"The Lives Of Others" is a precise and gripping snapshot of the omni-present and much feared secret service of communist East Germany, the Stasi.
Since reunification German Cinema has seen a number of films, such as "Downfall", "Goodbye Lenin", and Austro-German co-production "The Counterfieters" reappraising its Nazi past and the aftermath in the post war years. "The Lives of Others" written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck may well prove to be the high point of this artistic phase.
The plot is the story of Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler (Friedrich Muhe) who is ordered for spurious reasons to bug and follow a playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) to find evidence of pro-western activity and crimes against the state. In doing so Weisler becomes privy to Dreymans' s whole existence and largely happy life. In playing the role of voyeur to Dreyman's relationship with a leading stage actress Christa-Marie (Martina Gedeck), Wiesler becomes caught up in the frustrations of State interference felt by the playwright and those in his artistic circle. He is forced to re-evaluate the emptiness of his own life and is challenged in his role as a loyal servant to the Party. Upon discovering the real reason for the surveillance, the desire of a leading Party Minister to lure Christa-Marie away from Dreyman, his sympathies lead to his making personal choices that have a dramatic and fundamental effect on all the parties concerned.
The story set in 1984 East Germany, with the invasive nature of the one party system should make for unappetising and unappealing viewing. However the tight emotional performance of Muhe as Wiesler is outstanding and was rightly lauded.
The central role of Weisler acts as a metaphor for the re-evaluation of the totalitarian system and the opportunities it denied for the sake its political doctrine. It is a mark of the direction and the completeness of the film that in receiving the Academy award in 2007 for best film in a foreign language it did so at the expense of Del Torro's multi award winning "Pan's Labryinth".
"The Lives of Others" is utterly compelling and very complete. If this is not the high point of the current phase of German Cinema output - Bring it on!
This German film won an incredible amount of awards from all around the world including Oscar and Bafta for Best Foreign Language film. Watching films that have been so feted is often a slightly disappointing experience as expectations are raised so high. "The Lives of Others" lives up to all expectations. This is a quality of Film that rarely comes along.
"The Lives of Others" is a story of everyday life in the DDR in the days of The Stasi the state run secret police. Senior Stasi officer Captain Gerd Wiesler(Ulrich Muhe) is tasked with heading up a team keeping a well known playwright and his actress girlfriend under surveillance. As Wiesler sees and hears more of their lives he begins to question everything he believes in and the whole system running the DDR. This causes huge internal conflict and the Stasi agent has to make the toughest decisions of his life and career. This beautifully acted film gives a real insight into day to day life in the DDR with the constant fear of surveillance, state interference in citizens lives and also the motives of those acting in this way.
This film really deserves all the praise it has received and more. Debut director Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck pulls the whole thing together skilfully and coaxes wonderfully subtle performances from his three stars. Films of this quality do not come along often. This is a must see film and one which will long stay in the memory of all who watch it. First Class.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Drama set in East Berlin prior to the fall of the communist government. Captain Gerd Weiser (Ulrich Muhe) is assigned to surveillance duties, specifically to collect information on popular dramatist Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress partner Christa Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). As he becomes more and more submerged in their lives, Weiser's own attitudes to life, politics and the state begin to change, and it's not long before he finds himself in a dangerous situation. Actors: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Thomas Thieme Directors: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Language: German Subtitles: English Number of discs: 1
Drama set in East Berlin prior to the fall of the communist government. Captain Gerd Weiser (Ulrich Muhe) is assigned to surveillance duties, specifically to collect information on popular dramatist Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress partner Christa Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). As he becomes more and more submerged in their lives, Weiser's own attitudes to life, politics and the state begin to change, and it's not long before he finds himself in a dangerous situation.
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