Preserved Forever As Anatomical Specimens At the University Of Horror
Added 6/26/2009
"Anatomy" is an outstanding medical thriller that combines "Coma" with "House of Wax." A brilliant young med student Paula Henning (Franka Potente of "Run Lola Run" and "Creep") is accepted into the University of Heidelberg in Germany. On a train, she helps save the life of David, a terminally ill young man. At the university, Paula is on the verge of dissecting a corpse when she discovers to her horror that it belongs to David. Soon afterwards, her classmates begin disappearing. Her investigation leads her to the ancient Anti-Hippocrates Society and a vast conspiracy involving the medical world. She uncovers the terrifying secret behind the grotesque specimens that are displayed in the university's Anatomy Hall like circus sideshow freaks.
I watched the highly suspenseful "Anatomy" in it original German audio with English subtitles. (The English dubbing was horrible.) Potente gives an excellent, believable portrayal as the heroine who bravely searches for her missing friends. Her performance reminded me of Genevieve Bujold in "Coma." Paula is relentlessly chased through the university's labyrinth of classrooms by those who wish to silence her. There are several plot twists that are nice. It is difficult for her to know who to trust in a conspiracy that involves faculty as well as students. Paula even learns some diabolical secrets concerning her own connection with the Anti-Hippocrates Society.
This great DVD package has plenty of nice extras including a music video for the song "My Truth." It is sung by Anna Loos who also appears in the film as Gretchen, Paula`s oversexed roommate. The video is extremely sensual and erotic. It contains an attractive group of performers who dance and flex their brawny bodies.
If you enjoy medical thrillers, then you must see "Anatomy." Another excellent one to watch is "Hollow Man," starring Elizabeth Shue and Kevin Bacon as biomedical scientists who learn, too late, that humans who are made invisible become insane and deadly. If you are a fan of slasher flicks with a hospital setting, then you will like "Anatomy" along with "Visiting Hours," "Halloween II" and "Slaughter Hotel."
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Poorly written, but I enjoyed it.
Added 7/22/2008
At a prestigious medical Summer school, medical student Paula Henning (Franke Potente) discovers that a secret society of doctors is conducting illegal experiments on her fellow pupils.
"Anatomie" is a bad film, primarily due to the fact that the script is predictable and incredibly poorly written: the writer doesn't seem to understand the concept of a contained thriller; he misses out on many opportunities that could have made for interesting viewing; and breaking all rules of good screenwriting, has the killer revealing himself to our heroine 2/3 of the way through the film, rather than having the heroine discover him for herself. Don't even get me started on what I think of the film's completely useless hero. Nevertheless, in spite of its multitude of faults, I actually enjoyed watching "Anatomie". It's not the best horror film that I have ever seen (duh!), but it's a fun way to spend an evening, and the film's writer/director does seem to have tried very hard to make it into something more than what it actually is: a B-grade teenage hack and slash.
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Predictable, but monstrously entertaining.
Added 5/30/2008
Anatomy (Stefan Ruzowitzky, 2000)
Seeing Stefan Ruzowitzky's medical thriller Anatomy so quickly after seeing Nacho Cerda's twisted Aftermath made for an interesting contrast. Anatomy is obviously a much more mainstream, commercial film, but many of the underlying conceits are the same; the two make a great pair.
In Anatomy, two women-- Paula (Lola Rennt's Franka Potente) and Gretchen (Anna Loos, who also sings the soundtracks' exceptionally sexy "My Truth"), are accepted into an exclusive medical school in Heidelberg. While on the train there, they meet David (The Counterfeiters' Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey), a young man with a terminal heart defect who's on his way to see yet another specialist. On their second day of classes, David turns up on Paula's dissection table, and there are some very odd things about his body. Paula, with the help of her would-be boyfriend Caspar (Sebastian Blomberg of the upcoming The Baader-Meinhof Complex) and Gretchen, starts digging into David's mysterious death, and discovers that all at the school is not nearly what it seems.
First off, a warning: watch this with subtitles. The dubbed version is absolutely execrable, and plays more like a bad comedy than the tight, intriguing thriller that it actually is. Ruzowitzky, who also wrote the script, could have probably used another pair of eyes-- some of the plot twists are predictable, if still fun-- but there's a good vein of black humor running underneath the outrageous plot, and he's got a very good grasp of how to use light and shadow to create suspense, something that's almost lost in Hollywood these days outside the influence of a select few directors. The movie is quite nicely paced, after the opening scenes (which get bogged down in setup), and the acting is all at least competent, with some of it really engaging (Loos' character, once we get to know her, is especially fantastic). While the characters in the movie flirt with stereotype-- Grethcne the bimbo, Paula the bookish nerd, Phil the geek, Caspar the clown, etc.-- there's always just enough going on in their personalities that they never slide into cardboard. It's a pretty impressive little flick, and you probably missed it the first time around. If medical-style thrillers are your bag, this should be right up your alley. *** ½
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I HAVEN'T RECIEVED IT YET
Added 3/30/2008
I STILL DON'T HAVE IUT... I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY I HAVEN'T RECIEVED IT YET WHEN THE STATE OF MY ACCAUNT SAYS THAT IT HAS ALREADY BEEN DELIVER.
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I love Franka Potente, so I figured I'd give this movie a try. Run Lola Run, and The Princess and the Warrior being my all time favorite two. This movie scared the living daylights out of me! She does some seriously creepy stuff. I will not be watching the second and will always use caution with more of her movies!
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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