Class Guide: English 0492 - Ethnic Films
- Aandhi
- Publication information: Sacramento, CA : Bollywood Entertainment, [2003]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (130 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: A gallant hotel manager is discrete about a drunk daughter of a politician, and they fall in love and have a daughter. Their differences cause them to separate. They meet again years later when she is an established politician and is caught on a front page cover story in the arms of another man-- the same hotel manager she fell in love with years ago. Now she has to win back the trust and vote of her people
Language: Soundtrack in Hindi with English subtitles
- Abhimaan
- Publication information: Sugar Land, TX : Distributed by EVP International, 2000
Physical description: 1 videodisc (130 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in. + contents insert
Description: Subeer, a pop singer who dominates India's music scene meets Uma, a country girl with a beautiful singing voice. Subeer brings Uma back to the city and makes her a star. However, tensions grow as Uma's career begins to overshadow that of Subeer
Language: In Hindi with English subtitles
- Bakushū = Early summer
- Publication information: Irvington, NY : Criterion Collection, c2004, 1951
Physical description: 1 videodisc (125 min.) : sd., b&w 4 3/4 in. + 1 text (7 p. 19 cm.)
Description: The Mamiya family is seeking a husband for their daughter, Noriko, but she has ideas of her own
Language: Soundtrack in Japanese with optional English subtitles
- Chunhyang
- Publication information: New York : New Yorker Video, [2001]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (120 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: A classic tale of lovers torn apart by two different worlds. Mongryong, the privileged son of a governor falls in love with Chunhyang, the beautiful daughter of a proud former courtesan. Inseparable, the two lovers marry, but must keep their marriage a secret for fear of reprisal.
Language: In Korean with English subtitles
- Como agua para chocolate = Like water for chocolate
- Publication information: Burbank, Calif. : Touchstone Home Video : Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, [2000]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (105 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: Romantic fantasy set in Mexico during the early 20th century. A young couple is blocked from marrying by the demands of the young woman's cold and selfish mother. To be near his love, the young man marries her sister, and she expresses her passion for him through her cooking
Language: In Spanish, or dubbed in English, with English subtitles
- Crouching tiger, hidden dragon
- Publication information: [Culver City, CA] : Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, [2001], c200
Physical description: 1 videodisc (120 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in
Description: Set in 19th-century China, two master warriors are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocratic woman prepares for an arranged marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face-to-face with their worst enemy, and the enduring power of love
Language: In Mandarin with optional soundtracks in English or French and optional subtitles in English or French; closed-captioned in English for the hearing impaired.
- Diarios de motocicleta = the motorcycle diaries
- Publication information: Universal City, CA : Universal, 2005
Physical description: 1 videodisc (127 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: An inspirational adventure, based on the true story of two young men whose thrilling and dangerous road trip across Latin America becomes a life-changing journey of self-discovery
Language: Soundtrack in Spanish and French with subtitles in English and French closed-captioned
- Eat drink man woman
- Publication information: Santa Monica, Calif. : MGM Home Entertainment, 2000
Physical description: 1 videocassette (124 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in
Description: A retired master chef and widower is worried about the future of his three unmarried daughters who are skeptical about marriage. Yet he himself surprises them with his secret love affair with a young woman many years his junior
Language: Chinese language, English subtitles
This title is in VHS format.
- Familia rodante = Rolling family
- Publication information: [United States] : Palm Pictures, 2006
Physical description: 1 videodisc (95 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: When Emilia, an Argentinian grandmother, is invited to be the matron of honor at the wedding of a distant niece, she invites her whole family to accompany her in a 1956 Chevy Viking camper on a cross-country journey to the border of Argentina
Language: Soundtrack in Spanish with English subtitles
- La Genèse
- Publication information: San Francisco, CA : California Newsreel, 1999
Physical description:1 videocassette (102 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in
Description: Recounts the story of Esau whose birthright is stolen by his brother Jacob in exchange for a plate of beans. This allegorical tale combines an accurate interpretation of the Biblical story with relevant allusions to African history and culture
Language: In Bambara with English subtitles
This title is in VHS format.
- The girl in the sneakers
- Publication information: Berkeley, CA : Irmovies.com, [1999?]
Physical description:1 videodisc (88 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in
Description: After some unhappy accidents and in protest against her living conditions, a fifteen-year-old Iranian girl runs away from home when her parents forbid her to see a boy she favors
Language: Farsi with English subtitles
- Hamam : il bagno turco = The Turkish bath
- Publication information: [Calif.] : Strand Home Video, 2000
Physical description: 1 videodisc (96 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: Francesco, a successful designer from Rome, arrives in Istanbul to dispose of an inheritance left him by an aunt he never knew. Once there he discovers that the property is a hamam, a traditional Turkish steam bath, Mehmet, the beautiful son of the hamam's custodian, ushers Francesco into the sultry world of the baths. Enlightened and unbound, Francesco decides to remain in Istanbul and restore the hamam --Container
Language: Italian and Turkish with English subtitles
- Himalaya
- Publication information: New York, NY : Kino on Video, c2002
Physical description: 1 videodisc (104 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: The story of a generational struggle for the leadership of a tiny mountain village between its proud old chief and a headstrong young caravanner. The balance of power shifts uneasily as they make their annual salt trek across the Himalayas
Language: In Tibetan with English subtitles
- Hum dil de chuke sanam
- Publication information: Sacramento, CA : Bollywood Entertainment, c2001
Physical description: 2 videodiscs (188 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: The daughter of a famous musician and one of her father's music students, who is Indo-Hungarian, fall in love. The father, learning of their love, sends his student away and marries his daughter to another man. When her devoted new husband realizes the degree to which his wife still loves another man, he helps her search for her lover. Includes lavish sequences of dance and music
Language: In Hindi with some dialogue in English and Hungarian credits in English and optional subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Japanese
- Hum hain rahi pyar ke
- Publication information: Jackson Heights, N.Y. : Sky Entertainment, [2001]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (157 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in. + contents insert
Description: When his only sister and her husband die in an air crash, Rahul has to give up his studies, and take care of her three young children, and his brother-in-law's garment factory. The children sneak out of the house one day and go to a fair where they met Vyjayanti, the daughter of a business tycoon, who has also run away to avoid an arranged marriage. The children become enamored with her and she becomes their governess. The plot thickens when Rahul and Vyjayanti fall in love
Language: In Hindi with English subtitles
- Kandukondain kandukondain = I have found it
- Publication information: New York, NY : Kino on Video, [2005]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (ca. 150 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: Rich and pampered sisters Sowmya and Meenakshi want for nothing except the true love their hearts crave. While Sowmya grudgingly places family responsibilities ahead of romance, Meenakshi yearns for a white knight. Manohar, an aspiring filmmaker, falls for Sowmya but will wed her only after directing his first film. Commando Major Bala woos Meenakshi despite physical and emotional war wounds and competition from Srikanth. But with the patriarch's health ebbing, the romantic storm Meenakshi and Sowmya wished for may soon be eclipsed by the harsh realities of modern life
Language: Soundtrack in Tamil, with optional English subtitles
- Kontroll
- Publication information:[New York] : Distributed by Thinkfilm, c2005
Physical description: 1 videodisc (ca. 106 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in
Description: The Budapest subway system, the world's second oldest, is a dark, labyrinthine netherworld as vast and various as the city above it. The beleaguered ticket inspectors or 'controllers', assigned in teams to various sections of the system, have the thankless job to ensure that no passengers ride without paying. This is their story
Language: In Hungarian, with English subtitles
- Kristin Lavransdatter
- Publication information: Chicago, Ill. : Home Vision Cinema, [1999]
Physical description:2 videocassettes (180 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in
Description: An epic love story set in 14th century Norway. Follows one woman's decision to break with tradition to marry the man she loves rather than the man her father has chosen for her
Language:In Norwegian with English subtitles
This title is in VHS format.
- Â la verticale de l'été
- Publication information: Culver City, Calif. : Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, [2001], c2000
Physical description: 1 videodisc (112 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: A deeply moving tale of tradition, love and deception. Three sisters, a brother, two husbands and a child are living and loving in a supportive clan that they have forged since the death of their parents. However, there are deep secrets that are threatening to disrupt the harmony and balance of their daily existence. Life is much more tenuous and complicated then it seems on the surface
Language: Vietnamese or English dialogue, English subtitles closed-captioned in English for the hearing impaired
- Laylā= Leila
- Publication information: New York : First Run Features, [1997]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (129 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: A wife in Iran who cannot have children is pressured by her in-laws into persuading her husband to take another wife so that he may have sons. A portrayal of the clash between tradition and modern marriage in Iran
Language: In Farsi with English subtitles
- Louder than bombs
- Publication information: [Buena Park, Calif.] : Vanguard Cinema, [2003]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (92 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: After the death of his father, Marcin, a 21-year-old man with a penchant for James Dean and The Smiths, must contend with the funeral arragements of his father, while hosting his baffoonish out-of-town relatives. On top of that, his long time girlfriend has decided to leave Poland for life in the United States. Marcin's coming-of-age closely mirrors that of an entire nation, struggling to redefine itself in the aftermath of the Cold War
Language: Soundtrack in Polish with English subtitles
- Na shan na ren na gou = Postmen in the mountains
- Publication information: New York : China Century Entertainment, c2003
Physical description: 1 videodisc (90 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: A father prepares to hand his 112-mile mail route over to his son. At dawn, the two embark on the three-day round trip on foot. Traveling along the rugged landscape of wind-blown hills, craggy rocks, and winding rivers, the son learns not only about the isolated communities to which they deliver mail but also about his own father
Language: Soundtrack in Chinese with subtitles in English
- Paheli = Pehelī
- Publication information: London Secaucus, NJ : Eros Entertainment, [2005]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (46 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: Lachchi is married to Kishan, whose only interest is money. On the night of their marriage, he leaves to pursue his business interests. However a ghost has fallen in love with Lachchi and he takes on Kishan's appearance and wins everyone's heart. When the real Kishan finally returns five years later, confusion abounds until finally a wise old shepherd devises the three tests to resolve the paheli that has baffled everyone
Language: In Hindi with English subtitles
- La petite Jérusalem
- Publication information: New York, NY : Kino on Video/Kino International Corp., c2006
Physical description: 1 videodisc (94 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: In a Paris suburb nicknamed Little Jerusalem, a family of Sephardic Orthodox immigrants shares a low-income apartment. Beautiful, teenaged Laura distances herself from her family's religion and her own burgeoning desire by devoting every waking moment to intellectual discipline and secular philosophy. Mathilde, Laura's married older sister, worries that strict observance of the Torah's marital codes has driven her husband Ariel into the bed of another. When Laura falls under the spell of Djamel, a handsome Muslim journalist, and Mathilde discovers that her worst fears are true, the two very different sisters find themselves in very similar crises
Language: In French, Arabic, and Hebrew with optional English subtitles
- The road home
- Publication information: Culver City, Calif. : Sony Pictures Classics : distributed by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, [2001], c2000
Physical description: 1 videodisc (89 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: As a son helps his mother arrange for the burial of his father in the traditional Chinese custom of his mother's village, the beautiful and touching story of his parent's courtship unfolds. His father was from the city and came to his mother's village to become the schoolmaster. In the days of arranged marriages, the son discovers that his parents marriage was the first marriage based on love
Language: Mandarin or French dialogue English or French subtitles closed-captioned in English for the hearing impaired
- Roozi keh zan shodam = The day I became a woman
- Publication information: [Saint Charles, Ill.] : Olive Films, 2005
Physical description: 1 videodisc (78 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in. + 1 guide (16 p. : ill. (some col.) 19 cm.)
Description: Three portraits of women at three stages of life in Iran, including a nine-year-old girl told she can no longer play with boys because she is now a woman , a young woman who enters a bicycle race against her husband's wishes, and an old woman who gains money and the freedom to do what she wishes with it
Language: In Farsi with English subtitles
- Shijie = The world
- Publication information: [New York] : Zeitgeist Films, 2006
Physical description: 1 videodisc (ca. 139 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in. + 1 guide
Description: On the outskirts of Beijing is an amusement park called The World. The staff may be happy around the guests, but it's a different story behind the scenes. The park is seen through the eyes of the staff, along with the romances, dreams, and loneliness
Language: In Mandarin and Shanxi dialect with English subtitles
- The story of Qiu Ju
- Publication information: Culver City, Calif. : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, [2006]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (ca. 100 min.) : anamorphic, sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: An ordinary, courageous woman in a small villlage fights against the system in her quest for justice
Language: Soundtrack in Mandarin with English subtitles
- Together
- Publication information: [Santa Monica, CA] : MGM Home Entertainment, [2003]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (119 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in. + contents insert
Description: Young violinist Xiaochun and his father move from their small, provincial town to Beijing so Xiaochun can audition for a prestiguous music academy. The competition is brutal, but taken under the wing by a famous music tutor, the boy's success seems within reach until a shocking discovery begins to unravel his world and his must make a very difficult choice. Their new life is unfamiliar but full of promise, allowing the young man to truly figure out which direction he wants to take in life
Language: Soundtrack in Mandarin with subtitles in English
- Xi zao = Shower
- Publication information: Culver City, Calif. : Columbia TriStar Home Video, [2000]
Physical description: 1 videodisc (94 min.) : sd., col. 4 3/4 in
Description: Mistakenly believing his father has passed away, a bathhouse master's son returns home and soon discovers the magic of the family business and its importance to the community
Language: In Mandarin Chinese with English, Spanish or French subtitles closed-captioned in English for the hearing impaired
- Zerkalo
- Publication information: New York, NY : Kino on Video, c2000
Physical description: 1 videodisc (106 min.) : sd., col. and b&w 4 3/4 in
Description: Tarkovsky's looking glass is not merely cracked but shattered and we see the jagged, jumbled reflections of its shards, images of Tarkovsky's childhood mixed with fragments of his adult life--a child's wartime exile, a mother's experience with political terror, the breakup of a marriage, life in a country home--all intermingled with slow-motion dream sequences and poetic chunks of stark newsreels
Language: In Russian with English subtitles
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