Funny Games (1997)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writer:

Michael Haneke (writer)

Release Date:

11 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Ein Alptraum.

Plot:

Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.

Plot Keywords:

Game | Vacation | Violence | Serial Killer | Disturbing

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Susanne Lothar	...	Anna
Ulrich Mühe	...	Georg
Arno Frisch	...	Paul
Frank Giering	...	Peter
Stefan Clapczynski	...	Schorschi
Doris Kunstmann	...	Gerda
Christoph Bantzer	...	Fred
Wolfgang Glück	...	Robert
Susanne Meneghel	...	Gerdas Schwester
Monika Zallinger	...	Eva

Directed by
Michael Haneke

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Haneke		writer

Produced by
Veit Heiduschka	....	executive producer
Veit Heiduschka	....	producer

Cinematography by
Jürgen Jürges

Film Editing by
Andreas Prochaska

Production Design by
Christoph Kanter

Costume Design by
Lisy Christl

Makeup Department
Simone Bachl	....	assistant makeup artist
Waldemar Pokromski	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Helga Fuchs	....	executive in charge of production
Werner Reitmeier	....	production manager

Art Department
Karl Bech	....	set joiner
Janko Boskovic	....	set painter
Florian Peter Clodi	....	set joiner
Gerhard Dhor	....	set joiner
Peter Dörflinger	....	sculptor
Kurt Drahovzal	....	set painter
Peter Ecker	....	prop buyer
Christian Eder	....	set joiner
Frank Essler	....	set painter
Harald Hajmböck	....	set joiner
Kurt Jahn	....	set joiner
Peter Kreiller	....	set joiner
Peter Lenz	....	painter
Norbert Nagel	....	set joiner
Walter Nagel	....	set joiner
Joseph Rihs-Bacherl	....	set joiner
Rudolf Scheidl	....	set joiner
Werner Schweitzer	....	set joiner
Hans Wagner	....	indoors property
Peter Wenhardt	....	set painter

Sound Department
Walter Amann	....	sound
Bernhard Bamberger	....	sound editor
Hannes Eder	....	sound mixer
Peter Paschinger	....	sound assistant
Daniel Steinbach	....	sound assistant
Hans-Walter Kramski	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Bernhard Maisch	....	foley recordist (uncredited)
Andreas Schneider	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Danny Bellens	....	special effects
Willi Neuner	....	special effects
Mac Steinmeier	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Cania	....	digital artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Danny Bellens	....	stunts
Willi Neuner	....	stunts
Mac Steinmeier	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Dopplinger	....	lighting equipment
Adi Essl	....	dolly grip
Stefan Gauss	....	lighting technician
Volker Gläser	....	second assistant camera
Susanne Habitzel	....	lighting technician
Bernd Karoly	....	lighting technician
Fritz Martan	....	grip
Peter Steuger	....	assistant camera
Walter Stöger	....	chief electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Katharina Nikl	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Michael Katz	....	post-production
Ulrike Lässer	....	post-production
Gabriele Uhl	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Andreas Djerdjev	....	property driver
Thomas Messer	....	property driver
Rudolf Schnogl	....	production driver
Gunther Stark	....	production driver

Other crew
Katharina Biró	....	script girl
Jessica Hausner	....	script girl
Philipp Kaiser	....	location manager
Wolfgang Knöpfler	....	production assistant
April Morley	....	dog instructor
Gabriela Schuster	....	production secretary
Alfred Strobl	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Austrian Film Institute (support)
• Wega Film
• Wiener Filmfinanzierungsfonds (support)
• Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) (support)

Distributors

• Arthaus (1998) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Atalanta Filmes (1998) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Attitude Films (1998) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Concorde-Castle Rock/Turner (1997) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Golem Distribución (1998) (Spain) (theatrical) (subtitled version)
• Kamras Film Group (1998) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Kulturföreningen Kedjan (1998) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Les Films du Paradoxe (1998) (France) (theatrical)
• Líder Films (1998) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Maywin Media (1999) (Estonia) (theatrical)
• Maywin Media (1999) (Latvia) (theatrical)
• Maywin Media (1999) (Lithuania) (theatrical)
• Maywin Media (1999) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Stamm Film AG (1997) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Triangelfilm (1998) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Cult Filmes (Brazil) (DVD)
• Cult Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Fox Lorber (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Föreningen FilmCentrum (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Homescreen (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Kino Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (199?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Triangelfilm (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Animal Action  animals
• Listo Video  post-production
• Moviecam F.G. Bauer  camera equipment
• Rotorwing  Helicopter
• Tremens Tonstudio  sound studio

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Austria

Language:

German | French | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Hungary:18 | Italy:T | Brazil:16 | France:-12 (DVD rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | Singapore:PG (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Atelier Rosenhügel, Vienna, Austria

Company:

Austrian Film Institute

Trivia:

Director Michael Haneke told producer 'Viet Heiduschka' during the production that if the film was a success, it would be because audiences had misunderstood the meaning behind it.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Anna and Georg are driving in their car, a reflection of a microphone between the front seats can be seen on the window.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[subtitled version]
Anna: Björling... Suliotis?
Georg: Almost. Björling is easy.

Movie Connections:

References The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Soundtrack:

Bonehead

Suffering? You ain't seen nothing yet...

I watched this year's remake of "Funny Games" prior to the original, simply because its sick-with-irony trailer got me extremely curious. Granted, this goes against my usual process of viewing a remake's precursor prior to the remake itself, but I couldn't help myself. By the end, I was astonished by writer-director Michael Haneke's audacity in telling a macabre home-invasion story devoid of Hollywood glamour, humor, and mercy–remake or no, it's still one of the ballsiest exercises in visceral, reality-based horror ever released by a major studio.

So, when I decided to give the original "Funny Games" a spin (mere days after my viewing of American version), I was filled with presupposition toward how much I would appreciate the original (with the twists of Haneke's shot-for-shot remake still mapped out in my mind)–similar to a sadistic "bet" our captors make with their prey, I was wondering if this earlier, German-language version would survive on its own terms. And, while each version is practically identical (save for some subtle nuances in the performances, the slightly varied location design, and–of course–the spoken language), both quite miraculously carry the same visceral, jaw-dropping sucker-punches as the other. Unlike the much-derided American remakes of "The Vanishing" and "Les Diaboliques," Haneke sees no need to let either culture off the hook, especially when each has its own prominent history of violence, on- and off-camera.

Ironically, the references to metalhead couch potatoes Beavis and Butt-Head probably seemed like an incendiary bitch-slap to the passive glamorization of American filmed violence in the 1997 version, but there is an even stronger sense of irony when the MTV-hosted duo are referenced in the remake–on the shores that birthed them, and the cult following of Generation Y-ers that has accumulated in the years since the show's cancellation (a sure sign that our passivity, if anything, is more pronounced now). It's subtle observations like this that give both versions of "Funny Games" an added resonance.

If anything takes some getting used to in the 1997 film, it's the general unfamiliarity of the cast. After seeing a collection of familiar performers run through Haneke's horrifying 2008 experiment, the German cast begins with a studied approach to the performances that eventually loosens into hysteria and desperation that is just as convincing as their remake counterparts. It is truly stunning how Haneke mines the same static framing and intense performances to ends that are equally effective in both films (even knowing the outcome of a protracted long take following a pivotal off-screen event, I found the experience just as emotionally agonizing to witness).

While it may seem hypocritical to "side" with Haneke (at least in the context his film creates), especially when I patronize (and am prone to enjoying) films that frequently downplay the reality of human suffering, the effect in both versions of "Funny Games" is undeniably powerful–these are difficult, ugly, and emotionally draining films crafted with undeniable (and remarkably subtle) purpose. If there's any catharsis to be had from them, it will be in the introspection and assessment of your own attitudes toward violence.