Benny's Video (Directors Suite) (1992)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio & Animation Deleted Scenes-(14:05) Interviews-Crew-Interview with Michael Haneke (20:46) Theatrical Trailer-Caché (2:12) Theatrical Trailer-Le Temps du loup (1:43)
Rating
Year Of Production	1992
Running Time	105:14
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Michael Haneke
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Arno Frisch Angela Winkler Ulrich Mühe Ingrid Stassner Stephanie Brehme Stefan Polasek Christian Pundy Max Berner Hanspeter Müller Shelley Kästner
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$34.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	German Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (256Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.66:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

Benny’s Video (1992) was Haneke’s second feature film and it is a relatively straightforward concept in contrast with the acclaimed director’s more recent efforts such as La Pianiste, Le Temps du Loup and Caché.

The film opens with the unsettling images of a home-video documenting the killing of a pig on a farm. As the audience watches the pig dragged out of the farm and instantly killed with a captive bolt gun, we learn Benny, an Austrian teenager is viewing the same images. Benny (Arno Frisch) rewinds the videotape just before the death of the pig and watches it in slow motion, fascinated with the weapon and the repercussions of its use. Under Haneke’s cold and distanced direction, Benny becomes the audience’s subject, as we enter and soon judge his isolated existence.

Like most teenagers his age, Benny spends his days either at school or in the sanctuary and privacy of his bedroom. With the money he makes from a pyramid scheme he started at school, he treats himself to McDonald's and hires the latest films from the local video shop. As he sits in his bed watching television at night Benny becomes physically insignificant as he lives amongst hundreds of meticulously organised videotapes and home-video camera equipment which records his every move.

Benny is very much in control of his life; as he is left alone on weekends he often does as he pleases. One day while at the video-shop Benny notices a young girl (Ingrid Stassner) outside the shop. Benny approaches her as he exits the video shop and takes her to his home. The young girl who remains nameless to the audience is intrigued at the privileged life of Benny and we learn she comes from a large family and lives in the outer suburbs. As the two teenagers converse it becomes apparent that they are from opposite worlds, she seems innocent and childlike compared to Benny’s mature and calm demeanour. Benny eventually shows her his home-video of the killing of the pig and the young girl doesn’t know how to react. At first she does not immediately respond to the disturbing images but after Benny rewinds and watches the death in slow motion she asks Benny if he has ever seen a dead person. Benny responds by claiming he is not affected by on screen violence, as it is all smoke and mirrors. During the afternoon the two continue to converse, even share a meal but it becomes apparent that she feels unsettled around Benny who is very much in control of the situation and even when she says she is leaving, she stays, as she is fascinated by Benny, just as the audience are. But in a moment of madness the meeting of the two abruptly turns into a tragedy.

"Why did you do it?"

"I don't know. ...I wanted to see what it's like, possibly."

Haneke uses this event to explore the difficult relationship of Benny and his parents (Angela Winkler and Ulrich Mühe) and also the relationship of Benny and his home videos – which reveal Benny’s skewed reality. This is a truly perverse tale of a youth’s desensitisation to violence and mayhem and Haneke even makes the spectator question why they themselves are watching the film. The build up to the home-video of the title is mesmerising, Haneke establishes that Benny is an outsider with subtlety, he is a character who is always watching; he peers through shop windows, gazes at television screens, records time and space through his video camera, he is an outsider always looking in. Arno Frisch’s performance as Benny is mystifying, disturbing and monotonous. You find yourself looking at his face, waiting for expression which may explain the characters actions and reveal if he is a calculated villain or unfortunate victim of circumstance. Furthermore Haneke’s characters remain unsympathetic as their actions are questionable, for example we don’t learn why the young girl goes to Benny’s house as Haneke does not reveal the initial conversation between the characters. Also we don’t know why Benny’s parents keep him at a distance, from the opening scenes it obvious that they don’t have a relationship with their son. Haneke also does not reveal why Benny literally shuts himself from the world and feels safe and in control by consuming action films like Another 48 Hrs, exploitation films such as The Toxic Avenger, television programs such as Spitting Imageand Disney comics. Audiences familiar with Haneke’s films will know the director does this on purpose as he wants the audience to participate in the film and while the director’s intentions are admirable, his execution of the film seems more focused on shock tactics. Subsequently the centrepiece of the film becomes simplistic and irrelevant and the second half of the film turns into standard melodrama as some scenes are gratuitous. However ultimately Benny’s Video was a warning sign when it was released and it still remains as terrifying. Benny’s Video is an oppressive vision and frighteningly it is even more relevant today, as mass media continues to consume and integrate into our lives.

Video

Benny’s Video was filmed in 1.66:1 widescreen and is presented in a cropped 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced aspect ratio. The local release has the same transfer as the R2 France (Gaumont Columbia Tristar Home Video) release.

Despite the age of the film, the transfer is quite pleasing, with only minor positive and negative film grain and mild telecine wobble.

Over a dual layer DVD, the film has been encoded at the average high bit-rate of 6.38 mb/s which accounts for a clean transfer free of MPEG compression artefacts.

The transfer has average shadow detail and black levels and the picture is relatively sharp and defined with a natural muted colour scheme. The optional English subtitles appear as a clear yellow Arial font.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The German Dolby Digital 2.0 mono option remains clear but there is a minor audible hiss on the soundtrack.

There were no obvious examples of lip-synch problems and as the soundtrack is mostly atmospheric, the available audio option is suitable.

The film is composed around unsettling silences as Haneke documents the title character's isolated existence as he watches television alone, does his homework alone and eats alone. When the character does venture outside, mild crowd noise becomes the main sound feature.

The main theme for the film is the choir practice of the Bach motet Trotz dem alten Drachen (In spite of the old dragon).

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Audio & Animation

The main menu is well themed to the concerns of the feature film, as the menu options appear on one of the monitors in Benny’s bedroom. The options include play feature, access to extras, sixteen scene selections and set up options.

The following two main extras are from the R2 France (Gaumont Columbia Tristar Home Video) release.

When selected both these extras feature automatic English subtitles. They appear in a clear white text.

Interview with Michael Haneke (20:46)

This interview with Michael Haneke is conducted by Serge Toubiana. The director is forthcoming in the interview explaining how the film evolved and how many of the scenes can be interpreted in various ways. This recent interview features Haneke talking about the thematic concerns of the film such as on screen violence and home video technology. It is obvious the director’s intentions and outlook are much more wiser and mature today then when he made Benny’s Video, which has an air of aggression and hostility towards the spectator. The director also recalls how the film was initially received by audiences and film critics. The inclusion of this interview on the local DVD is excellent.

Deleted Scenes (14:05)

Divided into seven chapters Haneke revisits the scenes he cut from the film. Most were discarded because Haneke did not like the framing of the shots and a majority of the scenes are unnecessary.

Madman Propaganda

The following trailers are preceded by a heavily compressed anti privacy warning: Caché and Le Temps du Loup.

The R1 (Kino Entertainment) and R2 Scandinavia (Future Film) release have the same cropped aspect ratio.

As mentioned the local release is similar to R2 France (Gaumont Columbia Tristar Home Video) in terms of the inclusion of the deleted scenes and interview. The R2 France release does not include English subtitles, only French subtitles.

The R1 does not include the deleted scenes but has the inclusion of Cast and Crew filmographies.

Note both R2 releases are only available as part of a Michael Haneke box set.

The French release box set includes The Seventh Continent and 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls with Benny’s Video.

The Scandinavian box set includes The Seventh Continent, 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls and Funny Games with Benny’s Video.

A fascinating insight into the mind of an isolated and desensitised youth.

This title is part of the Michael Haneke Directors Suite and it is another quality release from Madman Entertainment.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall