Customer Reviews

Anatomy (Special Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anatomy has a lot of good things to offers viewers: it's a horror film featuring red-hot German actress Franka Potente of Run, Lola, Run fame, and it quite ably delivers the goods. While not as groundbreaking as Run, Lola, Run, Potente's cinematic journey into the darker side of humanity is well-plotted and beautifully shot. Still being somewhat new to foreign films, I always find it fascinating to see how a foreign director molds and shapes a story. The look and feel of Anatomy is well-nigh perfect, and only a few minor issues with the plot and characterization keep it from earning five stars in my book. If you only familiarize yourself with one German actress, Potente is definitely the number one choice; she may be young, but she is a wonderfully developed actress who, I am sure, could carry the burden of a bad movie quite far on her own. Such an effort on her part is not needed in Anatomy, though, as this movie is quite good from start to finish, even turning out to be far less predictable than I was expecting.

Franka Potente plays Paula Henning, a young doctor-to-be who earns the right to study at a highly respected medical school in Heidelberg, the very school her proud, aging grandfather taught at years ago. She wants only to study and learn, but she ends up living with a fellow student from Munich named Gretchen (Anna Loos), who is quite a character in and of herself, and taking up with a strange fellow student named Caspar (Sebastian Blomberg) . The new students get an electrifying introduction to life at Heidelberg and soon begin their studies. When a young man whose life Paula had saved just days earlier turns up in the form of a cadaver on her lab table, she begins to grow uneasy. Convinced that the lad could not have died of his specific medical condition, she does a little research of her own and finds out that the guy was shot up with a substance that turns the blood into a rubbery substance. We the audience already know what happened to the poor guy; in fact, the opening scene of the movie takes us directly to a surgeon's table where a confused patient wakes up to find doctors basically turning his abdominal contents upside down. Such a scene might be a little disturbing to some, but the gore is, sadly, kept rather to a minimum throughout the entire movie.

A three-letter marking on her friend-turned-cadaver's body leads Paula into a realm of mystery, cruelty, and inherent danger. The Anti-Hippocratic Society, supposedly banned long ago, is apparently still operating under the noble auspices of Heidelberg's respected medical school; the members of this "secret lodge" don't let ethics or even common decency get in the way of their medical research, making a habit of dissecting human beings while these subjects are still alive. It's a pretty unpleasant business. To make matters worse, there is seemingly a rogue element of the Society at work, leading to several medical students themselves being killed not for dastardly research purposes but for emotional reasons. Yes, there is a madman somewhere out there, and Paula finds herself drawn farther and farther into his dangerous web. The genuine suspense that builds up over the last half of the film is energized further when Paula makes a shocking discovery that really hits her in the emotional gut.

The prominent bad guy sort of reveals himself a little early in the game, warning our heroine to stop nosing around, but his mysterious partner remains a mystery until the final moments. Bad Guy Number One, I think, goes a little overboard in his whole cool, calm, and collected closet psychotic behavior. I think he patterns much of his character's traits and behaviors on those of Herbert West of Reanimator fame, but these two characters are working at separate ends of the whole "life and death" spectrum and this guy is certainly no Jeffrey Combs. Still, it's fun to see a mad scientist-type villain take pride in his work.

Much of the gore involved in this subject matter presented on film is implied but not actually shown; while I personally would like to have been visually saturated in blood and guts, I think the lack of gore for gore's sake lends the movie a level of integrity that many a horror film cannot claim. The whole atmosphere of the film is palpable, the suspense builds up quite nicely, the ending comes with a potential little surprise, and Franka Potente is amazing. What's not to like? I should mention that this German film is dubbed in English, and while the dubbing isn't bad it necessarily denies us a complete sense of our characters' feelings at important moments. In the final analysis, this is quality dark entertainment that should please horror buffs as well as all Franka Potente fans in general.

I saw this movie solely because it is one of the few movies you can get in America that stars Franka Potente, best known from "Run Lola Run," and it turned out to be a good movie too. Franka Potente is perfect in her role as the somewhat reserved heroine who uncovers an evil scheme in the prestigious medical university in Heidelburg. It was great seeing a foreign horror movie after seeing so many American ones. "Anatomy" is scary because it doesn't use a recycled plot and the movie really makes you wonder about medical science. It's not from Tom Tykwer, director of "Lola," and it doesn't have that post-modern feel, but it's still definitely worth seeing this good, solid horror flick.

Why is it that the best horror movies are foreign? Is it that they are more intelligent and less likely to follow the tired, used conventions of Hollywood? "Anatomie" is basically a somewhat subdued slasher film, but it has the bonus of starring the always fabulous Franka Potente. Unlike the majority of horror movies, this one is WELL MADE and doesn't look like it was filmed in someone's backyard with a camcorder. Though like the majority of horror films, it is set in a college (it's always college or high school), and deals with something psychologically uncomfortable for everyone- possible dissection! Not to mention, the whole good vs. bad convention: is it a bad thing to perform inhumane studies on human cadavers if the research can possibly save lives in the future?

P.S.- don't watch the sequel. ;)

ANATOMY
[Anatomie]

(Germany - 2000)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Super 35)
Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Digital / SDDS

Exploiting all our worst fears about human corpses and invasive medical procedures, this hair-raising thriller pitches brilliant med student Franka Potente (RUN LOLA RUN) into a centuries-old conspiracy at Heidelberg University involving a secret fraternity of medical deviates who practice dissection on living subjects! Photographed in widescreen Super 35 by Peter von Haller (STALINGRAD), this straight-faced shocker displays all the confidence of its US counterparts - it's actually the first entry in Columbia's newly-created European production outfit - whilst remaining true to its Germanic origins: The picture-postcard views of Heidelberg (described as 'kitsch' by debut writer-director Stefan Ruzowitzky [ALL THE QUEEN'S MEN]) contrasts abruptly with the specially constructed anatomy class - a silver-grey nightmare dominated by dozens of gruesome anatomical displays - where most of the film's action takes place.

Potente, a huge star in her home country, is quietly effective as the heroine who traces the central conspiracy back to its origins in the 16th century, raising the inevitable spectre of similar state-sanctioned atrocities during the Nazi era (an unavoidable detail which has nevertheless provoked criticism from various quarters, particularly in Germany). Strong support is offered by singer-actress Anna Loos (playing a sex-mad student whose encounter with the film's primary villain is genuinely scarifying), Sebastian Blomberg (the potential love-interest), and second-billed Benno Furmann (THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR), the 'token' beefcake who emerges as a key player around the movie's halfway mark (beginning with a nerve-shredding set-piece which evokes chilling memories of the potato truck sequence in Hitchcock's FRENZY [1972]). In a happy turnabout from standard practices, all the nudity in the film is male-oriented, including what Ruzowitzky describes as Furmann's "famous butt shot"!! Great fun.

Followed by ANATOMY 2 (2003).

We pulled some stunts in Anatomy Lab in college, but none went this far. This first time I seen this movie was the "Anatomie" version. I like both. Content-wise...a little sluggish, but not always predictable. There were enough surprises to keep you from turning off the movie. The second half is much better than the first half.

This was a breath of fresh air. Franka Potente (Run Lola Run) is outstanding as the lead actress and the rest of the cast are not bad. The special effects must be seen to be believed, I mean flawless, if you like very real looking gore then this the movie for you. They even have an English audio track for those who are feeling lazy
or just to stoned to read the subtitles.
See it friends its a good one.

"Anatomy" is an outstanding medical thriller that combines "Coma" with "House of Wax." A brilliant young med student Paula Henning (Franka Potente of "Run Lola Run" and "Creep") is accepted into the University of Heidelberg in Germany. On a train, she helps save the life of David, a terminally ill young man. At the university, Paula is on the verge of dissecting a corpse when she discovers to her horror that it belongs to David. Soon afterwards, her classmates begin disappearing. Her investigation leads her to the ancient Anti-Hippocrates Society and a vast conspiracy involving the medical world. She uncovers the terrifying secret behind the grotesque specimens that are displayed in the university's Anatomy Hall like circus sideshow freaks.

I watched the highly suspenseful "Anatomy" in it original German audio with English subtitles. (The English dubbing was horrible.) Potente gives an excellent, believable portrayal as the heroine who bravely searches for her missing friends. Her performance reminded me of Genevieve Bujold in "Coma." Paula is relentlessly chased through the university's labyrinth of classrooms by those who wish to silence her. There are several plot twists that are nice. It is difficult for her to know who to trust in a conspiracy that involves faculty as well as students. Paula even learns some diabolical secrets concerning her own connection with the Anti-Hippocrates Society.

This great DVD package has plenty of nice extras including a music video for the song "My Truth." It is sung by Anna Loos who also appears in the film as Gretchen, Paula`s oversexed roommate. The video is extremely sensual and erotic. It contains an attractive group of performers who dance and flex their brawny bodies.

If you enjoy medical thrillers, then you must see "Anatomy." Another excellent one to watch is "Hollow Man," starring Elizabeth Shue and Kevin Bacon as biomedical scientists who learn, too late, that humans who are made invisible become insane and deadly. If you are a fan of slasher flicks with a hospital setting, then you will like "Anatomy" along with "Visiting Hours," "Halloween II" and "Slaughter Hotel."

Anatomy (Stefan Ruzowitzky, 2000)

Seeing Stefan Ruzowitzky's medical thriller Anatomy so quickly after seeing Nacho Cerda's twisted Aftermath made for an interesting contrast. Anatomy is obviously a much more mainstream, commercial film, but many of the underlying conceits are the same; the two make a great pair.

In Anatomy, two women-- Paula (Lola Rennt's Franka Potente) and Gretchen (Anna Loos, who also sings the soundtracks' exceptionally sexy "My Truth"), are accepted into an exclusive medical school in Heidelberg. While on the train there, they meet David (The Counterfeiters' Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey), a young man with a terminal heart defect who's on his way to see yet another specialist. On their second day of classes, David turns up on Paula's dissection table, and there are some very odd things about his body. Paula, with the help of her would-be boyfriend Caspar (Sebastian Blomberg of the upcoming The Baader-Meinhof Complex) and Gretchen, starts digging into David's mysterious death, and discovers that all at the school is not nearly what it seems.

First off, a warning: watch this with subtitles. The dubbed version is absolutely execrable, and plays more like a bad comedy than the tight, intriguing thriller that it actually is. Ruzowitzky, who also wrote the script, could have probably used another pair of eyes-- some of the plot twists are predictable, if still fun-- but there's a good vein of black humor running underneath the outrageous plot, and he's got a very good grasp of how to use light and shadow to create suspense, something that's almost lost in Hollywood these days outside the influence of a select few directors. The movie is quite nicely paced, after the opening scenes (which get bogged down in setup), and the acting is all at least competent, with some of it really engaging (Loos' character, once we get to know her, is especially fantastic). While the characters in the movie flirt with stereotype-- Grethcne the bimbo, Paula the bookish nerd, Phil the geek, Caspar the clown, etc.-- there's always just enough going on in their personalities that they never slide into cardboard. It's a pretty impressive little flick, and you probably missed it the first time around. If medical-style thrillers are your bag, this should be right up your alley. *** ½

I have to admit that I had zero expectations for this movie as I popped it into my dvd player during one of those lonely, rainy nights. I had never even heard of it before, and I decided to give it a rent for the sole reason that I liked the title. I didn't even know it was a German film, and I sure as hell didn't expect that I'd spend 100 or so minutes reading English subtitles to fully understand what was going on. Yet, I must say that "Anatomy" proved to be a pleasant surprise for the most part. With the Hollywood horror scenario currently characterized by tired, repetitive slasher flicks and unnecessary remakes, this foreign film seemed to be a breath of fresh air.

One of the positive things about "Anatomy" is that, unlike many other horror movies, it actually has a story to tell. And I dare say a quite ambitious one too. We are presented with a secret society whose scope is to conduct experiments on living human beings for the benefit of medical science. And by experiments I mean the literal cutting and removing of flesh and body parts. Naturally enough, in a movie with this sort of plot you would expect it would have its fair share of blood and gore. In all honesty it had a substantial amount, but it's not something which would make you lose your appetite for a week. And to tell the whole truth, I was actually expecting a little more. However, the real strength of the movie lies in the concept itself. Imagine yourself waking up tied to an autopsy table, powerless to do anything other than to stare at mysterious masked men who are cutting your abdomen apart. The idea alone makes you feel slightly uncomfortable. I mean, you could look at all the gore present in the George Romero zombie films, and something in the back of your head will tell you that what you're seeing is just a fictitious horror movie with fictitious zombies. When you see the zombie from "Day of the Dead" rising up from the autopsy table with all his kidneys falling on the floor, you could somewhat say to yourself that this zombie is just a fictional character. You just can't relate to a zombie. This is not the case with "Anatomy". You know that all the characters in this movie are common human beings just like you and me, and for this reason the decapitations somewhat get more under your skin. And mind you, this whole concept isn't just scary; it's even quite amusing in its own demented way. It's like, one day you make a new friend. The very next day you find him dead on the autopsy table for experimentation during your anatomy class. Call me sick, but I couldn't help myself from giggling at that part.

Another thing that impressed me was the acting, and here I'm specifically referring to Franka Potente. I have to admit that this is the very first Potente film I've seen; I still haven't got around to watching her most famous film to date being "Run Lola Run". And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by her performance. She seems to be a very versatile actress, and her character in this movie was totally believable. If there is any justice left in the world, she has the potential to become a major Hollywood figure in the near future. Unfortunately, this cannot be said for most of the other actors in the movie. I didn't find most of them the least bit believable. And to be completely honest, this wasn't completely due to their performances as such. This is where I think this film fell into the first of a number of clichés. These students should be the crème de la crème of medical science. And chances are that if you are one of the brightest medical students in the country, you look and act like a nerd. And if you are a nerd, you probably won't even know what a gymnasium is. Yet, nearly all of the students depicted in this movie seem to have been sculptured from stone. It's as if they spend their whole day working out at the gym instead of burying their heads into boring medicine books.

This leads us to the other negative aspects of the movie, which are practically present in the whole second part. Just when I thought I had found a modern horror movie with a difference, I soon became aware that I was wrong. The second part of the film basically consists of the same, old, tired elements present in 99% of slasher flicks released nowadays. There's the inevitable sex scene, the death of the slut, the survival of the good girl, the boring chase scenes and the unsatisfactory ending. To make things worse, the movie's soundtrack is totally off-putting. I mean, I can understand that the movie was mainly targeted at teens; but do we really have to listen to a Fat Boy Slim song in a horror movie? It was really like watching "Dawson's Creek" at one point. And it's a real shame because this movie really had potential. The second part of the film bored me out of my wits, even with the hundred plot twists the director decided to include. I was very disappointed it went so downhill throughout the end, because I really wanted to give this movie a higher rating. I guess I have to keep investing in my search for a truly outstanding, original modern horror movie.

After living in Heidelberg Germany for ten years, I was pleased to see a horror movie come out of such a beautiful city. Franke Potente does a good job as the main character who discovers the secrets that exist in the medical college where she's been given acceptance to. Although the story is standard medical horror; it is nonetheless entertaining... certainly what types of medical research is going on. Watch this without dubbing. As with most foreign movies, it's best watched in its native tongue. Check out Franka Potente is "The Princess and the Warrior" as well... an even better movie. Viel Vergnuegnen!