-James Kendrick, Q NETWORK FILM DESK
"It starts out as murderious black comedy. Then, by making the violence increasingly unbearable, it turns the moral barrel on the audience. It's a cruel trick, but that's the movie's rather tenuous point."
-Desson Howe, WASHINGTON POST
Part-mockumentary and part meditation on screen violence and audience complicity, MAN BITES DOG won the International Critic Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. It follows two documentary filmmakers, Andre and Remy, who discover an ideal subject, Ben. Charismatic, witty, and intelligent, Ben has one slight flaw... he is a serial killer. Andre and Remy begin by simply documenting Ben's crimes and words of wisdom, but as the project continues they become increasingly entwined with the material they are filming. The film stunned audiences and ignited controversy concerning screen violence and has become a scathing satire on the media violence and a meta-commentary on the thin line between observer, participant and accomplice.
Suggested Supplemental Screenings: RESERVOIR DOGS (Quentin Tarantino, 1992), NATURAL BORN KILLERS (Olivier Stone, 1994), GIMMIE SHELTER (The Maysels Brothers, 1970), and THE BRIDGE (Eric Steel, 2006)
Wow, two weeks in a row I enjoy a movie that I am probably not supposed to enjoy (well there are obviously some parts of this film that are impossible to “like,” but I don't see them as so disturbing for some reason, probably because I know that they are fake). This is probably the ballsiest comedy I have ever seen. I mean it is legitimately funny, but so brutally dark. The scene where Benoit talks about how to weigh down bodies in a matter of fact way is oddly humorous. In fact, thats where the humor comes from; Benoit is just a normal man (at least in the beginning), except that instead of running a store or owning a restaurant, he kills people and steals their money. It is so much a business to him that he gives a woman a heart attack to save a bullet, and he doesn't believe in killing children because logically they are not as economically sound as killing an adult. Many of the people in the film even know that he does it, and they don't even care. Of course, as the movie progresses we start to really see how insane this man is, through all the racism and the rape, etc.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the funniest moments were when the second sound man dies and then when he kills one of the other people who was also being followed by a film crew. It was just well done. Of course the interaction with the film crew turns unsettling as Benoit's crew kills the other crew. Every time that they would dedicate the film to someone it was humorous in that both had a girlfriend of the same name carrying their child, and the fact that the death affects them so, and yet the hundreds of people they film Benoit kill and dispose of never phases them for an instance.
In as much as it was like a documentary, it was surprisingly beautiful to watch. For instance, going up that snowy road was really pretty, as were the shots of the drinks with the olive tied to the sugar cube. The action sequences are also surprisingly effective, they really use the style to their advantage. For instance, when they are looking for his I.D. Bracelet that he stole and the sound man is not with the camera, we realistically hear the sound from the sound guy. The scene in that power plant is very beautiful in the way they photograph the place. The hideout shootout also is really cool in that it introduces some things I have never seen before. It takes into account the structural integrity of the building. One man dies and falls through the floor, another has his foot break through. Those were cool touches.
ReplyDeleteThe movie is really phenomenal in how you are always aware that the film crew is there, and how they do nothing to stop him, and eventually join in. Probably the films greatest aspect is the lead actor. He is just so interesting to watch. He is so twisted, and he has all these societal comments and critiques to give before and after killing people. He enjoys art. He enjoys music. He has things to say about housing developments etc. Yet at the same time he is also, violent, racist, rude and has a horrible temper. A very tense moment is when he wants them to celebrate with him at a restaurant 2 hours away and they say no. There is also this strange moment when he is laughing and then immediately stops and there is a cut. One of the best scenes in the movie is his birthday, where he shoots his friend for getting to close to the woman he seems to love. His blood goes everywhere and all over the blonde prostitutes face, and yet she plays it off like nothing happened to give him his present. Its sickening. The end is also phenomenal, in that Benoit is actually affected by the death of people he cares about (whereas he has no second thoughts about killing anyone else) and then he is cut down, not committing a violent act, but reciting a poem. I almost think that Benoit knew that he was going to be killed there and that the crew was too. That's where he killed the killer's brother, and thats where Benoit goes to die.
Its interesting that Benoit wants to be on camera as much as we want to watch him, so much so that he begins funding the film and saying that they will never have enough footage. Its almost as if he is drawn to the idea of people watching him as much as we today are drawn to shows with violence like cops and shows about women who don't know that they are pregnant.
ReplyDeleteSo after Jordan's testament, there really isn't much I can add but reiterate what's already been said. Yes it was funny, yes we all hated to love Ben the killer and yes, well all now know how to weigh down a dead midget.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness though, (and as I watch the Superbowl) it wasn't bad at all. Bad as in disgusting, nerve-wracking, or even extra violent. Unlike with Funny Games I wasn't on the edge of my seat or with I Stand Alone which practically gave me a heart attack.
At first I was thrown off by the fact that it was shot it black and white in 1992. But honestly, at the end I just thought it made it look more intelectual. Like throwing on seeing glasses on anyone. Then again, it might've just been a budget issue, but I guess it's one of those "miraculous mistakes" than happen sometimes.
Again, of course the sound choices I think are genius. They knew exactly what they wanted and made sure each scene had the exact level of "reality" it needed. The scene in the factory sounds completely different from when Ben and Remy throw the dead cab driver in the trunk.
Going back to the violence thing, I think it's really interesting how most of the violence that takes place is not bloody at all. There are some scenes with red splashes or guts, but really visually disturbing or jaw-dropping stuff are either left off-screen or to our imagination. Which sometimes can be a trick that can work perfectly. The more you hear the less you see, the more tormenting it becomes.
But as a whole, I think the movie is a great experiment that was extremely well-thought and planned out and looks beautiful.
Plus the french language makes it seem all the better. Can you imagine this same story taking place in small-town America or in South America?
That's a whole 'nother story...
I creepily enjoyed Man Bites Dog. At first I felt a little weird laughing at the jokes, sort of had to double back and ask myself if I should be laughing. I don’t think I’ve ever had a film make me question my own moral compass. It was a little off-putting; although once my friend laughed I took it as clearance for the dark humor. Beyond being slightly disturbed by myself more than the movie (although there were some truthfully funny parts), I couldn’t help but think how interesting the whole concept was. It almost has a sense of meta-fiction. It was pretty fascinating, albeit somewhat disturbing, to see how the crew got sucked into the whole story. It’s sort of this idea of the artist being sucked into their art, blurring the lines between reality and a sort of faux-surreal nature, kind of like Synedoche, New York.
ReplyDeleteBen was a disgustingly charming character. It’s the type of film where disbelief is suspended almost immediately, even though it’s filmed like a documentary. They’re trying to evoke one nature, when in reality, it immediately puts the viewer in the position of just that, viewer. There’s not real sense of ‘this could happen,’ and maybe it’s because of the comedy, but it’s really because the whole premise isn’t realistic. At that’s not to say that it’s a drawback to film, I just think it’s an interesting irony.
While none of the films are really material for enjoyment, I found Man Bites Dog to be particularly unenjoyable. It felt long and drawn out, and the movie as a whole failed to draw me in; I had to fight the urge to walk out on the movie, to do anything but watch it--not because it created any deep effect, but because it precisely failed to create any.
ReplyDeleteIt was too unbelievable that a single man would be the source of a horde of crimes which seemed to be left uninvestigated, and even more that a film crew would be recording the man's misdoings not only in unSamaritan and participatory spirit. I therefore found it impossible to fully engage in watching the film; the "illusion" of cinema as a temporary verity was not there for me.
I loved Man Bites Dog. I’m a big fan of mocumentaries, and grew up with films like This is Spinal Tap, and Best in Show, and this movie shared a lot of the formats subtle comedy. Man Bites Dog was intriguing because it dealt with such a likable main character in Ben, with such an unlikable profession. But because of the sheer number of Ben’s killings, the viewer almost becomes desensitized to all the violence, allowing the humor to take over. I think this is commenting on how desensitized we are as viewers to the violence. Just the fact that Ben comes off as so likable in the beginning proves this. The movie plays a subtle trick on the audience, by slowly decreasing the humor, and increasing the violence. This culminates in the rape scene, where Ben and the film crew lose all likability, and the film takes a dark turn. His humor suddenly seemed stale, and he no longer seemed as witty and intelligent, and it made me feel bad for liking him so much in the beginning. I think it makes a great statement about other action film protagonists, like Rambo or James Bond, who kill innumerable amounts of people, and the viewer barely blinks. Man Bites Dog brings a new level of reality to the idea, which really makes you think about how violence is portrayed in the enterntainment industry
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Man Bites Dog and have already recommended it to some friends. I thought the sense of humor was similiar to that of South Park in that it did mock society in someways and had a gross pushing the limits type of humor. I thought that the black and white added to the intensity and mocumentary effect of the film.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning I did not think that the film was a dark comedy and in fact it creeped me out. But the film does a good job of adapting the viewers to the film. By the end I was laughing at things I don't think I would have had they been at the opening of the film. The only part of the film that I thought was too far was the rape scene. I think it did cross the line; however, it was also a wake up call to the viewer. Yes Ben is funny and witty and makes you like him by the end of the film, but the reader begins to like him so much that they forget he is a vicious, cruel, and heartless character. The rape scene reminds us of that. I too like Marta felt the film to be a bit long. I think the film starts off slowly but toward the end picks up the pace. Overall I greatly enjoyed the film.