Man bites dog

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Movie
German title Man bites dog
Original title C'est arrivé près de chez vous
Country of production Belgium
original language French
Publishing year 1992
length 95 minutes
Age rating FSK 18
Rod
Director Rémy Belvaux , André Bonzel , Benoît Poelvoorde
script Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde, Vincent Tavier
production Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde
music Jean-Marc Chenut , Laurence Dufrene
camera André Bonzel
cut Rémy Belvaux, Eric Dardill
occupation

Man bites dog (original title: C'est arrivé près de chez vous , French for that happened near you ) is a Belgian mockumentary and media satire from 1992.

action

The film is about the serial killer Ben. His life is the subject of a report by a film team that Ben accompanies and films during his “work”. The entire film consists of material that the team recorded, it is black and white and often blurred.

The film team is more and more involved in the point of view of the charming Ben, who philosophizes about God and the world between his murders and maintains a good relationship with his family. Ultimately, the members of the team become accomplices who sometimes help with the removal of corpses and who don't stop doing what they do even when the team's sound engineer is killed in an exchange of fire.

In fact, the film is about the mostly not directly visible team of reporters who literally go over corpses for a good report.

Others

The German and English distribution title refers to the 19th century rule man bites dog in journalism , which is supposed to explain what is news in the media and what is not: "If a dog bites a man, it is not news, because that happens very often. But if a man bites a dog, that's news. "

Reviews

“Bitter satire on a media world detached from ethics and responsibility. A first film narrating from the perspective of the film team, which accepts tastelessness and taboo violations in the choice of its means in order to provoke discussions. "

- Lexicon of international film

“A crude, tasteless blow to the violence in the media: lulled by the black humor of the debut filmmakers, at some point the viewer recognizes himself as a voyeur. Nothing else was supposedly intended. "

- Cinema

“The whole thing is extremely cynical and a deep black and bitter indictment against all the reality TV programs and sensational journalism. The directors and authors created a caustic media satire, which is far removed from aesthetic high-gloss films such as Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers or Ruggero Deodato's blood-soaked debile shocker Cannibal Holocaust . The audience is drawn into the events as well as the filmmakers, who are more and more impressed by the insane Ben. At first distant and observing, they succumb to the fascination of violence and the power over life and death. Once again the question arises: Does film produce or reflect violence? "

- Baldi Baldinger, film headquarters

“With documentary means, the filmmakers Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde show an idiosyncratic insight into the world of a murderer. In doing so, they rely on a wealth of oddities. Despite many almost repulsive scenes, the work is a real festival for fans of extremely black humor. It's strange that such brutalities are often weird to scream. "

- Prism Online

Awards

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for man bites dog . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , January 2013 (PDF; test number: 69 072 V).
  2. ↑ When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news. , see New York Sun (1833–1950)
  3. ↑ Man bites dog. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  4. ↑ Man bites dog on cinema.de
  5. ↑ Man bites dog on filmzentrale.com
  6. ↑ Man bites dog on prisma.de
  7. ↑ Nominations and awards on imdb.com

literature

  • Roscoe, Jane (2006): Man Bites Dog: Deconstructing the Documentary Look. In: Rhodes, Gary Don / Springer, John Parris (Eds.) (2006): Docufictions. Essays on the intersection of documentary and fictional filmmaking. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, p. 205-215.

Web links