The Lives Of Others [2007] | ![The Lives Of Others [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GT-evfaTL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
Actors: Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Hans Bauer, Ulrich Muehe
Studio: Lions Gate Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £19.99
Buy New: £4.98
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Rating:  83 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, Pal
Languages: English (Subtitled), German (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.6
EAN: 5060052412270
ASIN: B000R342QS
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: September 17, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
In the former East Germany, no-one was above suspicion. Like George Orwell's vision of the future come to life, art and people and relationships were monitored obsessively; The Lives of Others captures not only the paranoia and danger inherent in such a world, but also expresses hope that even in the most desperate situations, people can make a difference.The story of The Lives of Others unfolds mostly through the eyes of a secret service agent who's been given the task of spying on an artistic couple who've attracted the attention of the Minister of Culture. Little by little, he's drawn into their lives even as we're drawn into his; and as he loses his faith in the government, he must decide whether or not to try to hide the transgressions of those he's watching. As the physical danger and emotional cost mounts, it's impossible not to become utterly engrossed; intelligent and well-written, The Lives Of Others is also deeply moving. It's rare to find a film that really deserves its rave reviews, and considering The Lives of Others won a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, it's got a lot to live up to. Happily, it's more than just up to scratch--it's absolutely brilliant. --Sarah Dobbs
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| Customer Reviews:
 Easily one of the top five films I have ever seen... July 23, 2007
Bythepowerofgreyskull
69 out of 71 found this review helpful
Utterly, utterly wonderful. This is a story of redemption and atonement and explores whether, and to what extent, they are possible. The contrast of the personal joy, love, friendship, kinship and art, against the backdrop and circumstance of the 1984 GDR is completely sublime and the direction is faultless. It is the acting that is jaw-dropping though - an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film is fantastic recognition, but at least three of the four major acting gongs would have found a more deserved home here. The ending is the most appropriate and well edited I have ever come across and left me in tears - a personal first for any film. I cannot give it higher praise than the truth - I have never seen better cinema than this. Enjoy.
A sad, thoughtful and redemptive film June 9, 2007
C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA)
49 out of 52 found this review helpful
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) is one of the best films I've seen in a long, long time. It's sad, thoughtful and redemptive, and it deals with major themes. We're in East Germany a few years before the fall of the Berlin wall. The Stasi are everywhere, watching everyone and punishing in brutal or subtle ways anyone who might be even an implied threat to the government. Their greatest tool is the system of informers that reaches everywhere, people who may relay indiscretions to the Stasi because they believe in what they are doing, but more often are compromised into doing so. People are given terrible choices to either work with the Stasi as informers or see their careers or their children's futures destroyed. One-third of the East German population is kept under Stasi surveillance. Everyone, it seems, is being watched by someone.
Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) is a playwright who has made his accommodations with the regime, has won awards and has learned not to go too far. The mere fact that he is seen as reliable makes him a subject of Stasi interest. That, and because his lover, the actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck), is coveted by a powerful official who wants Dreyman ruined. Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe), a dedicated, colorless Stasi officer, noted for his reliability and interrogation skills, is assigned the job of monitoring Dreyman. This means installing bugs in Dreyman's apartment where Dreyman lives with Sieland, setting up 24 hour monitoring, recording everything and preparing reports. Wiesler takes his share of listening in. Weisler seems to have no purpose but his dedication to the ideals of the East German system, but even he can see the corruption of those ideals. He has no friends to speak of except his boss, who knows which way the wind can shift. Dreyman, on the other hand, is a handsome man of talent who loves Christa and who has seen a close friend and talented director banned from the theater for speaking too clearly. Dreyman gradually finds the conscience he had put on hold in order to be successful. Wiesler gradually finds himself, through listening in, drawn to an awareness of the compromises and corruption he knows has seeped into a system he once believed in. Even more subtly, he finds himself drawn into the lives of Dreyman and Christa-Maria. Slowly, cautiously and anonymously, Wiesler begins to protect Dreyman. All the while we are witness to the pervasive spying on people, the pettiness, the corruption of authority, the use of subtle threats to keep people in line, the almost comic meticulousness of the Stasi and their obsessive record keeping on everyone. The conclusion of the film brings us well past the fall of the Berlin wall, when the full evidence of Stasi spying and the corruption of so many to be informers became evident. We see what happened to both Dreyman and Wiesler. I found the ending to be very, very emotional.
This was director von Donnersmarck's first feature film. He also was the writer. The acting is just as good as the film, particularly Muhe, Koch and Gedeck. Muhe has perhaps the toughest job. He has to show us this dedicated functionary first relentlessly breaking a suspect through calm, psychological questioning, then gradually, gradually letting us see Wiesler's doubts and humanity as he listens into to the lives of Dreyman and Sieland. Muhe makes us aware of Wiesler's changing outlook no faster than Weisler becomes aware of them himself. It's a subtle, strong performance.
Best film in 10 years September 17, 2007
fkoepping77 (London)
42 out of 46 found this review helpful
It's impossible to do this film justice by writing a review. It's like watching a revelation in cinema unfold in front of you, as if this was the first film you had ever seen. I don't quite know why that should be, as the structure of the plot is classical and straightforward; everything seems to fall into place perfectly - the acting, the cinematography, the script, the way the plot unfolds.
It made me feel as if I was living the film.
A Truly Inspiring actor July 28, 2007
L. Quan (UK)
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
I am so sad to hear today that Ulrich Muehe has just died. I strangely feel a sadness that I have not experienced for a long time. I found him to be so inspiringly great in his acting. It is a great loss to the world.
Sebastian Koch is also commendable. He has consistant quality performance in this film, just like in the Black Book.
One of the best, foreign or otherwise, films I have seen August 5, 2007
SJ SMART (London)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
This film moved me, I was struck and touch by its intelligence, the story and its brilliant cast.
I remember reading the Metro review and seeing the posters about and not being too interested but my girlfriend was really keen so I went along one evening and I am so pleased I did. The story just rolled over me, I was stunned. We sat at the end near tears in the cinema just being unable to move. Its been a long time since a film did that to me and I have just place my pre-order to get this DVD in September.
This simple but intelligent story brought to life the old GDR (East Germany) and its terrible secret police, the STASI. At first the main character a STASI Captain, is introduced as a basic Nazi/Gestapo type thug but he changes as he grows attached to an actors life and the contradictions and hypocracies in East Germany becomes more and more apparent and unacceptable.
This is a much better than I can describe. There is very little action but a great great story. It is a shame the actor died but he left behind a beautiful piece of work here.
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