In the realm of independent films, foreign films play a large part of the distribution industry. Usually these films are misunderstood by larger audiences, but appreciated by the small sector of independent film fans as being the creative vision of the director. Warner Independent Features hopes to bridge the mainstream gap with an English language remake of a hyper-violent foreign film. In 1997, the film Funny Games was made by Director Michael Haneke and filmed in Haneke’s native Austria. A typical “slasher” film totally inundated with violence, this movie fared well in most markets, winning four awards from various world festivals.

Fast forward to now. In a surprise move, Games has been re-made into an American version of the original with filming in New York City and Long Island. It’s hard to tell whether the time and money invested will be worth the effort. Independent filmmakers are often touted for bringing new and fresh ideas to the movie scene, leaving the re-make business up to Hollywood, but not this time. Through Warner Independent Features, Haneke is releasing his Americanized version of Games in February 2008. The movie has screened in several film festivals with mixed reviews. It appears to be the exact same movie, only in English, in America. This suggests the re-make is not really a re-make, but rather a long-awaited English version of the exact same movie.

To Haneke’s directing, Naomi Watts is Executive Producer, as well as co-star beside Tim Roth. Watts plays mother to Roth’s father. Also starring in this film are Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet as Peter and Paul, the mysterious men who show up at the family’s vacation cabin and proceed to violently torture the family throughout the film. In addition to being filmed as a standard drama/horror piece, Games also adds a certain documentary-esque style to the film by intermittently having the bad guys interact with the camera, as if they are telling the story all along.

This film is scheduled for its American DVD release on February 15, 2008, from Warner Independent. Wondering what the story is? According to the New York Times review by John Wray, “Funny Games is a direct assault on the conventions of cinematic violence in the United States, and the new version of the film, with its English-speaking cast and unmistakably American production design, makes this excruciatingly clear.” In short, Funny Games is a traditional horror/thriller piece that has gone over-the-top to present the goriest of horror to American audiences as the family is slowly shredded, one by one, via savages who enjoy their “game.” Needless to say, it does have a certain air of “been there, seen that,” but that is precisely the point that Haneke is attempting to make with this film. The fact that the film is being distributed by such a major studio is almost laughable, considering the intent of the film to attack Hollywood’s filmmaking styles and conventions from production through distribution.

Once more, with feeling

To sum it up, Michael Haneke’s choice for his first American movie couldn’t have been more of a slap in the face to the Hollywood industry, but this may very well be misunderstood by audiences. Or, Americans get what Haneke is trying to convey with this film, and rocket it to success in an anti-establishment sort of appreciation. Either way, Haneke is definitely making waves with Funny Games.The film has potential to stand on its own, re-make or not.