Customer Reviews

The Michael Haneke Collection (The Piano Teacher/Funny Games/Code Unknown/The Castle/Benny’s Video/The Seventh Continent/71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) (7pc)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just bought this, and I am working my way through the set.

Haneke's brilliance and orginality are overwhelming. I especially like the way his movies are not your typical Hollywood neatly wrapped up endings. He forces moviegoers to do something rare: analyze, interpret and think!

So happy I bought this set.

Until a few months ago, I had only seen Funny Games, the American version. After having been captivated by White Ribbon, I have decided to see as many of his movies as I can. They all have a unique message and meaning.

One of the most impressive directors in our time!

One of the most important filmmakers of this or, dare I say it, any generation. These films are stimulating, challenging, inspiring, intriguing, frustrating and mesmerizing all at once. Buy it. You won't forget it.

Michael Haneke 7pc Film Set
Released by Kino International in 2007

So the first Haneke film I watched was The White Ribbon. I found the film to be superbly nuanced and worth ciphering through to understand what Haneke was trying to convey to the audience. Of course when I viewed that film I had a nice quality copy of the film to watch it. With this compilation the quality undoubtedly varies, at least with the package I got. The First Four Films are all fine in quality: The Seventh Continent, Benny's Video, 71 Fragments, Funny Games. It's when you get to the end of the film collection the quality noticeably worsens. The Castle, Code Unknown, and The Piano Teacher all looked like somebody pirated them and put them on discs. Even with an upconverting player the quality is distracting; an obvious negative tally.

All in All it's a mixed bag for video quality which is a shame for a convenient package.
I await for a Blu-Ray Compilation and hope Kino pays more attention to quality when the time comes around.
Rating:3.5/5

Leave the camera rolling for periods of time with no purpose whatsoever and beat the audience over the head with a hate-fueled "message", and you've got yourself a Haneke film.

If you are one of the misled snobs who think Haneke's films are "art" or he's one of the most important directors like one of the reviewers below, get a clue.