The Reader (2008)

Director:

Stephen Daldry

Writers (WGA):

David Hare (screenplay)
Bernhard Schlink (book)

Release Date:

9 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

How far would you go to protect a secret?

Plot:

Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Law Student | Trial | Germany | Nazi

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 28 nominations

Cast

Ralph Fiennes	...	Michael Berg
Jeanette Hain	...	Brigitte
David Kross	...	Young Michael Berg
Kate Winslet	...	Hanna Schmitz
Susanne Lothar	...	Carla Berg
Alissa Wilms	...	Emily Berg
Florian Bartholomäi	...	Thomas Berg
Friederike Becht	...	Angela Berg
Matthias Habich	...	Peter Berg
Frieder Venus	...	Doctor
Marie-Anne Fliegel	...	Hanna's Neighbor
Hendrik Arnst	...	Woodyard Worker
Rainer Sellien	...	Teacher
Torsten Michaelis	...	Sports Master
Moritz Grove	...	Holger

Also Known As:

Der Vorleser (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for some scenes of sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | German | Greek | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44922) | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Singapore:R21 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:18 | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Spain:13 | Germany:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Mexico:B15 | Japan:PG-12 | Sweden:Btl | Hong Kong:III | Denmark:11 | Austria:12 | Argentina:16 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Mirage Enterprises

Trivia:

Hendrik Maaß, who plays Michael's court house assistant (uncredited role), had been vocationally trained as a paralegal in real life for some time.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Hanna teaches herself to read and write though library books. Yet, her handwriting is in the style of "penmanship" handwriting, for certain letters, not as they are written in books. The main example of this is the lowercase "a" - she writes it the way most people write it, not as it is printed in books, which is how she would have learned it. However, in the movie when Hanna first begins to learn to write while reading "The Lady with the Little Dog", it is shown that the lowercase "a" in her copy of the book is not printed in "penmanship" font, i.e. printed in a font much like the way most people write (such as Arial).

Quotes:

Professor Rohl: You have been skipping seminars.
Michael: I have a piece of information, concerning one of the defendants. Something they do not admitting.
Professor Rohl: What information? You don't need to tell me. It's perfectly clear you have a moral obligation to disclose it to the court.
Michael: It happens this information is favorable to the defendant. It can help her case. It may even affect the outcome, certainly the sentencing.
Professor Rohl: So?
Michael: There's a problem. The defendant herself is determined to keep this information secret.
Professor Rohl: What are her reasons?
Michael: Because she's ashamed.
Professor Rohl: Ashamed of what? Have you spoken to her?
Michael: Of course not.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Musik liegt in der Luft

A victim's guilt

The film is a series of profound moral dilemmas—while contrived by the author, they are fair questions—that resonate deeply in the 21st Century: The role of guilt in victims, perpetrators, individuals and collectively, as well as justice, forgiveness, redemption, shame and, of course, literacy and its role in Western thought.

All this is a pretty heady mix for a film, but Stephen Daldry (as with "The Hours" ) makes literary conceit play very naturally here. David Hare's screenplay and the remarkable cinematography of the always remarkable Roger Deakins together with a sensitive score by Nico Muhly, this is indeed rarefied film-making.

But the actors are what drag the audience into this story. David Kross is amazing as the young Michael who has to play a range of virginal innocent to wizened and bitter. It's the key role in the film, and we're all lucky he was found to play this role. And the ever confounding Kate Winslet. What an amazing career for this young actress! Running through a list of her credits, she has some of the best performances of the last decade: "Holy Smoke," "Eternal Sunshine…," "Iris," "Finding Neverland," "Little Children." But here she does something very different. Playing what amounts to a monster, we see that they too are human. Not many actresses could bring this off, but it may be her greatest accomplishment to date.

Ralph Fiennes brings a continuity to the work David Kross begins, and there's a brief appearance by Lena Olin who commands the dignity the role deserves.

I'm puzzled at the lukewarm reception to this film. I almost missed seeing it. And it turned out to be one of my favorite and the most heart-rending films of the year. All involved should be very proud.