The Lives of Others (2006)

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137 min - Drama | Thriller - 23 March 2006 (Germany)

8.5

Ratings: 8.5/10 from 109,511 users Metascore: 89/100
Reviews: 345 user | 188 critic | 39 from Metacritic.com

In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Martina Gedeck	...	Christa-Maria Sieland
	Ulrich Mühe	...	Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler
	Sebastian Koch	...	Georg Dreyman
	Ulrich Tukur	...	Oberstleutnant Anton Grubitz
	Thomas Thieme	...	Minister Bruno Hempf
	Hans-Uwe Bauer	...	Paul Hauser
	Volkmar Kleinert	...	Albert Jerska
	Matthias Brenner	...	Karl Wallner
	Charly Hübner	...	Udo
	Herbert Knaup	...	Gregor Hessenstein
	Bastian Trost	...	Häftling 227
	Marie Gruber	...	Frau Meineke
	Volker Michalowski	...	Schriftexperte (as Zack Volker Michalowski)
	Werner Daehn	...	Einsatzleiter in Uniform
	Martin Brambach	...	Einsatzleiter Meyer

Full cast and crew »

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Storyline

In the early 1980s, Georg Dreyman (a successful dramatist) and his longtime companion Christa-Maria Sieland (a popular actress), were huge intellectual stars in (former) East Germany, although they secretly don't always toe the party line. One day, the Minister of Culture becomes interested in Christa, so the secret service agent Wiesler is instructed to observe and sound out the couple, but their life fascinates him more and more. Written by fippi2000

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Taglines:

Before the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's Secret Police Listened to Your Secrets

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States] | Add/edit official sites »

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

23 March 2006 (Germany) See more »

Also Known As:

La vida de los otros See more »

Filming Locations:

Altes Stadthaus, Klosterstraße, Berlin, Germany See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€814,337 (Germany) (26 March 2006) (159 Screens)

Gross:

$77,356,819 (Worldwide) (1 February 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Creado Film See more »

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

See full technical specs »

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Did You Know?

Trivia

All the listening/recording props used in the film are actual Stasi equipment on loan from museums and collectors. The props master had himself spent two years in a Stasi prison and insisted upon absolute authenticity down to the machine used at the end of the film to steam-open up to 600 letters per hour. See more »

Goofs

Miscellaneous: In the attic listening post, Udo once addresses Wiesler as "Hauptmann" which the subtitles translate as "Comerade"; however, hauptmann is Wiesler's rank: captain. The spoken line was like a formal "yes, Captain" rather than "yes, comrade". See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Guard: [subtitled version] Stand still. Eyes to the floor.
[pause]
Guard: Walk on.
See more »

Connections

Featured in The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2007) See more »

The Lives of Others (2006)
Das Leben der Anderen (original title)

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Writer:

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