 |  | Get Showtimes... |
Review #423 of 365
Movie Review of The Lives of Others (2006) [R] 137 minutes
German Title: Leben der Anderen, Das
WIP™ Scale: $12.75
Where Viewed: Landmark Mayan, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 13 March 2007
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: 21 August 2007
Directed by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Templer, Der)
Written by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Mitternacht)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Martina Gedeck (The Good Shepherd) • Ulrich Mühe (Schneeland) • Sebastian Koch (Tödlicher Umweg) • Ulrich Tukur (Solaris) • Thomas Thieme ("Tatort") • Hans-Uwe Bauer ("Tatort") • Volkmar Kleinert (Schwimmer, Der) • Matthias Brenner ("Tatort") • Charly Hübner ("Post Mortem") • Herbert Knaup ( Elementarteilchen)
Soundtrack: Download now from 
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
There is no doubt about it that Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, writer and director, of last year's Oscar®-earning Best Foreign Language Film, made a good movie in The Lives of Others. The story taken from the headlines, so to speak, involves the lives of artists in East Germany prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. A tightly controlled lifestyle that relied on a huge percentage of neighbors serving as informants on neighbors, kept the citizens at bay during this long period of hidden civil unrest and disobedience. At the time, reunification of Germany and the fall of the wall seemed unthinkable. Certainly the bureaucrats, spies, and others for whom the government control was their livelihood, there would be no hope for any change ever. Specifically, in the plot of the film, playwright, Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his favorite lover and actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck) become embroiled in a state affair as the minister of culture Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme) is smitten by her. He sets his best men onto the task of rummaging up dirt on Dreyman such that he will have a more legitimate reason for getting rid of him and claiming the girl as his own. Chiefly in charge of the surveillance is Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) who has been a crack spy on his own people for years. His meticulous methods never miss a detail and are so important he has been assigned to teach them to all new agents of the Stasi each year. The turning point in the film really, though, is when Weisler has a change of heart in his path toward prosecution of the dangerous author which leads to all sorts of tragedy.
"… a very, very good film with great political lessons and surprising twists and turns, but it lacks the soul of its rivals…"
As previously stated, The Lives of Others is a good film, even a very good film. While I don't like to make too many film to film comparisons, it seems important in the context of this analysis, to note that the film is not in the same league as its rival for the Academy Award®, Pan's Labyrinth. In fact, it probably is not even quite as good as another of its nominee rivals, Water. It would be fascinating to hear why voters selected it over these other two. All three are grim stories, yet The Lives of Other lacks the imagination of the other two and their spirit. The acting, the direction, the writing simply doesn't match up. As much as I loathe this sort of comparison after the fact and all, having only seen these three of the five nominees, it seems fair nonetheless to compare them at last and question the logic of the voters. The writer/director has done a wonderful job of recreating the era and the bland coloration of everything that went on in there in East Germany. High marks should go to Ulrich Mühe for his Kevin Spacey-like performance. Pay close attention to his every move and motive. The pace of the film is slow and methodical to a fault sometimes, which does not enhance it overall. The best part of the film is the last half hour when everything starts to gel, and the payoff comes. The Lives of Others, certainly, was a very, very good film with great political lessons and surprising twists and turns, but it lacks the soul of its rivals nonetheless while they possessed similar positives.
Back to Top | W.I.P. Scale™ | Most Recently Reviewed Films | Films of 2005 | Films of 2006 | Films of 2007
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring The Lives of Others (2006)
Cast Members
Martina Gedeck
• Ulrich Mühe • Sebastian KochUlrich Tukur
• Thomas Thieme • Hans-Uwe BauerVolkmar Kleinert
• Matthias Brenner • Charly HübnerHerbert Knaup
Writer / Director
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
| DVD | VHS | |
| Fellow Nominee | Fellow Nominee | Fellow Nominee |
The Lives of Others (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Undoubtedly, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, writer and director, of last year's Oscar®-earning Best Foreign Language Film, made a good movie in The Lives of Others which focuses on the lives of artists in East Germany prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Playwright, Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his favorite actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck) become embroiled in a state affair as the minister of culture Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme) is smitten by her, and sets his best man, Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe), onto the task of defaming Dreyman to clear his way to the girl. von Donnersmarck has done a wonderful job of recreating the era and the bland coloration of East Germany. High marks should go to Ulrich Mühe for his Kevin Spacey-like performance. Still, the best part of the film is its last half hour. Certainly, this was a great film with vast political lessons and surprising twists and turns, but it lacks the conviction of its rivals.
No comments:
Post a Comment