The Reader [DVD]

Set in post war West Germany the tale begins with a chance meeting of a young sickly boy and an older woman (played brilliantly by Kate Winslet). It developes into a love affair, the consequences of which last for the remainder of the movie. I’m tempted to reveal more of the plot but l instead implore you to at least rent this film and see what conclusions you draw from it.

An incredible (coming of age) love story intermingled with the darkest of war tales. Brilliant acting by the whole cast and superbly directed and filmed. Very moving and poignant. Don't pre read about this film discover the key yourself, its important to discover it yourself. Sombre and Reflectful. Womans inhumanity to woman in more than one sense. Memorable. A Very Good Film.

From the synopsis I thought this was a film about a female 'pea doh' but that subject is never highlighted and the main woman character ends up being even more sinister and dark but you are made to feel sorry for her in some ways. Worth a watch, there are much worse films!

This is a review of the two-disc edition. It does not include any plot spoilers.I work as an usher at the local arts centre cinema. `The Reader' was my film of the year for 2009. I was moved by its portrayals, by the story. It is also a brave film and many critics misunderstood its message. It is a film in three acts, all set in Germany and all featuring the relationship between Hanna and Michael: Neustadt in 1959, Heidelberg in 1966, and Berlin in 1995. But the story itself is played out over all five decades.The first act is a touching love story: Michael tells us, "I was fifteen. I was coming home from school. I was feeling ill and a woman helped me." There is then a sudden turn into the second, where we enter a court room and come face-to-face with what Hannah Arendt famously described as `the banality of evil', the warped logic of mass murder. What is so moving is the act of pride to hide shame, but it is shame for the wrong reason. (In a sense the shame would still be there whatever crime had been committed, but what blurs the principle in this case is that the crime is heinous.) The third act attempts to be redemptive in all sorts of ways and all sorts of levels.This is a film full of questions, replete with points for discussion. I cannot remember a film that is so questioning of the relationship between principles and their application in law and in morality. It is a gift to teachers and students of philosophy, history, or jurisprudence as there is plenty here for discussion in the classroom and in the pub. For example, after watching this film, do you feel sympathy for Hanna? And, if so, does that make you uncomfortable?What of the extras on disc two? There are, firstly, twelve deleted or extended scenes, taking up almost an hour in length. There are short pieces with composer Nico Muhly, production designer Brigitte Broch, and with Kate Winslet herself in make-up. There is a ten-minute conversation between director Stephen Daldry and new-star-on-the-block David Kross. But the longest extra is the twenty-three minute `making of', which features Daldry, screenwriter David Hare, original author Bernhard Schlink, and various contributions from the principal actors.

The performance by all actors is superb. Bruno Ganz( The law professor) is outstanding and Kate Winslett gives the performance of her life whilst Ralph Fiennes/David Cross interpret the dilemmas of Michael Berg ( the young lover who becomes a lawyer) in acrediblw way. There are many facets to this movie: coming of age, love between people of different age, the holocaust, the reason why people did what they did, the power of education, human relations, guilt, injustice, post war Germany, and so on. It makes you reflect in general about human behaviour and how we all react to different circumstances in different ways. The question that Hanna, the defendant, asks the judge is " what would you have done in similar circumstances?" . it is too easy to answer : "I would have behaved differently". The visual descriptions of towns and apartments in post war towns is extremely interesting. Some viewers may consider the story of a justification of the Nazi atrocities, creating sympathy for Hanna, a Kapo in a concentration camp . In my opinion, it is not a justification, but rather a view of one of the many reasons why people did what they did, following the rules It made me think and it raises the question about whether the Germans did deal with their Nazi pat in the right way. The best film I have seen for a very long time.