The Lives of Others
|
DVD Cover Information Actor: Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Thomas Thieme, Ulrich Mühe, Ulrich Tukur Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Brand: Sony DVD: Region Code 99 Audio: German (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled) Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 2.35:1 Running Time: 138 minutes DVD Release Date: 2007-08-21 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: Sony Pictures |
| Used | video-warehouse | Used, verygood Disc and case in very good condition, all sales guaranteed Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $6.95 | |
| Used | info50725 | Used, verygood Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $7.50 | |
| Used | movie-maniac04 | Used, mint GUARANTEED TRANSACTION--FAST DELIVERY!!! PAY ONLY STANDARD SHIPPING ---1st CLASS SHIPPING---- Condition of all discs should be considered LIKE NEW in spite of being USED Any problem--WRITE US and we will honor our GUARANTEE. Your satisfaction is primary. BE AWARE that we don't always know the discs history and it may or may not have printed inserts with it. ///Our comments speak for us. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $7.75 | |
| Used | customer_first_media | Used, verygood FREE UPGRADE TO FIRST CLASS SHIPPING (DOMESTIC) / AIRMAIL (INTERNATIONAL)* - - My customer support is quick and personable. If you have any concerns with your order contact me immediately. YOUR SATISFACTION IS A PRIORITY TO ME! - - - PLAYS PERFECTLY - - IN CASE WITH ORIGINAL ARTWORK Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $7.99 | |
| Used | vidwatcher | Used, mint Disc and case are in like new condition and the disc is guaranteed. Chapter index is not available. We send by First Class Mail within 24 hours and provide mailing information. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.27 | |
| Used | citizen-video | Used, mint Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.49 | |
| Used | cdexchange-4 | Used, verygood All items are guaranteed to play like new or they will be replaced or a refund will be issued. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.49 | |
| Used | movierevolution | Used, mint Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.97 | |
| Used | the_cotton_group | Used, verygood DVD in very good condition, previously viewed rental overstock, may or may not include insert and rental stickers, 100 % guaranteed Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.97 | |
| Used | ifitsentertainment | Used, mint Great find! Excellent viewing quality. DVD is like new. Comes in original case with artwork in excellent condition, although the back cover has a small cut across the barcode. Ships fast and guaranteed. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.99 |
Your purchase is protected by the A-to-z Safe Buying Guarantee. Amazon.com automatically transfers your payment to the merchant so you'll never need to pay a merchant directly. Amazon.com A-to-z Safe Buying Guarantee covers both the delivery of your item and its condition upon receipt.
Movie Reviews of The Lives of Others
Movie Review: To HGW XX/7, with gratitude
Summary: 5 Stars
Hopefully, Academy members will rightfully award the Oscar tomorrow night for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year (2006) to 'The Lives of Others.' Writer/Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut stands head and shoulders not only over the other nominees, but also over all the nominees for Best Picture. That so-called 'best' list pales in comparison to the heights attained by von Donnersmarck's creation. It is a expertly-plotted, richly-told depiction of life under the dominion of the East German spying apparatus, the Stasi.
'Lives' tracks the Stasi's efforts to bug and disrupt the lives of writer Georg Dreyman (a striking Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (the incomparable Martina Gedeck). Assigned to the case is Stasi agent, Gerd Wiesler, indelibly played by Ulrich Mühe. The reasons for spying on Dreyman and 'CSM' (as the Stasi calls her)? A Politburo minister has the hots for CSM. That's it. For that most personal of reasons, lives are ruined. A professional reviewer of 'Lives' really hit the nail on the head when he said that the movie turns on the fact that Weisler realizes he is spying into the life of a man who is 'vastly his moral superior.' That's it. You get propelled into Dreyman's life and you are struck immediately and permanently by his decency and the quality of his character. Over time, Weisler starts injecting himself into the proceedings. At that point, the sequence of events is irrevocably changed.
von Donnersmarck's movie is a continual series of one great scene after another. I thought perhaps it had reached its denouement with the fall of the Wall. But it keeps getting better. Dreyman requests his Stasi files. He begins to piece together the story and the role of Weisler.
'The Lives of Others' is 137 minutes of the best entertainment imaginable. Ulrich Mühe is an East German who himself was the target of Stasi oversight. For this film, he was awarded Best Actor at the 2006 European Film Awards. Is there a more just triumph than that?