Funny Games (1997)

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writer:

Michael Haneke (writer)

Release Date:

11 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | 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 | Dog | 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		writer

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

• Austrian Film Institute (support)
• Wega Film
• Wiener Filmfinanzierungsfonds (support)
• Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) (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:

Ölümcül oyunlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Brincadeiras Perigosas (Portugal) [pt]
Funny Games (Poland) [pl]
Funny Games (Finland) [fi]
Funny Games (France) [fr]
Funny Games: juegos divertidos (Spain) [es]
Horas de terror (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Paraxena paihnidia (Greece) [el]
Violência Gratuita (Brazil) [pt]

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 | 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:

Austrian Film Institute

Trivia:

According to director Michael Haneke, star Susanne Lothar would often have to force herself to cry for nearly 20 minutes before her takes. He said the scene in which she is forced to pray required 28 takes and Lothar was tremendously drained by the ordeal. It was the weakened reaction that Haneke wanted from her for the scene.

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:

References The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Soundtrack:

Cara Salva

George: Why are you doing this to us? Paul: Why not?

Watching "Funny Games" (1997) directed by Michael Haneke for the first time was an unforgettable visceral experience. It was the horror that really scared, devastated, and stayed with me long after the final scene was over. I can't easily recall another movie that made me go through the same emotions as the innocent victims in the movie did, to feel the same helplessness, hopelessness, despair, humiliation, and horror. I could not stop thinking of how illusory and fragile nature of happiness and safety is and how easy it is to shatter and destroy them. Is it a blessing or curse not to know what lies ahead and not be able to change the future? It's been several years since I saw the film but it still makes me shiver just to think about it.

"Funny Games" can be first mistaken for yet another conventional thriller where the good guys always win in the end and the evil is punished. Wrong, not by Haneke. He shocks you, he hits you in the gut, and then, he shocks you again. Haneke's is a true horror for his monsters don't look like the creatures from hell. No, "they are among us", they are nice and polite, well read, shy and ironic, they have the names from the new Testament, Paul and Peter, they talk with the soft refined voices but they are monsters nevertheless who have no regard for a human life and who want to play their sadistic funny games to the extreme.

"Funny Games" is a controversial film and I've read many reviews and comments that call it "a failure", accusing the film and its creator of not having said anything new or original on the connected subjects of violence, the media, and voyeuristic audience. It may not be a new or original subject Haneke dissects in his film but how he did it, his matter-of fact approach to the material and the seemingly unemotional manner affected me deeply, and I don't think I would ever forget this film.