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The Lives of Others (2006)

Das Leben der Anderen (original title)
R | | Drama, Thriller | 30 March 2007 (USA)
The Lives of Others Poster
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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Top Rated Movies #58 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 75 wins & 34 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

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

Gerd Wiesler is an officer with the Stasi, the East German secret police. The film begins in 1984 when Wiesler attends a play written by Georg Dreyman, who is considered by many to be the ultimate example of the loyal citizen. Wiesler has a gut feeling that Dreyman can't be as ideal as he seems, and believes surveillance is called for. The Minister of Culture agrees but only later does Wiesler learn that the Minister sees Dreyman as a rival and lusts after his partner Christa-Maria. The more time he spends listening in on them, the more he comes to care about them. The once rigid Stasi officer begins to intervene in their lives, in a positive way, protecting them whenever possible. Eventually, Wiesler's activities catch up to him and while there is no proof of wrongdoing, he finds himself in menial jobs - until the unbelievable happens. Written by garykmcd

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

stasi | political thriller | secret police | spy | murder | See All (200) »

Taglines:

Nothing is private. Nothing is sacred. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

30 March 2007 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Lives of Others  »

Filming Locations:

 »
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Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€814,337 (Germany), 26 March 2006, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$213,589, 9 February 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$11,286,112, 13 September 2007

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$77,356,819, 1 February 2009
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

, ,  »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Ranked 2nd best film of 2007 by Empire magazine, narrowly missing the top spot to The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). See more »

Goofs

After publication of Dreyman's article in "Der Spiegel", Stasi Oberstleutnant Grubitz is on the phone with an army general. He says they were able to procure a "Lichtpause" (diazocopy) of the original article. When talking with the typography expert, the typographic examples shown are in red ink, like the original, and the expert says he could be even more sure about his analysis if the examples were in black ink. However, a diazocopy is not a color copy and has a bluish color. See more »

Quotes

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

Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: The Tourist (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

HGW XX/7
Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra with
Conducted by Adam Klemens
Piano Soloist: Jaromir Klepac, Guitar Soloist: Jaroslav Novák
Composed By Gabriel Yared, Stéphane Moucha
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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I do not understand the "telephone joke" that Grubitz tells in the MfS cafeteria
Q: This film won an Oscar and a BAFTA award for foreign language film. Which others have done this?
Q: How does Dreyman know when he sees the red thumb print on his file that Wiesler saved him?
See more »

User Reviews

 
The ghost of authoritarian regimes
11 March 2007 | by – See all my reviews

I've been taking German lessons for about 2 months now, and since movies were great in helping me learn English language I'm always looking for German films to watch (as well as German music to listen to) in order to educate my ears.

Anyway, I went to this place where I get all sort of rare movies and this one caught my attention... and I had no idea it got the Oscar for foreign language film this year! So I watched it without prejudice and... what did I find? A MASTERPIECE! This is the kind of movie that gets your attention from the first moment, and makes you interested in understanding the characters' psyche, which is very varied: you have the idealistic good guys, the idealistic bad guys, the people that broad their minds understanding that no political dogma is better than individual freedom, etc. And even though the movie has very tough moments it is all so well done and presented with such a good taste that in the end you feel some sort of relieved.

In this present day, when the ghost of authoritarian regimes still fly over our heads (in my country we're getting closer and closer to that reality), this movie will make you think about how important love, life and freedom are.

A must see!
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