The Lives of Others
May. 2nd, 2007 02:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexandralInternet troubles My home internet is down from yesterday afternoon. Oh, I am feeling so deprived!! I could not stay away – I created this entry at home in the Word editor and posting it now
Update EEEEEE! I am back home and my Internet is fixed. Doesn't it always feel so good when something was broken for a while and then is fixed?
Because I am so full with the love for "The Lives of Others" that I watched yesterday! I liked it so very very much! So brilliant and so moving emotionally at the same time.
Before I have watched this film I was wondering a little how so very simply looking German film could have won this year's Oscar for "Best foreign language film" over such amazing films as "Pan's labyrinth", "Water" and “After the Wedding”. But now I can understand it perfectly! Yes, the other films are good but "the Lives of Others" is outstanding, once in a life time (at least for me), film.
It is difficult for me to pin-point what hit me so much. This film is special in many ways: in it's very intricate and moving story, impeccable acting and fantastic cinematography. It's Cinematography proves the fact that a film doesn't have to be expensive to look good. I have read somewhere that the budget of "The Lives of Others" was only 2 million dollars! I particular liked the colour scheme (oh, so 80's!) and the way the space was used, especially in the scenes with Wiesler, conveying his emptiness and alienation.
But most important for me is the feeling that "The Lives of Others" left in me, realization that even one person can change the course of history, that it is not only about masses of people and economic laws as I used to believe for so long. If you can change one person's life for the better you can change the world. Little grey captain Wiesler changed the life of colourful and shining poet Dreymann, he gave him a gift, an opportunity to escape the clutches of Stasi, to live, be free and write. It is interesting to think – a talented writer like Dreymann can influence millions of people. But what if he was put into a prison when he was 40? What if he lost his gift to write in the prison, like many others did? Wiesler through his help to Dreyman did something important for so many people!!
And saving a person from the knife of Stasi wasn't something easy to do, Weisler lost his career and his prospects and could have lost his life. But I wonder - did he really care at the end? In his turn, Dreymann changed the life of Wiesler and also for the better. It saddened me very much to see Weisler delivering newspapers at the end but then I thought, no! Whatever he does now he is free from the ideological oppression, he is free to think! And I was imagining him coming back home and reading books, thousands of them!
O, I can talk about this film for ages and ages and use more and more exclamation marks as I go along and there are so many other things that deserve a special post on their own, for example Christa -Maria's storyline! One thing I must add - Ulrich Mühe' s performance as Wiesler is incredible! It is all in his eyes! They are like the eyes of a child or a puppy, so kind and so sad at the same time. I discovered one fact on the Internet that I find particular moving - Ulrich Mühe was born in the Eastern part of Germany and just before the fall of Berlin wall Ulrich Mühe was initiating the protests against Eastern German communist régime. This film must be really meaningful for him!
I made few icons of "The Lives of Others" because I had needed some for myself, but they are free to share and I can add some text of your choice:
Preview:
..
..
..
.01.02
.03
.04.05
.06
.07
.08
.09
Update EEEEEE! I am back home and my Internet is fixed. Doesn't it always feel so good when something was broken for a while and then is fixed?
Because I am so full with the love for "The Lives of Others" that I watched yesterday! I liked it so very very much! So brilliant and so moving emotionally at the same time.
Before I have watched this film I was wondering a little how so very simply looking German film could have won this year's Oscar for "Best foreign language film" over such amazing films as "Pan's labyrinth", "Water" and “After the Wedding”. But now I can understand it perfectly! Yes, the other films are good but "the Lives of Others" is outstanding, once in a life time (at least for me), film.
It is difficult for me to pin-point what hit me so much. This film is special in many ways: in it's very intricate and moving story, impeccable acting and fantastic cinematography. It's Cinematography proves the fact that a film doesn't have to be expensive to look good. I have read somewhere that the budget of "The Lives of Others" was only 2 million dollars! I particular liked the colour scheme (oh, so 80's!) and the way the space was used, especially in the scenes with Wiesler, conveying his emptiness and alienation.
But most important for me is the feeling that "The Lives of Others" left in me, realization that even one person can change the course of history, that it is not only about masses of people and economic laws as I used to believe for so long. If you can change one person's life for the better you can change the world. Little grey captain Wiesler changed the life of colourful and shining poet Dreymann, he gave him a gift, an opportunity to escape the clutches of Stasi, to live, be free and write. It is interesting to think – a talented writer like Dreymann can influence millions of people. But what if he was put into a prison when he was 40? What if he lost his gift to write in the prison, like many others did? Wiesler through his help to Dreyman did something important for so many people!!
And saving a person from the knife of Stasi wasn't something easy to do, Weisler lost his career and his prospects and could have lost his life. But I wonder - did he really care at the end? In his turn, Dreymann changed the life of Wiesler and also for the better. It saddened me very much to see Weisler delivering newspapers at the end but then I thought, no! Whatever he does now he is free from the ideological oppression, he is free to think! And I was imagining him coming back home and reading books, thousands of them!
O, I can talk about this film for ages and ages and use more and more exclamation marks as I go along and there are so many other things that deserve a special post on their own, for example Christa -Maria's storyline! One thing I must add - Ulrich Mühe' s performance as Wiesler is incredible! It is all in his eyes! They are like the eyes of a child or a puppy, so kind and so sad at the same time. I discovered one fact on the Internet that I find particular moving - Ulrich Mühe was born in the Eastern part of Germany and just before the fall of Berlin wall Ulrich Mühe was initiating the protests against Eastern German communist régime. This film must be really meaningful for him!
I made few icons of "The Lives of Others" because I had needed some for myself, but they are free to share and I can add some text of your choice:
Preview:
..
.....01
.02.03.04
.05.06.07
.08.09
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 01:35 pm (UTC)I am so, SO glad you loved it as much as I did!
And I will certainly be taking one of the icons as soon as I decide which one! : ) Right now, as much as I loved Wiesler, I am leaning towards the gorgeous one of Christa and Dreymann!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 03:03 pm (UTC)I loved loved loved the ending. And it was so different to anything I have seen before. You mentioned Hollywood endings and I felt that Russian films about this period usually go for "no way out", like in "Burned by the sun" (I kept remembering "Burned by the Sun" as I watched "The lives of others").
I was also thinking that the Dreymann's book was about their story and it makes it so wonderful that something that Wiesler did will never disappear because it will be always in the book. And Ulrich Mühe' had that incredible little smile at the end that makes me cry even as I type..
What did you think about Christa-Maria? Her death was so sad but at the same time I can't stop thinking that she and Dreymann never could have had their happy ever after even if she lived. Ahe betrayed him in her hert and these things can never go away.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 03:33 pm (UTC)I honestly think Dreymann would have forgiven her (I loved how when Wiesler tried to provoke him into a jealous rage about Christa-Maria and the minister, Dreymann’s reaction is one of pity for her and love for her instead!) but I don’t know if she could have forgive herself for betraying him. And I see this as an indictment of a terrible system in which she is bent all out of her natural shape because she will either have to betray herself and her great talent (by never being able to act again) or betray the man she loves. In the end, I cannot judge her, because I think it is the system that crushes her spirit and turns her into something she is not.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 03:53 pm (UTC)I agree with this, I will never blame her for what she did, but as you I think she will never be able to forgive herself. And this is one of the small things I grudge against Wiesler – being very strong and single-minded person himself he misjudged how damaging his "breaking" of her in the interrogation room will be for Christa-Maria. And it is not like he had a choice neither, his hands were tied, but it is just that the things he said to her about her audience, etc. were so "hitting her in the softest place", something that he discovered about her when he was listening to her conversations with Dreymann. And there was this week place in her, this un-confidence that I believe would have been showing even in different circumstances..
I honestly think Dreymann would have forgiven her (I loved how when Wiesler tried to provoke him into a jealous rage about Christa-Maria and the minister, Dreymann’s reaction is one of pity for her and love for her instead!) but I don’t know if she could have forgive herself for betraying him.
I agree, I think she could have not forgiven herself.. I also can't judge her , it is just so sad to see how she was completely broken. And I could have not loved Dreymann more after his reaction!!!
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Date: 2007-05-02 03:57 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2007-05-02 05:55 pm (UTC)Also I wanted to compliment you on the minimalist touch of the icons. Particularly #1 had a very nice crop.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 05:59 pm (UTC)And thank you so much! The movie is very stylishly and descriptively filmed: scenes with Weisler, particular in his flat, have hardly any furniture around. Very minimal.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 06:03 pm (UTC)But this weekend we're going to visit my parents in Oslo (who have excellent net connection thankfully!), and that means no films before Monday.
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Date: 2007-05-02 06:08 pm (UTC)I am also thinking to watch "The lives.." again this weekend. But tomorrow I promised to go to the cinema with Sasha, her school is closed because of the local elections.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 07:25 pm (UTC)I think I've mentioned before that I also liked the movie very much. But it's more than a year now since I saw the movie at the theatre and I already have started to forget a few things.
I have to admit that I didn't particularly liked the (multiple) ending. But it also didn't bother me since to me the most important thing was the telling of the story independent of the ending.
The DVD is out here for quite some time but given its ongoing success it's still not as much discounted as I would like it to be. And I tend to wait since I already have so many DVDs that I haven't watched yet. But I can tell you that the German DVD has two commentary tracks one by von Donnersmarck and one by Mühe. Hopefully they'll make it to the international DVD release.
To von Donnersmarck I wanted to point out that it was his first full-length movie which is truly remarkable. And I'm fairly sure that the $2 Mio. cost estimate is pretty accurate, maybe 2 Mio. Euros but definitely cheap. I suspect that the main actors worked for very little.
Ulrich Mühe is (besides acting in movies) a very popular stage actor here in Germany. He's also married to another very successful stage actress, Susanne Lothar. He indeed has a strong connection to the former GDR regime. Besides the things you've mentioned there was also some controversy in recent years concerning his first wife he was married to while living in the GDR. He not long ago said that he suspected that she was working as an informer for the Stasi. Which she subsequently denied and even went to court to clear her name. But apparently there are documents that link her to the Stasi. Either way, as you can see Mühe is very close to the story which might in part explain the intensity with which he was able to play his role.
And wonderful icons! I took #5. Thanks! :)
no subject
Date: 2007-05-03 11:28 am (UTC)I think it's mood, something can be closely described as uplifting , was absolutely winning with me. :D They make dozens of amazing films about this period in Russia, but they mostly go for "nothing can be changed" approach. I liked that "The lives of others" gave me that feeling of hope that things can be changed.. At the end of the day, if all people in a certain country are actively against it's regime they can make it stop..
I have to admit that I didn't particularly liked the (multiple) ending. But it also didn't bother me since to me the most important thing was the telling of the story independent of the ending.
I see your point – thought the multiple endings don't worry me personally it could be such a subjective thing..
The DVD is out here for quite some time but given its ongoing success it's still not as much discounted as I would like it to be.
I have read that this film received more awards then any other German film!!!
To von Donnersmarck I wanted to point out that it was his first full-length movie which is truly remarkable.
I hope he will go ahead and make many wonderful films!! I wonder how it must feel to do something as big at the beginning of one's career!
Besides the things you've mentioned there was also some controversy in recent years concerning his first wife he was married to while living in the GDR. He not long ago said that he suspected that she was working as an informer for the Stasi.
O-o! This is very interesting information. It does explain the feeling he gave in the role! When I think more about this, however fantastic all the other elements of "The lives of others" were, Ulrich Mühe' s performance is the main element of it's success for me and it could have been entirely different if someone else played Wiesler. Ulrich Mühe seems to get many awards for this film and they are absolutely deserved! Any other film with him you can rec? Have you seen " Das Spinnennetz"?
I am so glad you liked the icons!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-03 04:44 pm (UTC)When it comes to awards and critical acclaim it was certainly the most successful movie in a long, long time. What I also find remarkable is that it is such a hit internationally. It had more than one million viewers in France which is more than half than what it had here. And even in the US, a usually very difficult land for foreign movies, it is now probably the biggest success of a German movie in decades. I have to admit that that makes me quite a bit happy. :)
The pressure on von Donnersmarck will be incredibly high. Of course I wish him another success. It will probably be dfficult to ever repeat this success but over the years he should at least be able to make many more interesting movies. And after this success he should also have it much easier to find financing and actors, etc.
I'm afraid it's really difficult for me to recommend movies with Ulrich Mühe. In general there aren't a lot of good German movies that use talents of actors like Mühe in a good way. A lot of them are mainstream movies or obscure arthouse movies that I've never seen.
I've heard of "Das Spinnennetz" but unfortunately I've never seen it.
When I look through the list (and keep in mind that there should be an international/English version available) then I would mention "Amen.". But I haven't seen it and I'm not sure if the topic interests you.
A movie that I have seen a couple of months ago is "Funny Games" in which Mühe plays the leading role together with his wife Susanne Lothar. It's directed by Michael Haneke. The reason why I wanted to see it was that it is a much talked about movie and Haneke himself shot a remake this year (which I found very strange) with Naomi Watts and Tim Roth in the leading roles that will come out in December. But again, I'm not sure if I would recommend it to someone but have a look at its description and let me know if you have any questions.
I think I've also seen (parts of) "Das Schloss - The Castle" once, another collaboration of Hanecke, Mühe and Lothar. What can I say, an adaptation of Kafka. :D
no subject
Date: 2007-05-03 10:31 pm (UTC)I have read "Perfume" in Russian translation and it made a huge impression on me but I haven't watched the movie yet.. The book is written from the POV of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille and was wondering how well his inner monologues can be translated into a film.
And even in the US, a usually very difficult land for foreign movies, it is now probably the biggest success of a German movie in decades. I have to admit that that makes me quite a bit happy. :)
It makes me feel very happy too – it is so great to see success of the European film-making again. I just realized recently that I am not watching as many Hollywood movies as I used to may be 5-6 years ago..
And after this success he should also have it much easier to find financing and actors, etc.
This is a good point – it is every film-maker's dream, isn't it..
When I look through the list (and keep in mind that there should be an international/English version available) then I would mention "Amen.". But I haven't seen it and I'm not sure if the topic interests you.
Oh, I looked it up – this sounds interesting!! I will definitely give it a try, it has a promise to be a very interesting movie.. Thank you!!
"Funny Games" looks like something quite frightening but I like psychological films, it is one of my big interests, and I have quite high tolerance for grimness. Did you like the movie yourself??
But ** cough ** Why do they try to to re-make everything nowdays?? I do not hold much respect for re-makes!!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 11:10 am (UTC)"Funny Games" certainly has something frightening. But it's not really a horror movie. I don't know if you've seen other movies from Michael Haneke. While his movies are dark and grim you don't necessarily get emotionally involved. You're more an observer and the movies are somewhat slow. So I wouldn't say that I 'liked' the movie but I really wanted to see it because I wanted to know what it's about. Now that I've seen it I have no intention to see it again.
Yes, but the 'funny' thing is that Haneke himself re-made his own movie. I don't know much about him personally, but since there are always long pauses between his movies and the topics of his movies aren't exactly popular I was (and still am) very surprised that he did it. The release date at the end of the year indicates that they are positioning the movie as an Oscar contender. So I'm curious how that turns out.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 11:32 am (UTC)Oh, I like beautifully looking films, I should try it one day!!
"Funny Games" certainly has something frightening. But it's not really a horror movie. I don't know if you've seen other movies from Michael Haneke.
I have a DVD of "Hidden" which I am meaning to watch for ages and "Die Klavierspielerin". I was very intrigued by both of these films when they were released but by the time I have found their DVDs my attention shifted to other things. I'll may be try "Hidden" this weekend, I have heard very good responses from my working colleagues about this film (and Juliette Binoche is so lovely).
Yes, but the 'funny' thing is that Haneke himself re-made his own movie. I don't know much about him personally, but since there are always long pauses between his movies and the topics of his movies aren't exactly popular I was (and still am) very surprised that he did it.
I agree, this makes it even stranger though it removes that "we want to steal ideas from the other countries" element.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 04:59 pm (UTC)However, in the days and weeks later I read a couple of reviews and had conversations with a few fellow LJers and it turned out that I probably missed something. So measured by how much I talked about the movie afterwards it actually had something positive. I even want to see it again one day to find out if/what I've been missing. But preferably taped on a cassette so that I can fast-forward. ;)
no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 12:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 11:14 am (UTC)Since you're already familiar with Haneke movies I don't have to point out that the movie isn't exactly entertaining. :)
I would say it is slightly less disturbing than "Die Klavierspielerin" but that may depend on how much you know beforehand about "Funny Games". If you watch it unprepared then it's probably just as disturbing.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-03 11:33 am (UTC)"The Lives of Others" made me cry so many times!! The first scene when Wiesler is sitting in the dark listening to Dreymann playing the piano! And then Dreymann says that he can't understand how someone who really LISTENED to this music can be bad.. ** sniff **
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Date: 2007-05-03 02:26 am (UTC)I was moved to tears by this movie.
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Date: 2007-05-03 02:49 pm (UTC)it was moving, it was right, it was powerful!
I love you icons btw and I was planning to make some as well.
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