Benny's Video [1992]

Country of Origin: Austria/Switzerland
Year of Production: 1992
Running Times: 105 mins
Length: 3025 metres
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: colour
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: A Wega Filmproduktionsges.m.b.H and Bernard Lang AG co-production with support from Österreichischen Filmförderungsfond, Österreichischen Rundfunks (Film/Fernseh-Abkommen) and Weiner Filmförderungsfond (in partnership with Österreichischen Volksbanken AG) and Schweizerischen Departements des Inneren and Schweizer Fernsehens DRS
Copyright: Wega Film Wien/Bernard Lang AG Zürich © 1992
Producers: Veit Heiduschka, Bernard Lang
Egyptian Crew Production Manager: Nabil Shazli
Swiss Crew Production Manager: Anne Catherine Lang
Production Managers: Gebhard Zupan, Michael Katz
Egyptian Crew Unit Manager: Affaf Fawzi
Unit Managers: Christian Wolf, Alfred Strobl

SCRIPT
Script: Michael Haneke

DIRECTION
A film by Michael Haneke
Assistant Directors: Hanus Polak Jr
Script Supervisor: Johanna Teicht

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Christian Berger
Lighting: Nicolaus Cortolezis, Roland Heinrich, Michael Lang, Stefan Pochlatko
Assistant Camera: Bernhard Pötscher, Mike Huber
Grip: Ronert Weiland
Stills: Peter Scheiblin

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Marie Homolkova
Assistant Editors: Andreas Prochaska, Marie Haider

SOUND
Sound and Mixing: Karl Schlifelner
Swiss Crew Sound Assistant: Andreas Sigg
Foley Artist: Mel Kutbay

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Costumes: Erika Navas
Wardrobe: Bettina Leidl, Susie Meneghel, Lydia Polak

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Willi Neuner

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Christoph Kanter
Art Directors: Christian Schuster, Friedrich Martan
Exterior Props: Peter Ecker
Interior Props: Robert Köstl, Hans Wagner

MISCELLANEOUS
Swiss Crew Production Secretary: Susanne Hort
Production Secretary: Ulli Lässer
Eqyptian Crew Production Assistants: Sameh Said, Pierre Syoufi
Business Manager: Christa Preisinger
Making of: Gerhard Stüttler
Driver: Ariela Schinogl

LOCATIONS
Locations: Vienna, Austria

CAST
with
Arno Frisch [Benny]
Angela Winkler [mother]
Ulrich Mühe [father]
Ingrid Stassner [young girl]

and
Stephanie Brehme
Stefan Polasek
Christian Pundy
Max Berner
Hanspeter Müller
Shelley Kästner

SUMMARY

Benny's obsession with violent videos spills over into real life when he murders a young girl and videos her death.

AVAILABILITY

Finland
Theatrical Distributors: Senso Films Oy [1993]
DVD Distributors: Future Film [2006]

Germany
Theatrical Distributors: Pandora Filmproduktion [1993]
VHS Distributors: absolut MEDIEN [1997]
DVD Distributors: Alamode Film [2007]

USA
DVD Distributors: Kino Video

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: MA

Finland
Rating: K-16

France
Rating: -16

Germany
Rating: 16 [f]

New Zealand
Rating: R18

Norway
Rating: 15

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 18; 15 [2006 re-rating]

AWARDS

1992
Viennale, Austria
Vienna Film Award [Michael Haneke] - winner [tied with Schuld und Gedächtnis [1992]]

1993
European Film Awards
FIPRESCI Prize [Michael Haneke] - winner
Best Film [Veit Heiduschka, Bernard Lang] - nominated

TIMELINE

1992
May
13: France - shown at the Cannes Film Festival

September
12: Canada - shown at the Toronto Film Festival
28: USA - shown at the New York Film Festival

1993
March
4: Netherlands - theatrical release

April
14: France - theatrical release
16: Sweden - theatrical release

June
10: Germany - theatrical release

September
10: Finland - theatrical release

1996
March
29: Denmark - theatrical release

1999
November
29: Taiwan - shown at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival

2006
May
16: USA - DVD release [Kino Video]

2007
January
12: Japan - DVD release

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Bennyn video - Finnish title
El vídeo de Benny - Spanish title

LINKS

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
Spitting Image [1984-1996]
The Toxic Avenger [1985]

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

epd Film vol.10 no.6 [June 1993] p.31 [Germany]
review [by Dietrich Kuhlbrodt]

Première May 1993 p.20 [France]
review [Alain Bouzy]

NEWSPAPERS

Svenska Dagbladet 16 April 1993 [Sweden]
review [Tonårig psykopat mest effektsökeri by Hans Schiller]

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

airports, apartments, art, austria, backgammon, beaches, cafes, cemeteries, computers, deserts, discos, earrings, egypt, farms, gymnasiums, ice rinks, microwave ovens, parachutes, pigs, pizza, police, schools, snuff films, subways, video, video cameras, videotapes

Last Updated: 2 March, 2008