In association with

Anatomy [2000]
from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
starring Franka Potente, Benno Fürmann, Anna Loos, Sebastian Blomberg, Holger Speckhahn
directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky

Features:

• Anamorphic
• Dubbed
• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

A medical horror movie from Germany, Anatomy is every bit as slick as its Hollywood equivalents (most notably Coma) but cuts a lot deeper thanks to its connections with a Gothic past. Brilliant medical student Paula Haller (Franka Potente) is accepted into a prestigious summer anatomy course at Heidelberg University and gradually learns that many of her teachers and classmates are members of the Antihippocratic League. This secret society carries out unethical vivisection experiments on live human specimens and has been active in the medical profession since the 16th century with a special peak during the Third Reich. Director-writer Stefan Ruzowitsky plays some distinctive and personal games as the heroine uncovers the conspiracy, then learns that her own family is intimately connected with the League. In gruesome but delicate horror scenes, kidnapped human specimens awake anaesthetised to the sound of easy-listening music as masked students dissect them alive to create the impressive, grotesque and beautifully preserved cutaway specimens used in the anatomy classes. Potente, the star of Run, Lola Run, has a very different role as the serious but passionate heroine and her character is affected by the revelations of the plot in a way that deepens the movie beyond the terrific suspense mechanisms of its lady-in-peril climax, in which Paula's medical knowledge and personal grit enable her to fight back. A great moment has the heroine forced to instruct her non-medical student boyfriend (Sebastian Blomberg) how to administer a simple but crucial intravenous injection to save her life, while the plausible villain turns out to be a renegade even by the standards of his secret society.

On the DVD: An extremely high-quality DVD, this offers a pristine widescreen transfer (1:2.35) of the film (enhanced for 16:9 TVs); soundtracks in German, Spanish and English with optional subtitles in English, German and a dozen other languages; a full-length commentary in German by Ruzovitsky, with English subtitles; a couple of deleted scenes, with director commentary; on-set interviews with the cast and crew and a snippets of behind-the-scenes footage; a music video by co-star Anna Loos, shot on the set of the film; trailers; filmographies; and a neat animated menu. --Kim Newman

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• Gross Anatomy for Aspiring Gods in White Coats
  "Anatomy" turns out to be a surprinsingly decent little horror film, especially as German Cinema has only recently branched out into this genre again. Though one of the very first home-grown gore thrillers, "Anatomie" is not in the least selfconscious and begs, borrows and steals from the best, albeit giving it an distinctly German twist. Yes, the story is predictable, but aren't they all - and it would be a little less predictable if Amazon's own review didn't give away practically all plot elements apart... more info

• Bleeds and bites
  "Anatomy" is a limp variation on the slasher flick, giving a medical twist. But most of the horrific moments are based more on body parts than on any genuine suspense, and the only really good performance is Benno Fuhrmann. Americans have seen this sort of movie a thousand times before, and it's no better in German.
  Paula Henning (Franka Potente) is a promising medical student, who has won a place at the Heidelberg Medical School. But things start to go awry instantly -- after saving the life of a... more info

• Cuts like a knife and feels so right
  Anatomy has a lot of good things to offers viewers: it's a horror film featuring red-hot German actress Franka Potente of Run, Lola, Run fame, and it quite ably delivers the goods. While not as groundbreaking as Run, Lola, Run, Potente's cinematic journey into the darker side of humanity is well-plotted and beautifully shot. Still being somewhat new to foreign films, I always find it fascinating to see how a foreign director molds and shapes a story. The look and feel of Anatomy is well-nigh perfect, and... more info

• Watchable
  Kind of interesting. Fairly suspenseful. Good acting. Nothing to get too excited about but the atmosphere was as menacing as it intended to be and it's a good enough movie for getting a late night scare.

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