The Reader
Behind the mystery lies a truth that will make you question everything you know.
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DVD Details
- Run Time: 2 hours, 4 minutes
- Video: Color
- Encoding: Region 1 (USA & Canada)
- Released: April 14, 2009
- Originally Released: 2008
- Label: Alliance
Performers, Cast and Crew:
Starring | Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes & David Kross | |
Performer: | Anthony Minghella, Lena Olin, Bruno Ganz, Jeanette Hain, Susanne Lothar & Matthias Habich | |
Directed by | Stephen Daldry | |
Edited by | Claire Simpson | |
Screenwriting by | David Hare | |
Composition by | Nico Muhly | |
Produced by | Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti & Redmond Morris | |
Director of Photography: | Chris Menges & Roger Deakins | |
Executive Production by | Bob Weinstein & Harvey Weinstein |
Major Awards:
Academy Awards 2009 -
Best Actress: Kate Winslet
Entertainment Reviews:
3 stars out of 5 -- [T]he performances are outstanding and the subject matter demands respect....Winslet especially brings a great deal to a challenging role...
Empire
Rating: 3.5/4 --
Screenwriter David Hare deftly navigates the tricky moral waters with the same poetic eloquence he brought to The Hours.
Full Review
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
The film is notable for its nice performances, its handsome photography, and its very active music.
Entertainment Weekly
Rating: 4/5 --
As such, its strength lies almost solely in [Kate] Winslet's performance; it is an astonishing and compelling portrayal of a complex woman.
Full Review
Roll Credits
Young Kross impresses with his acting ability. He's able to register multiple emotions and thoughts -- some that are complicated, especially during the trial scenes in the film's middle stretch...
Box Office
The Reader trips over itself now and then, but it remains wonderfully acted and beautifully realized. And it has something profound to say about shame, confidence and justice.
Full Review
The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
Rating: 3/4 --
You can't fault the performances. They're all top-notch, particularly that of young Mr. Kross, who is a real find, and Miss Winslet, who does her best to augment the script with her expressive face.
Full Review
Washington Times
Description by OLDIES.com:
Though THE READER may boast the typical pedigree of a Holocaust film--acclaimed actors, a literary source, and an Oscar-baiting end-of-the-year release date--this drama has a significant difference: it focuses on a perpetrator, rather than the victims. Kate Winslet takes on the hefty supporting role of Hanna Schmitz, a woman who has an affair with Michael Berg (German actor David Kross), a 15-year-old boy in 1950s Germany. They spend their brief romance alternately making love and focusing on literature, with Michael reading everything from Chekov to Homer to his lover. Soon, Hanna abruptly disappears, and Michael returns to his normal life. Almost a decade later, Michael is studying law, when he sees Hanna again; she is on trial for her crimes as an S.S. guard during the war. Michael is torn between a desire for justice and his knowledge of a secret that may save Hanna.
THE READER makes full use of hindsight and historical perspective. Based on the bestselling novel by Bernhard Schlink, the story is framed by an older Michael (Ralph Fiennes) who deals with both his personal history and the collective past--and guilt--of the German people. This is a complex film that doesn't give the audience any easy answers; Hanna is undoubtedly guilty of horrific crimes, but she is a multilayered character who is always fascinating and always human, thanks to the terrific performance of Winslet, who plays Hanna over four decades. Director Stephen Daldry earned an Oscar nomination for his work on another literary adaptation, THE HOURS, and he deserves more praise for this polished film.
THE READER makes full use of hindsight and historical perspective. Based on the bestselling novel by Bernhard Schlink, the story is framed by an older Michael (Ralph Fiennes) who deals with both his personal history and the collective past--and guilt--of the German people. This is a complex film that doesn't give the audience any easy answers; Hanna is undoubtedly guilty of horrific crimes, but she is a multilayered character who is always fascinating and always human, thanks to the terrific performance of Winslet, who plays Hanna over four decades. Director Stephen Daldry earned an Oscar nomination for his work on another literary adaptation, THE HOURS, and he deserves more praise for this polished film.
Product Description:
Though THE READER may boast the typical pedigree of a Holocaust film--acclaimed actors, a literary source, and an Oscar-baiting end-of-the-year release date--this drama has a significant difference: it focuses on a perpetrator, rather than the victims. Kate Winslet takes on the hefty supporting role of Hanna Schmitz, a woman who has an affair with Michael Berg (German actor David Kross), a 15-year-old boy in 1950s Germany. They spend their brief romance alternately making love and focusing on literature, with Michael reading everything from Chekov to Homer to his lover. Soon, Hanna abruptly disappears, and Michael returns to his normal life. Almost a decade later, Michael is studying law, when he sees Hanna again; she is on trial for her crimes as an S.S. guard during the war. Michael is torn between a desire for justice and his knowledge of a secret that may save Hanna.
THE READER makes full use of hindsight and historical perspective. Based on the bestselling novel by Bernhard Schlink, the story is framed by an older Michael (Ralph Fiennes) who deals with both his personal history and the collective past--and guilt--of the German people. This is a complex film that doesn't give the audience any easy answers; Hanna is undoubtedly guilty of horrific crimes, but she is a multilayered character who is always fascinating and always human, thanks to the terrific performance of Winslet, who plays Hanna over four decades. Director Stephen Daldry earned an Oscar nomination for his work on another literary adaptation, THE HOURS, and he deserves more praise for this polished film.
THE READER makes full use of hindsight and historical perspective. Based on the bestselling novel by Bernhard Schlink, the story is framed by an older Michael (Ralph Fiennes) who deals with both his personal history and the collective past--and guilt--of the German people. This is a complex film that doesn't give the audience any easy answers; Hanna is undoubtedly guilty of horrific crimes, but she is a multilayered character who is always fascinating and always human, thanks to the terrific performance of Winslet, who plays Hanna over four decades. Director Stephen Daldry earned an Oscar nomination for his work on another literary adaptation, THE HOURS, and he deserves more praise for this polished film.
Keywords:
20th Century
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Based On A Novel
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Law / Lawyers
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Justice
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Romance
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Thriller
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War
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World War II
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Love Story
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Period Piece
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Historical
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Theatrical Release
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Germany
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1950s
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1960s
Product Info
- Sales Rank: 131,381
- UPC: 065935825661
- Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
- International Shipping: 1 item