No Funny Games for Funny Games
Johnny Butane
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Okay, I’ll just come right out and say it; I don’t get it.
Ten years after Michael Haneke directed the critically acclaimed Funny Games, he’s prepping a remake of the film that will star Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. Not all that uncommon, but here’s what I don’t get: Producer Linda Moran told Fangoria that it will be a shot-for-shot remake.
“We actually had blueprints from the house that was used in the original, and we went on a soundstage and built a set that matched those proportions exactly,” she told the mag as an example of how closely they’ll be sticking to the original. A different cast and cinematographer will make it look newer, but why remake the entire thing without changing a frame?
Maybe the original just works too well? Both films are about a family terrorized by some home invaders, made to do humiliating things at the whims of the psychotic lowlifes.
“It was very hard on the actors; we put them in a room and tortured them for days on end,” Moran continued relating. “Michael is very exacting in the way he works, so they were challenged by that idea and came in knowing what they were getting into, and they definitely rose to the challenge. Naomi Watts in particular was just remarkable; she had to get tied up and gagged for real, because Michael didn’t want to fake that—he didn’t want it to read that way on screen. But they were all very good.“
Now don’t get me wrong; the idea of keeping Naomi Watts tied up for days on end is very appealing to me as well, but I’m guessing for different reasons. Warner Independent plans to release the new Funny Games in theaters on January 18th.
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