Funny Games (U.S.) (Directors Suite) (2007)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Introduction-12 Chapter Selections (16x9) Theatrical Trailer-(2:13) (Full Frame) Theatrical Trailer-Caché (2005) (2:12) (Full Frame) Theatrical Trailer-De Fem benspænd (2003) (1:31) (16x9) Theatrical Trailer-Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (1974) (Full Frame) Theatrical Trailer-Le Couperet (2005) (1:36) (Full Frame)
Rating
Year Of Production	2007
Running Time	107:13
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Michael Haneke
Studio Distributor	Warner Independent Madman Entertainment	Starring	Naomi Watts Tim Roth Michael Pitt Brady Corbet Devon Gearhart Boyd Gaines Siobhan Fallon
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	Yes
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

Michael Haneke's 1997 film Funny Games, on the surface, was a simple tale of home invasion in which two malevolent men destroy the family unit physically and psychologically. Yet Funny Games was also a complex tale of horror, which played upon the spectator's deepest fears - that our own safe internal and external worlds can be terrorised - as the self conscious film criticised and implicated the audience in the onscreen violence. A decade on Haneke has now directed Funny Games U.S. (2007), an English language, shot for shot remake of the original German language film.

Funny Games was most likely remade for English speaking audiences because the original Austrian production referenced a number of American and British films - for example Rope (1948), Compulsion (1959) A Clockwork Orange (1971), Straw Dogs (1971), The Last House of the Left (1972), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), The Shining (1980), Misery (1990) and Natural Born Killers (1994).

Funny Games also referenced the Tom and Jerry animation series written by American Tex Avery, as the male antagonists of Funny Games - Paul and Peter - who also refer to themselves as Tom and Jerry in the film, have a need to discourage boredom and routine and as such create sadomasochistic games. Another American animation television series which was also referenced in Funny Games was Beavis and Butthead (1993), a television show which some may argue depicted behaviour which was juvenile, offensive, sexist and politically incorrect, yet at the same time was an expression of the despair and alienation that consumed working class and middle class youths.

Also it is important to note, that while the original Funny Games was released in early 1997 to critical success in Europe and Asia, American audiences were experiencing the rebirth of the Horror genre with the release of Wes Craven's Scream franchise in the late 90s. The successful series of Scream films, which were heavily influenced by the 1970s slasher horror genre, in return saw the original radical films remade, parodied or given prequels and sequels - for example Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), Scary Movie (2000), Dracula 2000 (2000), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and The Hills Have Eyes II (2007).

More importantly a post 9/11 horror subgenre was also becoming disturbingly prevalent in American Cinema, subtitled 'Torture Porn' by New York Magazine film critic David Edelstein. The profitable films under this label usually depicted the tale of a serial killer from the victim's point of view and all the films contained glorified nudity and numerous scenes of torture, mutilation and sadism. The named films and their subsequent franchises were - House of 1000 Corpses (2003), Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005). These American productions even influenced filmmakers worldwide and saw the release of the French horror productions Haute tension (2003) and Sheitan (2006) and the Australian production of Wolf Creek (2005). While these sensationalist films are still being made in America, some forthcoming titles are - Saw VI (2009), Hostel: Part III (2010) and the remake of The Last House of the Left (2009), Haneke's remake of Funny Games is well timed for American audiences as it is somewhat the bookend of the once thriving and disturbing American film genre.

While the films of the debatable 'Torture Porn' label can be viewed as a perverse exercise in financial gain for the film studios, (as most are released by Lionsgate studios), it can also be interpreted as a series of films which use excessive violence to excite audiences, in a similar way to what a sexual act is to pornography. However it can also be argued that the shock value of the 'Torture Porn' film is used to draw in audiences - (as demonstrated in the theatrical trailer for Funny Games U.S. which is derived from the radical marketing campaign for A Clockwork Orange (1971), and promises to shock and disturb the audience) but at the same time by making the violence realistic and uncomfortable for viewers, the filmmakers do not intend to excite the audience, but condemn them - certainly this is Haneke's motivation in Funny Games.

There are minor differences between Funny Games and it's remake, and the majority of differences mainly rest upon the actors interpretation of Haneke's protagonists and antagonists. Naomi Watts depicts Ann as the modern depiction of the 'Torture Porn' 'Final Girl,' as her body is further sexualised, yet she remains physically and mentally stronger then her male counterparts, particularly Tim Roth's emasculated George. The casting of Roth is a fascinating point, as in his career he is often cast as the aggressor but here his character is feeble and helpless. It's also interesting to see Michael Pitt cast as the antagonist - he is the cherub faced actor who featured in Dawson's Creek but also the indie darling of Bully (2001), The Dreamers (2003) and Last Days (2005). Brady Corbett also stars as the villainous sidekick in the remake.

Video

The film is presented in it's original aspect ratio and it is 16x9 enhanced.

The look of Funny Games U.S is an interesting one, the original film had a rawness which added to the on-screen terror, however for the remake Darius Khondji has opted for a clean glossy 'American' look, which (initially) plays against the terror which will be enforced upon the family unit.

The colour scheme is excellent as skin tones are warm and glow, while the white uniforms of the antagonists remain bright and vivid. Black levels are considerably good also.

There are no major incidents of compression artefacts as the transfer has been encoded on a dual layer DVD at a high bit rate.

Overall the transfer remains relatively sharp and shadow detail is also decent.

Audio

Disappointingly the single audio soundtrack on this DVD is an English 2.0 Dolby Digital soundtrack. This is a shame as often in Funny Games U.S. violence will take place off-screen, and this certainly would have been better reflected in the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack.

Dialogue remains clear and the soundtrack is free from errors. Sound in horror/suspense films is always key, but as with Haneke's previous feature films, the director again opts for environmental sound, consequently there is no score; however there are a number of important music cues which indicate the 'presence' of the director manipulating the audience - namely the ingenious use of 'Bonehead' and 'Hellraiser' by Naked City in the opening/closing scenes.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Main Menu Introduction

The Main Menu for Funny Games U.S. is introduced with brief animation and dialogue before the main menu is revealed. The Main Menu features a still of the memorable theatrical poster for the film. There are 12 scene selections and the main menu offers access to the theatrical trailer and Directors Suite trailers.

Theatrical Trailer

The theatrical trailer is unfortunately affected by NTSC to PAL comb interlacing artefacts.

Directors Suite Trailers

After an anti-piracy warning the following trailers can be accessed:

• Caché (Hidden) (2005) (2:12) (Full Frame)
• De Fem benspænd (The Five Obstructions) (2003) (1:31) (16x9)
• Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (Conversation Piece) (1974) (Full Frame)
• Le Couperet (The Ax) (2005) (1:36) (Full Frame)

Funny Games U.S. was released on DVD in the USA on June 10, 2008.

The single disc included a selection of start-up trailers, 5.1 English Dolby Digital, English HoH, French and Spanish subtitles. Also a Full Frame version of the film featured on Side B of the DVD.

Funny Games U.S. was released on DVD in the UK on July 28, 2008.

The single disc also included a selection of trailers and TV Spots, English DTS, English 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Dolby Digital 2.0. Also included is a half hour interview with director Michael Haneke.

Michael Haneke's (Trauma) Cinema is a collective of insights, methods and manipulation - which is why I often refer to Haneke's films (and to borrow from Yello) as - "vicious games, with different names."

There is no doubt Haneke is an original and arresting voice in modern cinema, yet some will despise Funny Games U.S. - some may even like it, while many will feel played. Is it a must see? - it depends on the viewer again. Haneke meant for the 'Torture Porn' crowd to embrace the film and then question why they enjoy watching such 'entertainment.' However Funny Games U.S. simply fell under the radar in the United States, while those who watched the original felt no need to watch the remake. In all each of these responses are equally valid - if anything Haneke wants his audience to think - and if he achieves that he is satisfied. (I'm sure Haneke would even pat you on the back if you stopped watching!)

The tagline reads "You must admit, you brought this upon yourself" - a reference to dialogue within the film, but also the film is a response to our state of current affairs - the "war on terror," Abu Ghraib, The rise of 'Torture Porn' cinema and 'happy slapping' videos which feature actual and random events of bullying, violence and manslaughter - which are then circulated on the internet as forms of entertainment. (See the teaser trailer of Funny Games U.S. here - which plays upon this phenomenon).

On a sidenote Funny Games U.S. makes for interesting viewing alongside The Strangers (2008) (i.e the anti-genre film vs. the classic genre film).

This local release of Funny Games U.S. which is part of Madman's Directors Suite is a slightly disappointing affair - namely due to the lack of a 5.1 Dolby Digital option, but the picture quality is acceptable.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall