Benny's Video (1992)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writer:

Michael Haneke (writer)

Release Date:

4 March 1993 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A story about a boy called Benny, who watches violent movies, including a home-made video of a pig being slaughtered. Soon after, Benny loses his mind and kills a girl and films the murder with his video camera. |

Plot Keywords:

Video | Boy | Pig | Murder | Girl

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Arno Frisch	...	Benny
Angela Winkler	...	Mother
Ulrich Mühe	...	Father
Ingrid Stassner	...	Young Girl
Stephanie Brehme
Stefan Polasek
Christian Pundy
Max Berner
Hanspeter Müller
Shelley Kästner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wolfgang Böck
Cecile Gordon
Alfred Köberler
Paulus Manker
Gerhard Schmiepeter
Susanne Schneider
Dietrich Siegl	...	(voice)
Martin Schoendeling	...	Sales manager in videostore (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Haneke

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Haneke		writer

Produced by
Veit Heiduschka	....	producer
Michael Katz	....	executive producer
Bernard Lang	....	producer
Gebhard Zupan	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Christian Berger

Film Editing by
Marie Homolkova

Production Design by
Christoph Kanter

Set Decoration by
Christian Schuster

Costume Design by
Erika Navas

Makeup Department
Giacomo Peier	....	makeup artist
Elisabeth Preindl	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Affaf Fawzi	....	unit manager
Anne-Catherine Lang	....	production manager
Nabil Shazli	....	production manager
Alfred Strobl	....	unit manager
Christian Wolff	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hanus Polak Jr.	....	assistant director
Alfred Strobl	....	assistant director
Christian Wolf	....	assistant director

Art Department
Robert Kostl	....	set dresser
Hans Wagner	....	property master: indoor

Sound Department
Eduard Hofmann	....	assistant sound
Mel Kutbay	....	foley artist
Karl Schlifelner	....	sound mixer
Karl Schlifelner	....	sound
Andreas Sigg	....	assistant sound

Special Effects by
Willi Neuner	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Nicolaus Cortolezis	....	lighting technician
Roland Heinrich	....	lighting technician
Michael Lang	....	lighting technician
Stefan Pochlatko	....	lighting technician
Bernhard Pötscher	....	assistant camera
Peter Scheiblin	....	still photographer
Robert Weiland	....	lighting technician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bettina Leidl	....	wardrobe
Susanne Meneghel	....	wardrobe (as Susie Meneghel)
Lydia Polak	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Marie Haider	....	assistant editor
Andreas Prochaska	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Peter Ecker	....	location manager
Susanne Hort	....	production secretary
Ulrike Lässer	....	production secretary
Christa Preisinger	....	business manager
Samich Said	....	production assistant
Pierre Sioufi	....	production assistant
Johanna Teicht	....	script supervisor
Christian Wolf	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Bernard Lang
• Wega Film

Distributors

• Alamode Film (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Pandora Filmproduktion (1993) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Senso Films Oy (1993) (Finland) (theatrical)
• absolut MEDIEN (1997) (Germany) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Benny's Video (France) [fr]
Bennyn video (Finland) [fi]
El vídeo de Benny (Spain) [es]
To video tou Benny (Greece) (TV title) [el]

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Austria | Switzerland

Language:

German | English | Arabic | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (2006) | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R18 | Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Vienna, Austria

Company:

Bernard Lang

Trivia:

Second part of Michael Haneke's "Glaciation Trilogy" also including Der siebente Kontinent (1989) and 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls (1994).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Benny leaves the phone booth in Egypt, the cameraman is visible in multiple window reflections.

Movie Connections:

References Another 48 Hrs. (1990)

Offbeat, dark and gritty film from Michael Haneke

Michael Haneke is a filmmaker that isn't afraid to go all out to shock his viewer. My only previous experience with the director was his later film 'Funny Games', which I enjoyed immensely for its pitch black humour and willingness to go that extra mile to ensure that the film shocks as it should. While I didn't enjoy Benny's Video as much as Funny Games on the whole, it is an overall more shocking film due to the youth of its main character and the matter-of-fact way that the story is presented. Michael Haneke affords his film a gritty atmosphere through cheap-looking film stock and constant cuts with material shot on a video camera. The film focuses on a young man named Benny. Benny has an obsession with violent horror, and his favourite tape appears to be footage of a pig being slaughtered. He takes it upon himself to steal the slaughter gun, and when his parents leave him at home unsupervised; he invites a young girl into his house. It's not long before the slaughter gun is being put to use again, and the murder of the girl is caught on Benny's video camera.

On the one hand, this is a dark and gritty portrayal of a situation that no one would want to be in, and at its strong points; Benny's Video is an emotionally involving and even tormenting film. However, it would seem that the director wasn't really sure about where exactly to take it, and has unfortunately seen fit to pad the film out with drawn out and not entirely relevant sequences, which ultimately brings it down. All the main characters are well presented and believable, and the film benefits from a strong cast of actors that manage to get into their characters well. The best scene in the movie sees Benny's parents discussing what they do, and if the entire movie was as good as that scene; Haneke would have had a masterpiece on his hands. Michael Haneke's direction is very 'no frills', as while he uses tricks such as cutting the film with video camera footage, it's all done very calmly...which ultimately benefits the film, as the sober atmosphere really allows the audience to be dragged in. Overall, as mentioned; the film isn't as easy to get on with as the later 'Funny Games', but Benny's Video will no doubt appeal to those who enjoy dark and challenging films.