“I just saw the original Funny Games! I’d been curious about it since I absolutely _LOVE_ the US remake, but hadn’t felt the need to seek it out since the US one is said to be shot for shot. But Netflix decided to point out to me that it had the original, so I figured what the heck. Nice follow up to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer that I had just watched before.
The verdict is, yes it is a completely shot for shot remake. They even rebuilt the house and used very similar costumes. The beats all follow, the credit sequence and music, even costume pieces are all borrowed. Really the only reasons to pick one over the other are the language and the cast. I admit, watching this I kept picturing Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, and Brady Corbett. At least since I knew the US one so well, if I missed a few subtitles here and there, I wouldn’t be lost.
And yes, it’s just as disturbing in German as it is in English. And I still love it”