Here's a little game I was playing with myself in the car earlier. (n.b. I always play with myself in the car.) Go through a whole bunch of languages and name the most famous movie ("famous" to modern anglophones, that is) that is primarily in that language.
Arabic - I have no fucking clue. In fact, I think the only Arabic-language movie I can even name is this one movie called The Band's Visit that made a few waves in the indie-cum-arthouse scene a few years ago. I think it was Lebanese or Jordanian or something?
Bulgarian - I know of no Bulgarian films.
Cantonese - I can't tell the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin. But I think a lot of the famous kung-fu movies are in Cantonese. In which case... Legend of the Drunken Master?
Chinese - Crouching Tiger was in Mandarin, right? I think it was. Probably that one.
Danish - Hell, I don't know, probably something by Nicholas Winding-Refn... assuming he ever bothered to make a movie in his own language, that is. I've only ever seen one Danish-language movie. It starred Madds Mikkelson and was about a school teacher who was falsely accused of diddling and the social repercussions thereof.
French - Amélie? I'm sure if you're a filmfag you can name a thousand French New Wave movies that are so important because blah blah blah but again, I'm using some weighted average value for "famous" here
German - Das Boot. I assume this movie is in German? It has a German title anyway. I've never seen it.
Hindi - Shhhit, I dunno. Is Billu Barber in Hindi? Is Billu Barber famous?
Indonesian - I know of no films in Indonesian.
Italian - I know of no movies in Italian. Sadface.
Japanese - Probably The Seven Samurai? If not that then maybe Akira... if it's more well-known here subtitled, that is.
Kazakh - Myn Bala. 'Cause I saw a movie once in Kazakh. It was called Myn Bala.
Korean - Oldboy, I would guess. If not that then The Host.
Mongolian - I don't know if Mongol counts or not. Like ok it's all in Mongolian (modern Mongolian, btw— you can tell) but only a few of the actors are native speakers, and it isn't a Mongolian-made movie for a primarily Mongolian audience...
Norwegian - Trollhunter, I'd bet. Norway doesn't seem to have as much of a film history as Sweden.
Polish - I know of no Polish films.
Portuguese - God, I don't know. Was City of God in Portuguese? I never saw it so I don't know.
Russian - .... uhhhhh... Nightwatch?
Spanish - Pan's Labyrinth? It's awfully recent and even somewhat cult, but.. I honestly can't think of any other prominent Spanish language movies that have made waves outside of the hispanosphere.
Swahili - I know of no Swahili films. The closest I know is the movie Primeval, a horror film about a killer crocodile in Burundi, that has a bit of Swahili in it. Some of it spoken by Jurgen Prochnow!
Swedish - This one's easier. The Seventh Seal, definitely.
Tagalog - I saw one movie in Tagalog once, a long time ago, but I don't remember what it was called. I doubt anyone's heard of it.
Thai - Probably the first Ong Bak. Though.. it almost seems like The Protector had more mainstream popularity here when it came out... but that movie is like half in English anyway.
Xhosa - The only primarily-Xhosa movie I know is a Jesus movie called "Son of God" that I saw. The movie Tsotsi is apparently mostly in a pidgin called "Tsotsitaal" which is apparently more Xhosa than it is anything else? But I don't know if that one counts.
Yolngu - Ten Canoes. Because it's the only reason Yolngu is even on this list.
Arabic - I have no fucking clue. In fact, I think the only Arabic-language movie I can even name is this one movie called The Band's Visit that made a few waves in the indie-cum-arthouse scene a few years ago. I think it was Lebanese or Jordanian or something?
Bulgarian - I know of no Bulgarian films.
Cantonese - I can't tell the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin. But I think a lot of the famous kung-fu movies are in Cantonese. In which case... Legend of the Drunken Master?
Chinese - Crouching Tiger was in Mandarin, right? I think it was. Probably that one.
Danish - Hell, I don't know, probably something by Nicholas Winding-Refn... assuming he ever bothered to make a movie in his own language, that is. I've only ever seen one Danish-language movie. It starred Madds Mikkelson and was about a school teacher who was falsely accused of diddling and the social repercussions thereof.
French - Amélie? I'm sure if you're a filmfag you can name a thousand French New Wave movies that are so important because blah blah blah but again, I'm using some weighted average value for "famous" here
German - Das Boot. I assume this movie is in German? It has a German title anyway. I've never seen it.
Hindi - Shhhit, I dunno. Is Billu Barber in Hindi? Is Billu Barber famous?
Indonesian - I know of no films in Indonesian.
Italian - I know of no movies in Italian. Sadface.
Japanese - Probably The Seven Samurai? If not that then maybe Akira... if it's more well-known here subtitled, that is.
Kazakh - Myn Bala. 'Cause I saw a movie once in Kazakh. It was called Myn Bala.
Korean - Oldboy, I would guess. If not that then The Host.
Mongolian - I don't know if Mongol counts or not. Like ok it's all in Mongolian (modern Mongolian, btw— you can tell) but only a few of the actors are native speakers, and it isn't a Mongolian-made movie for a primarily Mongolian audience...
Norwegian - Trollhunter, I'd bet. Norway doesn't seem to have as much of a film history as Sweden.
Polish - I know of no Polish films.
Portuguese - God, I don't know. Was City of God in Portuguese? I never saw it so I don't know.
Russian - .... uhhhhh... Nightwatch?
Spanish - Pan's Labyrinth? It's awfully recent and even somewhat cult, but.. I honestly can't think of any other prominent Spanish language movies that have made waves outside of the hispanosphere.
Swahili - I know of no Swahili films. The closest I know is the movie Primeval, a horror film about a killer crocodile in Burundi, that has a bit of Swahili in it. Some of it spoken by Jurgen Prochnow!
Swedish - This one's easier. The Seventh Seal, definitely.
Tagalog - I saw one movie in Tagalog once, a long time ago, but I don't remember what it was called. I doubt anyone's heard of it.
Thai - Probably the first Ong Bak. Though.. it almost seems like The Protector had more mainstream popularity here when it came out... but that movie is like half in English anyway.
Xhosa - The only primarily-Xhosa movie I know is a Jesus movie called "Son of God" that I saw. The movie Tsotsi is apparently mostly in a pidgin called "Tsotsitaal" which is apparently more Xhosa than it is anything else? But I don't know if that one counts.
Yolngu - Ten Canoes. Because it's the only reason Yolngu is even on this list.
