The Reader

Post by **Pearly Di** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:43 pm

This is a very impressive film.

Plot in brief: the story begins in Berlin, in 1958, when 15 year old Michael is sucked into a torrid affair with an older woman in her thirties. Cue some very intense steamy scenes (extremely well done and not, IMO, distasteful. But pretty strong.)

There is clearly something very wrong with Hanna, his seducer (well, er, yes, I would say so: she's in her thirties and he is FIFTEEN!) She is tense and bitter and yet desperate for sexual contact with him. Something is eating her up inside (and it doesn't seem to be remorse). Then, for reasons that later become apparent in the film, she completely abandons him. Michael, who genuinely loves her, is left desolate and bereft: he will find it very hard to trust anyone again for a very, very long time. Boy, does this part of the film remind one of the intense emotion of first love ... and betrayal.

Ten years later, as a law student, Michael finally discovers Hanna's terrible past, when he discovers she is on trial (with a group of other women) for war crimes against Jews.

Kate Winslet is outstanding as Hanna, the former Nazi guard. She is not a sympathetic character, to put it mildly, but neither is she a monster: she wasn't a senior Nazi either, more like an unthinking cog in the machine who never thought to question her role. The other female defendants are every bit as as guilty as she and trying to cover their backs.

The film deals with these weighty and painful issues with great intelligence and humanity, never sensationalising or trivialising them, thanks to a superb screenplay by David Hare.

Winslet totally inhabits this very difficult role. I never sympathised with Hanna's motives (as if one could!!) and she most certainly is not a victim. But Winslet makes her human. And Hanna's life is irredeemably bleak. Not that I exactly felt sorry about that -- as adult Michael says to the daughter of one of the Jewish survivors (superbly played by Lena Olin), Hanna had done far worse things to other people than she had done to him -- but I didn't hate Hanna either, although I, like her former lover Michael, was appalled and grieved by what she (and not just she) had done.

I've always liked Kate, ever since I saw her in Peter Jackson's traumatic Heavenly Creatures (ah, his pre-LotR days!) and I have admired her work ever since. She's done such interesting and diverse work, from Ophelia in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet to her two current roles in The Reader and Revolutionary Road. Give our Kate an Oscar! She's going to become a truly great British actress, I feel.

Teenager David Kross is equally impressive as Michael. A very mature performance.

I can understand the glowing reviews: this film deserves them.

Powerful and weighty.

Post by **Impenitent** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:14 pm

I'll put it on my list.

M and I have made a joint resolution to see a movie a month this year - a kind of date. Tonight we will see Slum Lord Millionaire, which also has had excellent reviews.

Post by **Pearly Di** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:57 pm

Impenitent wrote:I'll put it on my list.

I thought it was one of the best films I've ever seen, because of its integrity.

M and I have made a joint resolution to see a movie a month this year - a kind of date. Tonight we will see Slum Lord Millionaire, which also has had excellent reviews.

Oh, man, I definitely want to see that too.

It's called Slumdog Millionaire over here.

Revolutionary Road, with Kate Winslet and Leo di Caprio, is also on my list of must-sees. OK, it sounds depressing, but also unmissable!

Post by **Impenitent** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:08 am

Pearly Di wrote:It's called Slumdog Millionaire over here.

Here too.

Post by **Pearly Di** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:21 am

Ah.

Post by **Padme** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:23 pm

If any of these movies ever make it to the theaters here I'd go see them, Slumdog, this one, Revolutionary Road...ect. Or sometimes they will show up and stay for about 3 days....

I'll probably have to wait for them to come out on DVD

Post by **Impenitent** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:53 pm

Padme, why are they not showing (or going to show) in your locality?

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:48 pm

A lot of American towns have theaters that show only big commercial films. "Small" independent films and art films rarely make the cut. In some towns an "art house" theater finds a spot, often near a university, and runs those films.

If Slumdog is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, it may show up in commercial theaters. Nominations are announced a week from Thursday.

Post by **Impenitent** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:50 pm

Thank you Primula.

Post by **Pearly Di** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:56 pm

That's a wonderful sig pic, Impy.

Makes me want to go to Oz, like, right NOW. I can smell the richness of those flowers and feel the heat!

Anyway, Kate nearly lost points with me over her ultra-luvvie speech at the Globes yesterday.

Do remember that you're BRITISH, Kate, dear.

Gushing is not good form!

Not that her performance didn't merit the Globe, of course. I very much want to see Revolutionary Road. Not a happy film, but we wants to see it!

Post by **Impenitent** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:52 pm

We saw Slumdog Millionaire last night and it really is a very good film. I liked the production values, I liked that it didn't pull any punches in depicting the life of the poorest of India and did it without melodrama. The actors did a wonderful job, too. There were some beautiful, beautiful scenes - of the children running through the slums, of the little girl just standing in the rain. Beautifully done - just shown, without attempt to wring the heartstrings.

The lead actor, Dev Patel, also had a leading role in Skins, (now, there's a change of pace! he's certainly showed his versatility and talent?) so I came home carrying what I hoped was the trump card to get my daughter to see it. I made my grand announcement and she made a dreadful face and said ewww, I hate him! He was horrible in Skins

Sigh. Now how will I get her to see it?

The letdown for me was the last five minutes or so...
Bollywood or Hollywood, they must have their happy endings, eh?

Post by **Inanna** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 5:24 pm

Impy... there's a Slumdog thread...

Post by **Impenitent** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:44 pm

Oh.

Post by **Nin** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:45 pm

The Reader is based on a German novel "Der Vorleser" by Bernhard Schlink.

If you liked the movie, read it. It's an impressive piece of art.

I read it with a class this year and can't wait to have the movie in theaters.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:22 pm

I haven't yet seen The Reader, but last night Kate Winslet won her first Best Actress Oscar for her performance in that film.

Post by **Padme** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:01 pm

Impenitent wrote:Padme, why are they not showing (or going to show) in your locality?

To add to what Prim said, I also live in sort of the Bible Belt. Milk would never show here, ever, because of Religous aspects. People can argue the point, but the owners of the theaters here are very religous and won't show a good deal of 'indie' films or controversial films. The citizens had to petition them to bring in Brokeback and their response was it was here one week and that was it, they would show it no longer than one week.

Post by **Padme** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:02 pm

Impenitent wrote:Padme, why are they not showing (or going to show) in your locality?

To add to what Prim said, I also live in sort of the Bible Belt. Milk would never show here, ever, because of Religous aspects. People can argue the point, but the owners of the theaters here are very religous and won't show a good deal of 'indie' films or controversial films. The citizens had to petition them to bring in Brokeback and their response was it was here one week and that was it, they would show it no longer than one week.

And Bill Maher's documentary....well that will definately be a view on DVD.

Well I did something weird here.

Post by **Lurker** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:28 am

Wow, I'm way behind on the threads here.

We have read book the but we just watched the movie tonight. We only have one TV at home and the babies at one time walked in when we were watching Knocked Up. (They couldn't sleep.) So we made sure they are really sound asleep when we watched this.

When I bought the book and read it at work, my friend read the synopsis at the back of the book, and he was in shock and quickly put it down. Then I just learned he was a devout Christian and I think he assumed the story is similar to "Mrs. Robinson" or something like that even before he finished reading the whole synopsis.

It's a very good movie, highly recommended.