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The Lives of Others [Blu-ray]
Genre | Foreign, Drama |
Format | Color, AC-3, NTSC, Dolby, Widescreen, Subtitled, Blu-ray |
Contributor | Ulrich Tukur, BAYERISCHER RUNDFUNK-TELEPOOL; Credofilm; Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion GmbH & Co. KG, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Muhe, Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck, Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann, Martina Gedeck See more |
Language | German |
Runtime | 2 hours and 18 minutes |
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Product Description
Product Description
This critically-acclaimed, Oscar®-winning film (Best Foreign Language Film, 2006) is the erotic, emotionally-charged experience Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly) calls "a nail-biter of a thriller!" Before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's population was closely monitored by the State Secret Police (Stasi). Only a few citizens above suspicion, like renowned pro-Socialist playwright Georg Dreyman, were permitted to lead private lives. But when a corrupt government official falls for Georg's stunning actress-girlfriend, Christa, an ambitious Stasi policeman is ordered to bug the writer's apartment to gain incriminating evidence against the rival. Now, what the officer discovers is about to dramatically change their lives - as well as his - in this seductive political thriller Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) proclaims is "the best kind of movie: one you can't get out of your head."
Amazon.com
Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, this is a first-rate thriller that, like Bertolucci's The Conformist and Coppola's The Conversation, opts for character development over car chases. The place is East Berlin, the year is 1984, and it all begins with a simple surveillance assignment: Capt. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe in a restrained, yet deeply felt performance), a Stasi officer and a specialist in this kind of thing, has been assigned to keep an eye on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch, Black Book), a respected playwright, and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck, Mostly Martha). Though Dreyman is known to associate with the occasional dissident, like blacklisted director Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert), his record is spotless. Everything changes when Wiesler discovers that Minister Hempf (Thomas Thieme) has an ulterior motive in spying on this seemingly upright citizen. In other words, it's personal, and Wiesler's sympathies shift from the government to its people--or at least to this one particular person. That would be risky enough, but then Wiesler uses his privileged position to affect a change in Dreyman's life. The God-like move he makes may be minor and untraceable, but it will have major consequences for all concerned, including Wiesler himself. Writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck starts with a simple premise that becomes more complicated and emotionally involving as his assured debut unfolds. Though three epilogues is, arguably, two too many, The Lives of Others is always elegant, never confusing. It's class with feeling. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Beyond The Lives of Others
Films from Germany
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from Sony Pictures Classics
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Product Dimensions : 6.5 x 5.25 x 0.5 inches; 0.01 ounces
- Item model number : 6507809
- Director : Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
- Media Format : Color, AC-3, NTSC, Dolby, Widescreen, Subtitled, Blu-ray
- Run time : 2 hours and 18 minutes
- Release date : August 21, 2007
- Actors : Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur
- Subtitles: : English, French, Spanish
- Producers : Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann
- Studio : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- ASIN : B000P46QTA
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #88,334 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #198 in Foreign Films (Movies & TV)
- #1,777 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV)
- #6,251 in Drama Blu-ray Discs
- Customer Reviews:
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Its key lies in its title, which seems at first glance drippingly altruistic. The year, appropriately, is 1984, and Captain Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) is in his twentieth year as an agent of East Germany's dreaded Ministry for State Security, commonly known as "Stasi." The "shield and sword" of the Socialist Unity Party, 100,000 Stasi agents and 200,000 paid informers hold the small Soviet satellite nation in a death grip, monitoring and controlling the lives of its 17 million citizens.
Captain Wiesler is a meticulous interrogator, ruthlessly wearing down suspects until they confess. An instructor at the Stasi academy, he trains future agents always to be on guard. "The best way to establish guilt or innocence is non-stop interrogation," he instructs his students. "The enemies of the state are arrogant. Remember that. "
A humorlessly menacing man, Wiesler leads a lonely, Spartan existence in an antiseptic, sparsely furnished apartment in a concrete high-rise that houses many fellow agents. One day at the academy, his former classmate and current boss, gregarious Lieutenant Colonel Grubitz (Ulrich Tukur), drops in with an assignment right up Wiesler's alley. One of their artists appears to be straying from the flock, and Wiesler has been assigned to watch him. However, the subject in question is no dissident, but the most celebrated playwright in East Germany, Georg Dreymann (Sebastian Koch)--a citizen so loyal to the Party that he believes his is "the greatest country on earth."
Later that evening, spying from a balcony seat with opera glasses, Wiesler detects the mark of subversiveness on Dreymann's face as he watches the actors onstage performing his play. As Georg beams with proprietary approval, rising to applaud, Wiesler quietly utters to himself a one-word indictment that seals the dramatist's fate: "Arrogant."
Georg lives with longtime companion Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck)--a radiant brunette who is as celebrated an actress as Georg is a writer (and to whom Wiesler clearly takes a fancy). While they are out of their flat, Wiesler's technical team descends upon their home, bugging the place. "Operation Lazlo" is now in full swing, and Wiesler and his partner monitor their subjects around the clock from the apartment building's empty attic.
At first, the surveillance of Georg and Christa appears fruitless. At a dinner party they host, a hysterical theatrical colleague (Hans-Uwe Bauer), who's suffered detention and psychological torture at Berlin's infamous Hohenschönhausen prison, accuses another director of being a Stasi informer. Georg is quick to defend the man against the accusation.
Yet, through the course of his work, Wiesler makes some rather ugly discoveries about the investigation. He learns that it was ordered at the behest of national Culture Minister Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme), a porcine bureaucrat who's extorted sexual favors from Christa under the threat of blacklisting her. Wiesler also eventually finds his friend Grubitz's schmoozing to be a cover for vicious social climbing and discovers that Grubitz is complicit with Hempf's scheme to use Stasi as a cat's paw to eliminate Georg, his romantic rival.
Within Wiesler stirs a realization previously kept repressed: that his unquestioning faith in his country has enabled not his ideal of the perfect socialist state, but the hideous arrogance of avaricious thugs who run everything in the "workers' utopia."
Where once was the heel-clicking impersonality of a robot, a conscience begins to grow. Wiesler comes to view Georg and Christa and their circle of bohemian friends not as specimens under a microscope, but as real individuals, with hopes and dreams, loves and heartbreaks. Having grown a conscience, he soon also yearns for a heart, as he silently assesses the utter emptiness of his own life.
Swept up in his subjects' personal lives, Wiesler's detached spying turns into voyeurism. But it isn't a perverted voyeurism, because, for the first time, the lonely captain catches a glimpse into a world of beauty, poetry, and music that is alien to his two-dimensional existence. Sympathetic to the predicament of these enemies of the state, Wiesler begins covering for them, faking his reports, and remaining silent about Georg's gradual disillusionment with the DDR after an old director friend (Volkmar Kleinert) commits suicide.
He overhears an argument in which Georg confronts Christa with knowledge of her affair with Hempf. Christa--already insecure about her talent--explains that she fears being blacklisted if she breaks it off. Wiesler feels compelled to protect her: He accidentally-on-purpose runs into her in a bar, pretending to be a fan, and tells her that her performances have inspired him. "Many people love you for who you are," he says, sincerely. "You are even more yourself onstage than you are in real life."
Christa dismisses his compliment, telling Wiesler he can't really know her. "Did you know that I would sell myself for art?" she asks. "But you already have art," he counters. "That would be a bad deal; you're a great artist."
Though his simple compassion, he gives Christa the strength to believe in herself and renounce her extorted affair with Hempf. But in doing so, Wiesler unintentionally sets into motion a nail-biting series of events that leads inexorably both to tragedy and redemption.
The Lives of Others is a superb film, top-drawer in every regard. Cathartic and ennobling, it recalls Fahrenheit 451 and We the Living in its presentation of tragic heroes forced to examine their deepest-held yet deeply mistaken principles. Hagen Bogdanski's cinematography is compelling; through subtle differences in lighting he gives Silke Buhr's sets an additional dimension that places the characters in emotional context. Shot with tungsten-balanced film, Georg and Christa's incandescently-lit apartment radiates warmth; yet by capturing with daylight film the omnipresent, fluorescent-lit settings of the Stasi world, Bogdanski renders it cold and bloodless. Gabriel Yared's simple, haunting soundtrack is the perfect evocative counterpart for the action onscreen.
The acting is realistic, but never naturalistic. Martina Gedeck is a pleasure to watch, not merely because of her physical beauty, but for her impressive emotional range. Ulrich Tukur's capacity to turn on a dime from regular guy to cold-blooded manipulator is simply scary. And Sebastian Koch combines a physically imposing presence with a gentle, almost fatherly manner, reminding me of a younger Rutger Hauer.
But Ulrich Mühe steals the show as Wiesler. I have never seen an actor convey such a broad range of feelings within such narrow parameters. Where a Pacino or a Steiger would explode with ferocity, Mühe underplays, moving the audience with the sudden shift of an eyebrow, the drawing-in of a cheek muscle, or the quiet fall of a teardrop that betrays his sphinx-like façade.
Mühe began his acting career in communist East Germany. When government records were opened to the public after German reunification, he learned that his actress wife had been informing on him to the Stasi during the entire six years of their marriage. Clearly, he drew upon this reservoir of traumatic betrayal for this role.
The Lives of Others is flawlessly crafted, completely engaging the heart and mind. Most impressive is the fact that it's Henckel von Donnersmarck's feature film debut, released while he was still at the relatively young age of 32. In a recent interview, von Donnersmarck--who saw life behind the Iron Curtain first-hand when he visited family in East Germany as a child--spelled out his thoughts on communist repression as well as independent filmmaking:
"The [phrase] 'Independent film' makes sense to me only if it means that the director has full artistic control. How could a film be independent otherwise? ... I know that very well from East Germany: Until the Wall came down, the Dictatorship of the Proletariat had Final Cut on everything: novels, plays, films, even paintings. Make no mistake: hardly ever did they actually censor anything. But looking back at the art of those four decades, you can still feel the state in everything, and most of the art of that era is very impersonal and boring. Because the artists censored themselves, often without knowing it."
Imagine my surprise, then, when the PC crowd at the recent Academy Awards ceremony--who feted environmental scam-artist Al Gore for his global warming crock-umentary--also bestowed the Best Foreign Language Film award upon The Lives of Others, rather than upon heavily favored Pan's Labyrinth. (I think Lives deserved the nod for Best Motion Picture overall, but I'm not unhappy that the Academy gave that award to director Martin Scorsese's The Departed, a consolation prize for snubbing him so many years.)
This cinematic masterpiece is a cause for celebration. Rarely has a filmmaker burst on the scene in such total command of his material. As a directorial debut, The Lives of Others belongs in the same company as Orson Welles's Citizen Kane. I can only hope that Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has a Touch of Evil yet to come.
The film shows the STASI of East Germany in action. When one looks at what our own intelligence services are doing in the Unites States today, it is easy to relate to the lives of all the characters in this film. The fear we should all have should come from the realization that the technological surveillance capabilities we have today would be the KGB and the East Germany's wet dream. Back then it was microphones and wires; what we have today so far exceeds that capability that every American is endangered by what the "State" could do to them and has been doing using facial recognition software, drones, and other modern capabilities (ESG, Social Credit Score, Digital Currency).
Every American should watch this film to understand that when the government controls you and is free to do anything it wants, treachery and tragedy are the outcomes we should all expect.
Even the Marxist playwright Bertolt Brecht stated "...that the people (of the GDR) had thrown away the confidence of the government (by their many popular uprisings) and could win it back only by redoubled efforts. Would it not be easier...for the government to dissolve the people and elect another?"
War crime trials a la Nuremburg SHOULD have been brought out to try the masters of evil of the ruling regime after communism's rotten core caved in 1989. But for the sake of reconciliation--and political correctness--the evils perpetuated against ordinary citizens were glossed over and, not unlike many Nazis after WWII, the perpetuators and enablers live among the Germany of today. Many, while no doubt sipping their lattes and driving their BMW's to their cushy government jobs, post their leftist ideological garbage on their favorite blogs--enjoying their rights and freedoms so many Americans and Germans (yes, Germans) died fighting for.
Top reviews from other countries
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Delivery was very fast, no problems.
Very happy with this purchase.
Las entrevistas con el director, los productores y los actores también merecen verse. Debo mencionar que el audio y los subtítulos son disponible solo en inglés en este DVD.
A brilliant film. Its portrayal of life in the communist regimen of East Germany during the 1980s is completely convincing and the actors are all superb, but especially Ulriche Mühe who plays a cold, apparently inhuman officer of the secret police, the Stasi, assigned to observe a suspect writer. The cleverest aspect of the film is that we see the observer himself gradually being affected by his observations.
The interviews with the director, producers and actors are also well worth watching. I should mention that the audio and subtitles are available only in English on this DVD.
Regia DI/Diretto DA: Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
Cast: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur
Paese-Anno/Nazionalità: Germania, 2006
Audio: DTS
Genere: Storico (Thriller, Spionaggio)
Durata: 138 Minuti Circa
Distribuzione Italiana: Rai Cinema (01 Distribution)
Visto Censura: Film per tutti
Voto Complessivo/Giudizio Finale: 5/5
Vincitore del Premio Oscar (Miglior Film In Lingua Straniera)
Vincitore del David di Donatello 2007 (Miglior Film Dell'Unione Europea)
Nomination Al Golden Globe 2007 (Miglior Film In Lingua Straniera)
Opera prima di Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck, Nonchè Capostipite unico nel suo genere.
Uno dei Miglior Thriller degli Anni 2000, Composto da una Sceneggiatura di ferro e da una Regia sensazionale.
Percezione di Ansia e Tensione dal primo All'Ultimo fotogramma.
Fantastico, A dir poco meraviglioso: Unico nel suo genere: Recuperatelo assolutamente.
Formato Video/BD (Blu-Ray Disc):
Rai Cinema (01 Distribution) Propongono L'Edizione L'Edizione 1 Singolo BD di Le Vite degli Altri
In Formato Video: Anamorphic Widescreen - PAL 16/9 - 2,40:1@ - HD 1080 24p (VC-1)
Trasferimento video a dir poco Impeccabile, Resa video Ineccepibile.
Realizzare un Blu-Ray migliore di questo sembra veramente Impossibile: Lo scudo di battaglia di 01 Distribution.
Veramente non è possibile, fare di meglio. Promosso a pieni voti.
Lingue-Audio/Sottotitoli:
Italiano DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 / Tedesco DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Sottotitolato)
Audio perfetto, eccezionale, calibratissimo. Sincronizzazione eccellente, Doppiaggio fenomenale.
Contenuti Extra: 4/5
Commento di Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
Trailer Italiano Ufficiale della 01 Distribution
Making Of, Dietro Le Quinte
Scene Tagliate
Non molti, Ma essenziali.
Voto Complessivo All'Edizione BD/Blu-Ray Disc: 5/5
Eccellente edizione Italiana Blu-Ray per questo meraviglioso Thriller.
Stupendo e Grandioso. Non ve lo perdete, Non perdete per strada questa straordinaria edizione BD.
Reviewed in Italy on April 28, 2018
Regia DI/Diretto DA: Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
Cast: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur
Paese-Anno/Nazionalità: Germania, 2006
Audio: DTS
Genere: Storico (Thriller, Spionaggio)
Durata: 138 Minuti Circa
Distribuzione Italiana: Rai Cinema (01 Distribution)
Visto Censura: Film per tutti
Voto Complessivo/Giudizio Finale: 5/5
Vincitore del Premio Oscar (Miglior Film In Lingua Straniera)
Vincitore del David di Donatello 2007 (Miglior Film Dell'Unione Europea)
Nomination Al Golden Globe 2007 (Miglior Film In Lingua Straniera)
Opera prima di Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck, Nonchè Capostipite unico nel suo genere.
Uno dei Miglior Thriller degli Anni 2000, Composto da una Sceneggiatura di ferro e da una Regia sensazionale.
Percezione di Ansia e Tensione dal primo All'Ultimo fotogramma.
Fantastico, A dir poco meraviglioso: Unico nel suo genere: Recuperatelo assolutamente.
Formato Video/BD (Blu-Ray Disc):
Rai Cinema (01 Distribution) Propongono L'Edizione L'Edizione 1 Singolo BD di Le Vite degli Altri
In Formato Video: Anamorphic Widescreen - PAL 16/9 - 2,40:1@ - HD 1080 24p (VC-1)
Trasferimento video a dir poco Impeccabile, Resa video Ineccepibile.
Realizzare un Blu-Ray migliore di questo sembra veramente Impossibile: Lo scudo di battaglia di 01 Distribution.
Veramente non è possibile, fare di meglio. Promosso a pieni voti.
Lingue-Audio/Sottotitoli:
Italiano DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 / Tedesco DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Sottotitolato)
Audio perfetto, eccezionale, calibratissimo. Sincronizzazione eccellente, Doppiaggio fenomenale.
Contenuti Extra: 4/5
Commento di Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
Trailer Italiano Ufficiale della 01 Distribution
Making Of, Dietro Le Quinte
Scene Tagliate
Non molti, Ma essenziali.
Voto Complessivo All'Edizione BD/Blu-Ray Disc: 5/5
Eccellente edizione Italiana Blu-Ray per questo meraviglioso Thriller.
Stupendo e Grandioso. Non ve lo perdete, Non perdete per strada questa straordinaria edizione BD.