TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema
By Alicia Malone
Unless you are a film scholar chances are high your exposure to international cinema is limited. Most mainstream theater chains don’t carry foreign features, or if they do it’s on account of theater location or an Oscar campaign. My earliest example was seeing Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon expand outside the arthouse and into AMC Theatres when the chain was trying to vary its programming and show more independent and foreign features. The experiment didn’t last long in my region.
More than a decade ago, Turner Classic Movies began a weekly series called TCM Imports to showcase international cinema. When it started, Ben Mankiewicz was the host and the series aired Friday nights at 2AM (EST). Not exactly the best day or slot, but at least it gave general audiences and lovers of classic movies more access to foreign films. Currently, the series airs on Sunday nights in the same time slot with Alicia Malone as host.
Malone has been hosting and curating the program since March 2019, but she had a daunting task in trying to narrow down her selections in writing this book. She didn’t want a compendium full of obvious foreign classics already referenced countless times. And choosing personal favorites would be superficial. Instead, Malone divides her book as if she were in charge of programming Turner Classic Movies. She organizes by seasons and moods, and includes an eclectic selection of well-knowns, cult films, and new discoveries.
Malone’s approach is a welcomed choice. She isn’t looking for scholarly brownie points. She also doesn’t expect TCM Imports to be read cover to cover. Better to leaf through and stop on a selection from Jacques Demy or Gillian Armstrong or Krzysztof Kieslowski. (Don’t worry: she didn’t leave out Akira Kurosawa or Jean Renoir or Ingmar Bergman.) Each chapter includes a note as to when you should watch a certain title. For instance, if you want a break from Elf or A Christmas Story maybe try Fanny and Alexander to which Malone writes, “To watch when you … are not looking for an overly happy Christmas movie.” Besides offering a no-spoiler summation of the films, Malone provides background context about the productions and the filmmakers.
Winter bookends the seasons, differentiating between early year brooding and festive year end. Not a cheat to the formatting, because the dead of winter does offer more longing (Ikiru)and desire (In the Mood for Love), whereas Christmas-set entertainment can be deadly (Black Christmas). Readers may reach paradise with Cinema Paradiso, or may find themselves strolling with Cleo from 5 to 7. Lovers of horror and film noir will have fun checking out Fall as Malone includes The Orphanage, Peeping Tom, and a noir that was new to me, Spain’s Death of a Cyclist.
Through her globe-trotting, readers will get titles that represent the French new wave (Day for Night) and Italian neorealist periods (Bicycle Thieves). Each selection also includes an inset with five more thematic recommendations. As example, Malone gives more must-watch movies by Claire Denis after you watch Beau Travail. Doing the math, this means you have an extra 208 international titles worth seeking out.
TCM Imports is a modest coffee table book perfect for that special cinephile constantly complaining about the current state of Hollywood. Sometimes you have to escape foolish offerings and look for foreign treasures. Alicia Malone’s guide is your boarding pass.
TCM Imports will be released on April 22, 2025.
