Funny Games (1997)

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writer:

Michael Haneke

Release Date:

11 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | 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:

Vacation | Game | Violence | Hostage | Lake

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

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
Kurt Drahovzal	....	set painter
Peter Dörflinger	....	sculptor
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

• Filmfonds Wien (support)
• Wega Film
• Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) (support)
• Österreichisches Filminstitut (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)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (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 Videofilm  post-production
• Moviecam F.G. Bauer  camera equipment
• Rotorwing  Helicopter
• Tremens Tonstudio  sound studio

Also Known As:

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 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 (with warning) | 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:

Filmfonds Wien

Trivia:

Director Michael Haneke has said that he never intended 'Funny Games' to be a horror film. Instead his idea was to make a film with a moralistic comment about the influence of media violence on society. It's a subject that Haneke is quite passionate about.

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:

Featured in "The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Episode #1.13" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Hellraiser

unsettling, gripping movie

Okay... I just read most of the 144 user reviews.... Basically I wanted to make up my mind about this film, a film that is a very heavy load.

I've seen this movie 5 years ago, the good thing is most of the time you forget about (having seen) it but now and then you recall it. I can understand that many people hate this film, it is not nice to watch, the more when you see it in a theatre where the only chance to break its spell is leaving the theatre. Regardless if you leave or stay and watch it leave it beats you one way or the other. I fully agree with many other reviewers that I have no idea whom I should recommend it too. I am tempted to watch it a second time but didn't make it happen in 5 years.

Don't get me wrong. I think it is an excellent movie. It is also very disturbing and upsetting, I can't think of the right mood to watch it cause it'll take you down. And I think here is where the movie polarises. If, after watching, you find yourself deducting some message in the violence, and perhaps rethink violence - in both real life and movies - you will, well, also will have found some reason for this movies existence, if not - and it might be better if one does not - you will join in the 'crappiest movie ever chorus'.

I do however want to point out some achievement of this production:

*) The movie catches the audience in theatre. *) It does shock the audience but most of the violence is off-screen. You see more people dying in many fast-driven action movies. Only here you care. There is minor suspense, but I, personally, wouldn't put it into that category. (But then I am no horror/shocker/suspense fan and can easily err here) *) It's hard to compare it with any other movie (that I have seen). I am not sure if this is an achievement, but it's outstanding.

The reason I think Haneke made this movie. or, what I deducted from it is how far away violence and death are in our everyday lives today. While Hollywood - and other film productions serve them daily right in our living room, we hardly notice them anymore. Violence also sells movies, and we're meanwhile pretty used to that. Haneke also serves violence, and he dishes it next-door. He turns into a moral figure that asks the audience if they want more (after all me and you consume it every day) - and while HERE we want to say 'no please stop' he doesn't do our silent bidding. He pushes us down the drain, forcing us to deal with aspects of the violence we don't (want to) see. He even goes one step further. He offers us a 'good' ending, a payback that would make it easier for us to bear the movie, only to snatch it back and rip us of any cheerful emotion, telling us like 'no, sorry, here it doesn't work that way'.

I also read reviews mentioning the unsatisfying (often used, cliche) end. One more time Haneke manages to disappoint us, so far we were driven and didn't know what would happen, what to expect.

Only in the ending, we see it coming, and so it ends, obviously similar to many other movies. We're back standard movie stuff, the arc bent and the connection made.

"Funny games" is everything else but the title. Perhaps it refers to the funny games built on standard film violence in everyday movies. Perhaps it doesn't. Perhaps Haneke wants to stress that violence is a bad thing. Perhaps he's just sick.

One thing for sure, regardless if you like it, don't care, or hate it. You might have seen something somewhat like it, but nothing similar.

If you hate shockers, don't watch it. It will only be torture. If you love suspense, sorry, only very little gore here.

If you plan to watch it, calculate a few hours before you will manage to put your head to rest.

And don't watch it it personal crisis.

This movie will make you feel bad. If you watch it in a cinema, just look around. You're not alone with this feeling.