The Films of Michael Haneke

[praxis1966]

Sheepishly, I must admit that I didn't really become a fan of Michael Haneke until recently. However, since I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area last January, I've kept a much closer eye on the indie/foreign film circuit given my proximity to a bunch of great theatres specializing in the kind of pretentious, artsy, and condescending movies I love, lol... Consequently, last year, when Das Wiess Band (Eng title The White Ribbon) touched down on American soil I was among the first in line. Upon seeing it, I can't say which I took more pleasure in, the film itself or getting to laugh at the theatre audience's reaction to its ending, which ranged from dissatisfied groans to outright, "What the fuck?!" anger. (Yes, I did actually LOL because A) I felt like I was in on the joke and B) I'm that kind of prick.)

Since then, I have to say I'm hooked on Haneke's work like a fat kid on cake. Granted, he hasn't made my favorite film by any stretch of the imagination. But in its totality, his oeuvre ranks amongst my favorite directors: Kubrick, the Coens, Lang, Melville, Buñuel, Polanski, Godard...

At any rate, so far I've seen Code Inconnu (Code Unknown), Funny Games (the 1998 German original version), La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher), along with the aforementioned Das Wiess Band. In each, I was stricken not only by Haneke's self-described humanism as well as his characterization that his films are "slightly colder than reality (http://www.ejumpcut.org/currentissue/RobertsRevHaneke/index.html)," but by his commentary on modern existential angst, the difficulty of communication despite our increased media technology, and the disappointing disparity between fantasy and reality.

Apart from that, and you can call me a masochist if you like, but I love the fact that he always seems to be fucking with me. In Code Unknown, for instance, there is a particularly interesting scene in which Juliette Binoche (who plays an actress in the film) inexplicably is the victim of some sadistic kidnapper with a video camera set on psychologically torturing her, or at least that's the perception. Quickly, Haneke turns the scene on it's head and we're made aware this is only a rehearsal for a movie she is about to begin shooting.

Anyway, I guess I was just wondering if anybody else here has seen his work and, if so, what did you make of it?

[Diello]

I was never aware that Funny Games and The Piano Teacher were directed by the same person, but it doesn't surprise me.

[praxis1966]

I was never aware that Funny Games and The Piano Teacher were directed by the same person, but it doesn't surprise me.

Me either until recently. But you're right. In both of them, he sort of sadistically toys with both his characters and the audience, never quite giving either what they want. I guess that's another reason I like him, though. Despite the fact that a lot of times his plot lines are highly implausible, he always returns to the highly plausible. That is to say, things rarely work out for the best in reality; people almost never live happily ever after.

Incidentally, I think it may have been Funny Games that hooked me. I felt like I had been pranked, so I started watching Haneke's other stuff to see what other ridiculous shit he'd pull next.

[brigadista]

i watched the white ribbon the other night - thought it was a good movie about power and powerlessness but subtle not sure about the piano teacher not seen funny games - not sure what i think about these movies but at least they made me THINK so for that reason i give him some props

[Os Cangaceiros]

His best that I've seen is probably Cache, I guess.

I really hated his rationale for remaking his own film (!) in the form of Funny Games U.S. (something about how Americans need to be lectured about violence, because America is such a violent society.) He's one of those people like Von Trier who I can't tell whether he's just a huge genuine dickhead, or he's just doing awesome IRL trolling.

[Diello]

He's one of those people like Von Trier who I can't tell whether he's just a huge genuine dickhead, or he's just doing awesome IRL trolling.

I'm still recovering from the mind-blowing disappointment that was Antichrist.

[praxis1966]

i watched the white ribbon the other night - thought it was a good movie about power and powerlessness but subtle not sure about the piano teacher not seen funny games - not sure what i think about these movies but at least they made me THINK so for that reason i give him some props

Great film. I've had quite a few debates on that one in particular. I've had people disagree with me, but I personally think Haneke's arguing against the leitmotif of "But not all the Germans during World War II were Nazis," currently popular in film. It seems to me that The White Ribbon is an indictment of the whole of German society; that it's casual brutality was culpable in producing the Nazi generation. After all, the children of The White Ribbon were the right age for either participation in Nazism directly or silent acquiescence to its rise.


His best that I've seen is probably Cache, I guess.

Yeah, that one's sitting at the top of my Netflix queue. If I can ever get myself psyched up enough to watch Manderlay, which is sitting on the coffee table behind me, Caché will be the next one I get.


I really hated his rationale for remaking his own film (!) in the form of Funny Games U.S. (something about how Americans need to be lectured about violence, because America is such a violent society.) He's one of those people like Von Trier who I can't tell whether he's just a huge genuine dickhead, or he's just doing awesome IRL trolling.

See, on the one hand I agree with Haneke's point, on the other hand it's the height of arrogance to me that he thinks he's moral authority enough to do it. As for the last bit, I think both of them are the kind of folks who just love pushing people's buttons, or IRL trolling as you put it. Once you've seen enough of both von Trier and Haneke's movies, you get the distinct impression that they're screwing with you. I dunno why they'd be any different in other settings, lulz...

[brigadista]

you STILL haven't watched Manderlay???? lol

[praxis1966]

you STILL haven't watched Manderlay???? lol

Hahaha Not yet. I was on a Haneke kick last week as you can see. I did watch Dogville, though, which I rather enjoyed. I mightn't get to Manderlay until tomorrow, as I still haven't washed my stank ass and I have an IWW branch meeting I have to leave for at 6 tonight. Kinda puts me up against it considering it's after 3 here now and that movie's long as shit... Which is incidentally the reason I still haven't gotten to it, lulz.

[praxis1966]

UPDATE: Just watched Manderlay yesterday afternoon. I enjoyed it, but I have to say I found it a bit derivative. It seemed like kind of a stripped down version of Louis Buñuel's Viridiana. Anyway, I really wish von Trier would finish that trilogy. After the first two films I'm dieing to know what he'd do to round them out.

[The Grey Blur]

louis proyect, the marxist film critic, had some stuff on haneke on his blog a while back. most notably the white ribbon. i haven't seen anything other than caché though, i studied that for a 'contemporary french cinema' class at uni last year but i'd actually seen it a few years before. interesting, and like you say there's a mixture of torture/psychological elements with subtle socio-political points, in caché a reflection of france's colonial past.