One of the most bold, original and uncompromising filmmakers to emerge on the world cinema stage in the latter half of the 20th century, Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke is known for films that dare us to look into the darker half of human existence. Before entering feature filmmaking, he worked as a film critic and as an editor for a southwestern German TV station before becoming a director in 1974. With his debut film The Seventh Continent and two follow-up movies – Benny’s Video and 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance – Haneke set the tone for his provocative, no punches pulled style of films that were to follow. Criterion has gathered all three films – previously released on DVD by Kino – for their Blu-ray debut in this set.
The Production: 4/5
The Seventh Continent (1989; 4.5 out of 5)
Three days in the lives of the Schober family is presented over the course of three years. In 1987 and 1988, Georg, his wife Anna and their daughter Eva go about their day-to-day existence in a seemingly normal manner. However, in 1989, one day shows their lives upended in an extraordinary fashion: Georg and Anna quit their respective jobs and are planning to move to Australia with Eva. However, this is all a lie since the family have decided to do more than just end their time living in Austria; what they’ve decided to do is much more shocking in one of cinema’s most chilling depictions of personal self-destruction.
Benny’s Video (1992; 4 out of 5)
Immersing himself in the world of videos – particularly violent ones – Benny (Arno Frisch) is emotionally estranged from his well-to-do parents, who largely leave him to his own devices. One day, Benny’s fascination with violent movies spills over into reality when he doesn’t just kill a girl that he happens to meet at the local video store with a bolt pistol but records the crime as well. When his parents return home from a weekend getaway, he shows them the video and it greatly disturbs them. Now, the parents are left with two undesirable options for their situation: either report Benny to the police and face public scorn for parental neglect or cover up his crime and live with the crippling guilt of what they know. What’s more shocking than the final decision is the reason why Benny did it in the first place…
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (1994; 4 out of 5)
From October to December 1993, the lives of separate people in the Austrian capital of Vienna are chronicled leading up to a deadly shooting at a bank. A Romanian boy sneaks across the Austrian border and is living on the streets of Vienna until he’s picked up by the authorities. A childless couple look to adopt a girl but soon take in the boy when his story is picked up by the media. Personal stories also followed here are a college student who becomes more obsessed with betting on games of chance, a bank security guard with religious convictions and a lonely, retired man who tries to spend time with his busy daughter. All of these stories intersect on that fateful day in December, where one of these characters finally snaps and loses control, leading to tragedy.
For the first three films of his career – which were unfortunately dubbed the “Glaciation Trilogy” – Michael Haneke’s cinematic genetic code (which has permeated in his subsequent films that followed these three) can be found in The Seventh Continent, Benny’s Video and 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance. For each film, Haneke dares us to peer behind the curtains of our human nature and – in a straightforward manner – attempts to explain the unexplainable in a way that keeps us at arm’s length yet is empathetic toward his characters. Overall, his ability to embrace the complex emotions and truthfully show the darkness within his characters makes him unique amongst the humanists of world cinema; that style has opened him up to criticism for being “too cold and distant” yet it’s often rewarding for those who brave it out and discover the rich tapestry of complexity lying beneath the placid surface (think of him as one of Alfred Hitchcock’s cinematic descendants, one willing to be bold yet show some restraint without crossing the line of taste). That combination of boldness and restraint is also extended to the performances of the cast in each of the three films. In The Seventh Continent, Birgit Doll, Dieter Berner and Leni Tanzer are unforgettable as the family proverbially teetering on the edge of eternity before finally falling off. Benny’s Video features an equally unforgettable Arno Frisch as the titular youth whose emotional estrangement leads to a shocking crime; Angela Winkler and Ulrich Mühe are the parents faced with every parent’s worst nightmare when their child commits a shocking crime. 71 Fragments benefits from a solid collective ensemble performance from the cast, including Gabriel Cosmin Urdes, Lukas Miko, Otto Grünmandl, Anne Bennent, Udo Samel, Georg Friedrich, Branko Samarovski, Claudia Martini and featuring an uncredited Sebastian Stan in one of his earliest film roles. In short, anyone looking to explore Michael Haneke’s bold and uncompromising style may want to start here with these three films, as they hold the key to understanding the provocative and complex nature of human existence in his cinematic canon in a refreshingly straightforward and honest manner without being mechanical.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
All three films are presented in their original 1:66:1 aspect ratios, taken from brand new HD transfers from original film elements for each film (35mm original camera negatives for Benny’s Video and 71 Fragments and a 35mm interpositive for The Seventh Continent), supervised by Michael Haneke. Film grain, color palette and fine details in all three films appear to be faithfully represented here with only minor instances of scratches, nicks, dirt and tears present. This release is likely the best all three films will ever look on home video, surpassing the previous DVD releases of each movie here.
Audio: 5/5
All three films’ original mono soundtracks – in German with English subtitles – are presented on PCM tracks for this release. Dialogue, sound mixes and music cues are all presented faithfully with only minor cases of distortion, flutter, popping, crackling or hissing present here. This release is likely the best all three movies will ever sound on home video.
Special Features: 4/5
The Seventh Continent
2005 interview with Michael Haneke (16:42) – The first of three interviews conducted by curator Serge Toubiana and recorded in 2005 – and featured on Kino’s DVD release of the movie – has Haneke recalling the production of his first feature film.
Towards a Hanekian Cinema (27:43) – Film historian Alexander Horwath examines the early years of Haneke’s film career in this 2018 interview.
Theatrical Trailer (1:54)
Benny’s Video
2005 interview with Haneke (20:45) – The second of the three 2005 interviews – also carried over from the Kino DVD – features Haneke discussing how he made the film, inspired by the wave of senseless violence being reported on in the media at the time.
Latchkey Kid (24:23) – This 2018 interview with Arno Frisch – the actor who portrayed Benny – reveals how he got cast in the titular role and his memories of the film.
Deleted Scenes (14:36) – Scenes trimmed from the movie featuring commentary with Haneke and Toubiana on why these scenes were cut from the final edit.
Theatrical Trailer (1:07)
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance
2005 interview with Haneke (23:32) – The final interview carried over from the Kino DVD features Haneke explaining how he broadened his storytelling scope for his third theatrical film.
Michael H. – Profession: Director (1:32:10) – This feature-length documentary from 2013 looks at Haneke’s career up to Amour (2012) and features behind-the-scenes footage from some of his films; featuring interviews with Haneke, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Juliette Binoche and Isabelle Huppert.
Theatrical Trailer (0:38)
Booklet feat. an essay by novelist John Wray
Overall: 4.5/5
With this loose trilogy that put him on the map, Michael Haneke set the tone for later films like Funny Games (1997), Code Unknown (2000), The Piano Teacher (2001) and Amour (2012) and cemented himself as one of cinema’s straight shooters when it comes to human nature. Criterion has done their usual quality job here, with terrific HD transfers and special features taking us inside each of the three films and the career of its director. Very highly recommended.
Mychal has been on the Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2018, with reviews numbering close to 300. During this time, he has also been working as an assistant manager at The Cotton Patch – his family’s fabric and quilting supplies business in Keizer, Oregon. When not working at reviewing movies or working at the family business, he enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, playing video games and watching baseball in addition to his expansive collection of movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, totalling over 3,000 movies.
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