Benny's Video Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Benny's Video Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 10, 2023

Austrian director Michael Haneke's solid 1992 sophomore film Benny's Video is currently only available on Region "A" Blu-ray as part of Criterion's Michael Haneke: Trilogy, a three-disc set that also includes 1989's The Seventh Continent and 1994's 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance along with a few old and new bonus features.

No less disturbing than The Seventh Continent, Benny's Video makes audiences immediately aware of its intentions by beginning with the filmed death of a pig (above); it's even repeated and slowed down by our main character Benny (Arno Frisch, who would also appear in the original Funny Games five years later), a deeply troubled 14 year-old boy with rich and mostly inattentive parents. Surrounded by media -- most of it violent in nature -- and with a keen interest in filmmaking, Benny soon develops an interest in teenage Mädchen (Ingrid Stassner) and invites her over when mom and dad aren't home. But while Benny is showing off his prized possessions, including the bolt gun used to murder that pig, Mädchen is accidentally (?) killed while his camcorder is running. After Benny gets his head shaved and reluctantly comes clean to his parents, Benny's Video shifts gears into vaguely satirical territory when, rather than involving the authorities, he and his mom take a vacation to Egypt while dad cleans up the apartment. Almost the structural opposite of The Seventh Continent but with a few clear-cut connections, this is a more narratively accessible film that, while it fizzles out in the home stretch, threads its story beats together in a smoother way.

Benny's Video Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a cursory overview of this film's 1080p transfer, please see my review of Michael Haneke: Trilogy.

Benny's Video Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For an analysis of this film's German LPCM mono mix, please see my review of Michael Haneke: Trilogy.

Optional English subtitles are included for translation purposes only.

Benny's Video Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The following extras appear on Criterion's Blu-ray of Benny's Video in Michael Haneke: Trilogy.

• Michael Haneke (20:45) - This DVD-era interview with the director was conducted by Cinémathèque Française director Serge Toubiana in 2005 and features comments about the making of Benny's Video.

• Arno Frisch (24:23) - Produced for The Criterion Collection and recorded in 2018, this interview with actor Arno Frisch -- who played the title character of Benny and later appeared in the original Funny Games as "Paul" -- speaks about his memories of the film, from the initial casting process to working with Haneke.

• Deleted Scenes (14:36) - Another DVD-era carryover, this collection of deleted scenes features introductions and comments by Michael Haneke and Cinémathèque Française director Serge Toubiana.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:07)

Benny's Video Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Although it loses a bit of steam later in the second half, Benny's Video is an underrated entry in Michael Haneke's filmography and offers, among other things, a finely-threaded narrative and a very good debut lead performance. This just may be my favorite film in Criterion's Michael Haneke: Trilogy, which includes two other early Haneke films and a few choice bonus features. At the current price point, it's a pretty affordable set for interested parties.