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The Reader

Kate Winslet (Actor), Ralph Fiennes (Actor), Stephen Daldry (Director) Rated:

Format: DVD

4.6 4,984 ratings

IMDb7.6/10.0

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Genre	Drama
Format	Dolby, Widescreen, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Color
Contributor	Karoline Herfurth, Kate Winslet, Susanne Lothar, David Kross, Stephen Daldry, Chris Menges, Claire Simpson, Matthias Habich, Volker Bruch, Vijnessa Ferkic, Hannah Herzsprung, Burghart Klaußner, Nico Muhly, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ralph Fiennes, Roger Deakins See more
Language	English
Runtime	2 hours and 4 minutes

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Product Description

Set in post war Germany. Michael Berg is 15 when he begins a long, obsessive affair with Hanna, an enigmatic older woman. He never learns very much about her, and when she disappears one day, he expects never to see her again. But to his horror he discovers that she is a defendant in a Nazi war crimes trial and it soon becomes clear that she is guilty of an unspeakable crime.

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What is the nature of guilt--and how can the human spirit survive when confronted with deep and horrifying truths? The Reader, a hushed and haunting meditation on these knotty questions, is sorrowful and shocking, yet leavened by a deep love story that is its heart. In postwar Germany, young schoolboy Michael (German actor David Cross) meets and begins a tender romance with the older, mysterious Hanna (Kate Winslet, whose performance is a revelation). The two make love hungrily in Hanna's shabby apartment, yet their true intimacy comes as Michael reads aloud to Hanna in bed, from his school assignments, textbooks, even comic books. Hanna delights in the readings, and Michael delights in Hanna.

Years later, the two cross paths again, and Michael (played as an adult by Ralph Fiennes) learns, slowly, horrifyingly, of acts that Hanna may have been involved in during the war. There is a war crimes trial, and the accused at one point asks the panel of prosecutors: "Well, what would you have done?" It is that question--as one German professor says later: "How can the next generation of Germans come to terms with the Holocaust?"--that is both heartbreaking and unanswerable. Winslet plays every shade of gray in her portrayal of Hanna, and Fiennes is riveting as the man who must rewrite history--his own and his country's--as he learns daily, hourly, of deeds that defy categorization, and morality. "No matter how much washing and scrubbing," one character says matter of factly, "some sins don't wash away." The Reader (with nods to similar films like Sophie's Choice and The English Patient dares to present that unnerving premise, without offering an easy solution. --A.T. Hurley

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Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.4 ounces
Item model number ‏ : ‎ WENC1000397DVD
Director ‏ : ‎ Stephen Daldry
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, Widescreen, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Color
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 4 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 14, 2009
Actors ‏ : ‎ Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Habich, David Kross, Susanne Lothar
Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ French
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified
Studio ‏ : ‎ Weinstein Company
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001PPLJIQ
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

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4.6 4,984 ratings

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Lu Wang

The Reviewer

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024

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"The Reader" profoundly touched my heart, evoking tears and introspection throughout its entirety. The title itself is a stroke of brilliance, cleverly playing on the dual meanings of "reader" - one who reads aloud and one who consumes literature.

At its core, the film delves into the intricacies of relationships, particularly the intense and fleeting connection between its central characters. In a departure from conventional narratives, it shatters the notion that love is solely defined by longevity. Instead, it poignantly illustrates that love can be as brief as a summer yet leave an indelible mark on the soul.

Hannah's character is a study in complexity, her psychology intriguingly layered. The revelation of her illiteracy adds a profound dimension, shedding light on the intersection between literacy, shame, and mental health. Her decision to conceal her illiteracy, even at the cost of aligning with the Nazi regime, speaks volumes about the diverse ways individuals perceive and protect their deepest vulnerabilities.

Equally compelling is John's moral dilemma, torn between loyalty and justice. His pilgrimage to the concentration camp underscores the weight of his decision, grappling with the incomprehensible horrors of Hannah's past actions. Ultimately, his choice to remain silent resonates with the film's overarching theme of forgiveness, or lack thereof, in the face of unfathomable betrayal.

"The Reader" is not merely a cinematic experience; it's a profound meditation on love, shame, and the complexities of human nature. Its poignant narrative lingers in the mind long after the credits roll, inviting audiences to reflect on the enduring power of forgiveness and the intricacies of moral responsibility.

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J.R. LeMar

TWO THUMBS UP!

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2013

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Ralph Fiennes plays Michael Berg, a lawyer in Germany in 1995, when this film is originally set. The rest of the film is primarily told in flashbacks, as Michael reflects on his involvement with an woman named Hannah (played by Kate Winslet), which began when he was just 15 years old. Michael had come down with a sever illness on day, while out on the street, and collapsed. Hannah, who is already an adult, happened to come across him, and helped him get home. When Michael got better, he tracked down Hannah so he could give her some flowers, as a way of thanking him, and Michael is immediately attracted to her. The 2nd time they met, Hannah takes notice of Michael's attraction, and rather suddenly seduces him. Over the next several weeks, the two lovers meet in secret, @ Hannah's apartment, after she's gotten home from work and he's got out of school, to have sex. Hannah soon makes what seems like an odd request to Michael, she want him to read to her some of the books that he's studying in school. She says she enjoys hearing his voice, and the way he reads. And so that is how their affair progresses, they'd have sex, and then lie in bed (or in the bathtub) while Michael reads aloud to Hannah.

What I find most interesting about how this relationship is portrayed, is that there's almost an abusive element to it, on the part of Hannah. Michael (brilliantly portrayed as a teenager by David Cross), is a naïve wide-eyed innocent, who clearly develops deep feelings for Hannah. While Hannah is show @ times to be dismissive of Michael, and be demanding of him, and mocks his youth. That, missed with the tenderness of the love scenes, creates a very strange dynamic between these two.

Then Hannah abruptly moves away, after receiving a job promotion, without even telling Michael or saying goodbye. Michael is, of course, devastated. Then the film switches to 6 years later, where Michael is in law school. His professor takes him and some of his fellow students to observe a trial where three women are charged with war crimes, for being Nazi prison guards @ a women's concentration camp, where they were responsible for allowing some of the prisons to die in a fire. Michael is shocked to discover that Hannah was one of the guards, although he attempts to hide the fact that he knows her from his professor and fellow students, and the other two women put the blame for the fire entirely on her. While studying the evidence and facts of the trial, Michael discovers Hannah's secret, which is that she is illiterate. That's why she had Michael read books to her, because she couldn't read them herself. This info could actually help her during the trial, but she refuses to admit it, because she's too embarrassed, and is therefor sentenced to life in prison.

Over the years, Michael sends tape records that he makes of himself reading various books to Hannah in prison, but he never goes to visit her in person. Eventually, Hannah uses Michael's tapes to teach herself how to read. And then 22 years later she is due to be paroled. Michael finally goes to see her in prison, but their meeting is strained, as Michael can't quite reconcile the horrible actions she committed during the war. He does end up agreeing to help her find a job and a place to stay when she gets out of jail, but then when he goes to pick her up on the day of her released, he discovered that she committed suicide the day before. We then switch back to the modern day (1995) where Michael is telling this story to his young daughter.

I enjoyed this film both the complexity of the relationship between Hannah and Michael, as well as for scenes between Michael and the other law students during the trial. It's made clear that these kids are the first generation in Germany to come after WWII, and have grown up in the shadow of the atrocities that were committed by the generation that preceded them, and have struggled to come to terms with that. I also must say that while Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes were rightly praised by the critics for their performances, I feel that David Cross has been greatly overlooked. His portrayal as young Michael, going from age 15-22 is spot-on, and I think he's the real star of the film.

And least I forget another great feature of this movie, and the reason why I own it on DVD: Kate Winslet gets naked. Completely naked. A LOT.

4 people found this helpful

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Steve

Disturbing, heartbreaking, and unforgettable

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2013

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The Reader is a provocative and heartbreaking film which tells the tale of a May-September affair between Hanna (Kate Winslet) and 15 year-old Michael (David Kross) in the decade after WWII. Beyond that, however, I believe the film is an allegory of the relationship between those Germans who were responsible for the Holocaust and those loved ones who came after them, and were forced to confront the horrible truths at a later time. It deals with the guilt, the anger, and the conflicting emotions therein. The story is heartbreaking because it reminds us that we are all struggling with guilt, emotions, and the legacy we have created for ourselves by our actions or inactions. It neither asks the viewer to forgive nor condemn. It merely shows us how similar we are to these people by putting their humanity in our faces.

The movie is provocative for both the many nude/sex scenes between Michael and Hanna, and because it purposefully makes it a bit harder to blame or label, not only those responsible for the Holocaust, but all of the people in our history who have a connection between an evil deed and tacit complicity, regardless of the severity. There is a powerful moment during the trial when a confused Hanna is questioned about her responsibilities as a guard and she innocently asks one of the judges, "What would you do?" None of the judges has an answer. Throughout all of history's atrocities, there are always those who were simply "doing their job." It's so easy to imagine being the heroic person who would stand up a make a difference, but the fact is, few possess that much courage and conviction.

Many recoil at the sexual perversity, but I think the intention was to make the audience uncomfortable. Not only did Hanna's seduction help create a person who would end up sharing her emotional void, but so too did the generation responsible for the Nazi atrocities force their shame onto the generation that followed them. The beauty of The Reader for me was in how these characters can speak for generations; the passion, the heartbreak, the guilt, the shame, the anger, and the eventual cold-blooded detachment.

The acting is stellar throughout, with special props going to Kate Winslet and David Kross for their fearless portrayals and for breathing such believability into their characters. To engender empathy for people who run the gamut from despicable to emotionally empty is a nod to their acting skill. To compel me to watch the drama of such unsavory individuals is a testament to the power of this movie. The Reader might disturb you, anger you, disgust you, or even confuse you. Certainly one of the principal responsibilities for art is to provoke such reactions.

P.S. I don't usually include info about the dvd extras, but since I watched them this afternoon, I thought I'd add a sentence or five. There are about a handful or so, focusing on the set design with a German woman who had left her native country during the post WWII period to get away from the drama, a lengthy bit with Kate Winslet getting into her older make-up, an interview with Kross and the director, and a bit with the music director. There are also quite a few deleted scenes that must've made it pretty far as they seem like a finished product, if you know what I mean. They are illuminating and at least one in particular should've been included as it not only bridges two scenes that have little continuity, but also features a very poignant conversation between Michael and an older truck driver. It's kind of chilling and should have been in the movie.

34 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

reçu rapidement.

Reviewed in Canada on January 21, 2024

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tel que décris.

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Bordenave Veronique

Trés bien

Reviewed in France on September 15, 2023

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Rien à dire

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The reader

Reviewed in Italy on July 1, 2022

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Nella Berlino del dopoguerra il quindicenne Michael viene sedotto da Hanna, avvenente donna sulla trentina e questa relazione, per quanto breve, segnerà per sempre la sua esistenza. Durante i loro incontri a casa di Hanna, Michael inizierà, su richiesta della donna, a leggerle i libri che sta studiando a scuola. La storia è divisa in due, nella prima parte fonde l'iniziazione sessuale del ragazzo con la fame letteraria della donna che gli si offre con totale disponibilità, per poi spostarsi sul tema del senso di colpa nei confronti della collettività. Interpretazione magistrale di Kate Winslet, attrice straordinaria in qualunque ruolo. Da vedere, ovviamente in lingua originale, per poter apprezzare la recitazione degli attori.

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Gonzalo Hdez Vignon

Recomendable

Reviewed in Mexico on July 20, 2017

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El producto vino en excelentes condiciones, sin golpes o rayaduras en el blu-ray. Si fue compatible con mi blu-ray y es una excelente pelicula

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Monique

BONNE RECEPTION

Reviewed in France on August 30, 2023

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DVD BIEN RECU

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