"Funny Games" Finally Gets its ScreenTies Moment

"Funny Games" Finally Gets its ScreenTies Moment

Susanne Lothar and Naomi Watts star in Michael Haneke's controversial 1997 and 2007 films.

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And now for something at least somewhat different!

We thought a great deal before going ahead with this feature, which is not going to be to everyone's taste. But since we're inevitably part of the conversation that director Michael Haneke clearly wants to have, we decided that it would only be fair.

Many mainstream DiD fans will already be familiar with Haneke's 1997 Austrian film Funny Games, starring Susanne Lothar, and with his shot-for-shot English-language remake a decade later, starring Naomi Watts. If you're not, we should warn you right away that these are grim films with plenty of bondage but not a happy ending in sight.

But there's more. In a short essay about the earlier film called "Violence + Media," the director explains that he wanted to explore those subjects by making a violent but otherwise pointless movie. He ups the ante with a character who breaks the fourth wall and explicitly addresses the audience at various points.

In other words: if being judged harshly by a filmmaker for the simple act of watching his movie isn't your thing, we've posted dozens of other features that you'll probably enjoy a lot more!

The critical reaction to both films was the very definition of mixed, and if you're interested, Rotten Tomatoes will be happy to provide overviews for both the 1997 and 2007 versions.

Just for fun, we've also included a couple other extended scenes featuring Naomi Watts, neither of which comes with the same level of baggage: Shut In (2016) and Sleepwalkers (1997).

Many thanks to Secret Tunnel Media for his fresh edits of the 1997 film.
 

Funny Games

  • Funny Games (1997)
    Susanne Lothar
  • Funny Games (1997)
    Susanne Lothar
  • Funny Games (1997)
    Susanne Lothar
  • Funny Games (2007)
    Naomi Watts
  • Funny Games (2007)
    Naomi Watts
  • Funny Games (2007)
    Naomi Watts
  • Shut In (2016)
    Naomi Watts
  • Sleepwalkers (1997)
    Counting Sheep
    Naomi Watts, Dorion Davis

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