funny ha ha

[bitterfig]

Yesterday I went to see Funny Games.  It’s directed by Austrian Michael Haneke, best know for controversial films such as The Piano Teacher (2001) and Cache (2005).  Funny Games is rather peculiar in that it is a shot-by-shot English language remake of a film of the same title that Haneke made in 1997.

Comments

[sakru909]

I've only heard of the movie once before, but that's probably since it's not a real mainstream movie. I really don't understand the need to remake your own movie, but only have it in English; oh well.

I feel the exact same way, it's really the reason most people, including myself, watch horror films for; is to prepare yourself and toughen yourself up if something bad happens.

I do gravitate to more violent movies when a long while ago I couldn't even stand watching dipiction of violence, though sex has surly taken it's place.

[bitterfig]

I don't think Haneke changed anything from the original- I've heard that he went so far as to recreate the sets and the blocking. The killers do have a gun in the remake but not until half-way through the film and at the end, when they go on to another house Haneke makes it very clear they're unarmed-- they throw away a knife that's on the boat with them. I get the impression they're sort of improvisers, starting with a loose script and incorporating what they find in each household they visit. I think it would have been easier for me to accept the families helplessness if they had had the gun from the begining. It's so frustrating because at the start, things seem kind of even as if the young men could have been dealt with. It's a pretty harrowing film and I don't think I'd want to watch it if I was a parent.

[steve98052]

The reviews I've seen of Funny Games seem to follow the consensus that the acting and directing are great, but the story is pretentious, pretending to mock torture-porn while being torture-porn. It's not on my list.

As for remaking a movie in English, I think the idea can have merit. I haven't seen the original Dutch Interview (written by Theodor Holman, directed by Theo van Gogh, but the English-language remake is wonderful. Theo van Gogh (great-great-grand-nephew of the painter) planned to do English-language remakes of three of his films, but he was murdered before they entered production. Steve Buscemi (who had been cast for van Gogh's remake, I think) adapted the screenplay to English, directed it, and played the male lead (with Sienna Miller).

What's the point? I think it's defensible in the same way that many different stage companies can do productions of the same play. Sure, a stage production can't be replayed over and over like a film can; it needs a cast, crew, and set for every showing. But remakes are still worthwhile

[bitterfig]

It's interesting, for all the comparisons to torture-porn Funny Games has gotten I noticed that it made a deliberate point of having all the worst violence take place off camera. I haven't seen any of the Saw or Hostel but I'm under the impression that they're very much about a camera that doesn't look away.

Thanks so much for reminding me about Interview. I was really disappointed about missing it during its all too brief run in theaters. I'd added it to my netflix queue before it came out on DVD but then sort of forgotten about it so it was languishing at about 487. I've since bumped it up to the top ten.

[ozma914]

I don't know too many people who wouldn't fight back when terrorized like this; I agree with you.