Oscar Countdown: Day 10

"Manon of the Spring" (part of the "Jean de Florette" trilogy) or one of Kurasawa's "Red," "White," and "Blue" films?

"Manon of the Spring" wasn't nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and neither was "White" (although "Red" was nominated for Best Cinematography, Director, and Screenplay, although it wasn't nominated for Best Foreign Language Film).

The Three Colors Trilogy is actually the only theatrical tripleheader I've pulled in theaters, watching all three back-to-back-to-back at UVA in 1998.

I was chair of the Foreign Film Committee (which was part of the University Program Council at UNL), and we selected all of the foreign films that would be shown on campus. I think we would have taken pause at showing any trilogies in unison for fear of wearing out the audience. Watching this trio is quite a feat! How long did it take? Were there any breaks? Was the theater filled?

From what I remember, the films were at 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00, and each film is about 90-99 minutes, so there was about a 20-30 minute break between each film. There were about 50 students who stayed for all 3 films and a decent number who just showed up for one of the the 3 films.

But that day of film watching was nothing compared to the time that my wife and I watched "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" (both the extended editions) back-to-back before going to the theater to see "Return of the King" at night.

You and your wife have impressive film-watching stamina. I've been thinking about your question a bit more. Could it be one of the films by Pedro Almodovar?

Almodóvar's "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and his "All About My Mother" won Best Foreign Language Film, but neither were part of a trilogy. Interestingly enough, my favorite Almodóvar film, "Talk to Her" won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. But it wasn't even Spain's submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. That film was "Mondays in the Sun."

I was very happy for Almodóvar when he won the Oscar, even though it wasn't for the "Best Foreign Language Film" award. He has been so consistent with his work, and he has such interesting (and sometimes controversial) analyses of women.

I don't know the answer to the question, but the first Godfather probably shocked everyone into awe. By the second installment, they were going to award it an Oscar even if it was only halfway decent. But, for me, the second one was the better, more intriguing film. So much more emotional and introspective. More about complicated family issues than plotlines.

The Barbarian Invasions?

Yes, "The Barbarian Invasions" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338135/) is correct. It won Best Foreign Language Film in 2004 and was the sequel to 1986's "The Decline of the American Empire." In turn, it was followed by 2007's "The Age of Ignorance" a/k/a "Days of Darkness."