In association with

The Lives Of Others [2007]
from Lions Gate Home Entertainment
starring Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Hans Bauer, Ulrich Muehe
directed by Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck

Features:

• Anamorphic
• PAL

Editorial 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

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Brilliant film
  This film deals with East Germany big brother state from an emotional and humanity (or lack of it) point of view. The writer carefully exposes human generosity and courage in face of a perverted state police system.
  The film is an obvious analogue to 1984 but this is real.
  Credit to the Germans: they show us again how honest and self-critical they can be and still manage to produce a breathless work of art.

• One of the greatest films I've seen
  Without wishing to give away too much in the way of plot, this film has the rare talent of being able to live in your mind long after the closing credits. A gripping story of persecution and paranoia, revolution and redemption.

• Hearing the heretics
  It's all about stability - how to maintain it and how to prevent its disruption. In East Germany, from the establishment of The Wall, society found ways to lay out a given path for life. It also provided a traffic control body to keep individuals on that track. The traffic controllers were the staff and informants of the Stasi. Applying various, but effective, methods of thought control, the DDR rooted out dissent in its attempt to keep its populace thinking along "approved" lines. While we have been... more info

• Tremendous
  An absolutely tremendous film, no hint of romanticising the past, instead an amazingly acted reminder of a level of state control that is terrifying to imagine. Outstanding acting, stark, grey locations and an ending that is a mixture of sadness and hope that had me in tears. It's a film that will draw you in, one that I'm still reflecting on and a pertinent reminder of how easy it is to take precious liberties for granted.

Similar Products:

More from Amazon