paramount, 76 I. Bergman 3,200,000 21. Without A Stitch V.I. Prods./J.H. Harris, 70 A. Meineche 6,500,000 54. 'Round Midnight WB, '86 B. Tavernier 3,200,000 22. Diva UA Classics, '82 J.-J. Beineix 6,300,000 56. Small Change New World, 76 F. Truffaut 3,100,000 23. Swept Away Cinema 5, 75 L. Wertmuller 6,000,000 56. Carmen Orion CI., '83 C. Saura 3,100,000 23. La Cage aux Folles II UA, '81 E. Molinaro 6,000,000 58. Closely Watched Trains Sigma 3, '67 J. Menzel 3,000,000 25. Jean de Florette Orion CI., '87 C. Berri 5,450,000 58. The Sicilian Clan 20th Fox, 70 H. Verneuil 3,000,000 26. King Of Hearts UA-Lopert, '67 P. de Broca 5,400,000 58. How Funny Can Sex Be? Mahler, 76 D. Risi 3,000,000 26. Au revoir, les enfants Orion CI., '88 L. Malle 5,400,000 58. Dona Flor & Her Two Husbands Unifilm/New Yorker, 78 B. Barreto 3,000,000 28. Babette's Feast Orion CI.,'88 G.Axel 5,300,000 "Last Tango In Paris," which grossed about $35 million domestically, is excluded from the list 29. Madame Rosa Atlantic, 78 M. Mizrahi 5,200,000 because the Bernardo Bertolucci pic, an Italian-French co-production, was backed financially by U.S. 30. The Garden Of The Finzi-Continis Cinema 5, 71 V. de Sica 5,100,000 distrib UA and featured considerable English dialog in its otherwise French soundtrack.