The Lives of Others (DVD, 2007)

I have rarely been to a foreign film yet want to go and read subtitles. This movie was one of the best movies that I have seen in a very long time. Rotten Tomatoe's gave it a 98% in their multi critc reviews. That critique was very accurate. You get so caught up in the film that you forget that you are reading subtitles. The acting of the main character as well as the atmosphere in which the film takes place is very well done.
I dragged my family to go see this movie after I had already seen the film. They walked away wanting me to buy the DVD.

During the "Stasi" police years in East Germany,a surveillance specialist is sent to tape the personal lives of a successful playwright and his girlfriend,who is also his muse since she is an actress.The surveillance expert,not unlike Gene Hackman in the movie "the conversation",is a detached,cold person who is a believer in the sterile system which ruled East Germany for years.As he becomes drawn into the lives of the couple he is spying on from a hidden post in the attic of their flat,he becomes infused with their humanity,the classical music they play and listen to, and finds himself with an increasing dilemma in wanting to protect them instead of betraying them.
The movie is very powerful and tragic. The performances are first rate,in particular that of Ulrich Muhe who plays the surveillance expert.Tragically,he did not live long enough to enjoy the accolades his performance brought him:he died in July from stomach cancer.He was an esteemed stage actor during the years depicted in the film,and a great irony is that his wife who was also an actress was eventually revealed to have been an informant for the Stasi in an eerie similarity to the plot of the film which won the Academy Award for best foreign movie in 2006.Highly recommended!!!!

The Lives of Others rightly earned an Oscar for Best Foreign Picture in 2007. The movie takes place in East Germany in 1984 and accurately portrays the dark side of the drab Communist Socialist state.

It was a time when the Stasi, the state secret police, made it their business to use an extensive network of spies and informants to know as much as possible about their citizens.

One of the main characters is the seasoned politically idealistic Stasi officer, Captain Gerd Wiesler who sets out to wiretap a prominent playwright and his actress girlfriend. Wiesler eventually finds out all sorts of things, much more than he envisioned. Wiesler's ongoing surveillance eventually places even him at risk as he has developed empathy for his suspects. The Stasi even watches its own.

The ugly side of a police state is accurately portrayed in this cinematic gem. The movie has a gripping ending that was extremely satisfying. I highly recommend this stimulating film.
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I saw the film receive an Academy Award for best foreign film and then it was recommended to me by a film professor. When I could not find it locally, I had to see what area retailers weren't interested in selling.

Lives of Others has an uncanny element of realism that US citizens in particular should be interested in. With the massive wiretapping of innocent Americans and our admissions by government officials of detainment and torture of thousands of people not charged with a crime, this film highlights the problems of these policies.

Here a loyal and dedicated East German citizen is monitored because his innocent appearance might be a guise for illegal activity. The film shows how good people become participants in a system that terrorizes innocent citizens and it highlights some of the effects of wondering if you are being watched.

Action addicts will likely not care for this. It is not packed with car chases or superhero battles. To appreciate the film, I had to pay attention to see the rich offerings of irony and symbolic meanings. It is one of the few occasions when, at the end of the movie, I was interested in seeing the beginning again.

This movie deserved its 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, as it spins a tale of a man's transformation and the fall of the other people in their lives. Taking place in East Germany prior to the fall of the wall, it accurately shows the times. This DVD also includes Deleted Scenes, Commentary, and a Making-of. Great product, 5 stars.

This is a fantastic,poignant, Oscar-winning movie about life in East Germany. I've read and heard true stories which are similar; this movie, then, is pretty realistic. It won an Oscar and had a great impact in Europe a couple of years ago.

Great Movie was needed for our media collection for student use. Service was prompt and efficient and appreciated.

ONE OF THE GREAT MOVIES OF ALL TIMES. IT HAS EVERYTHING. BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN; BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED; BEAUTIFULLY DIRECTED; BEAUTIFULLY ACTED.

ALSO, YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD WATCH THIS FILM BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT AROUND DURING THE COLD WAR DAYS -- AND -- GERMANY BEFORE THE WALL CAME DOWN.

WHAT IS ASTONISHING IS THAT THE WRITER-DIRECTOR-PRODUCER WAS ONLY 30-YEARS-OLD WHEN HE MADE THIS FILM; THINK OF THE FUTURE TREATS THAT WE ALL HAVE IN STORE FROM THIS VERY VERY TALENTED MAN!

Love foreign movies.This was one movie I wanted to have.
It is a movie you can watch over and over again.

I dislike the sub titles, it is in german!!!
Rush Limbaugh recommended it.
The plot was good, just could not understand it.

Excellent film!!!!!! East Germany 1984 100,000 police/internal security,
200,000+ informants!!!! Real life under the hammer and sickle. Endless interrogations, 24/7/365 survalance. No wonder they torn down the wall.
Bad guys portrayed brilantly!!!!

One of the best movies I've ever seen. A phenomenal, modern day story of redemption. Setting is East Germany, prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The movie builds toward an amazing ending. Beautiful writing and acting. Truly captivating.

This is an excellent film. Having travelled in East Germany during the time period that this set, I will attest to the political climate. Everyone in the US should see it.

I found this film riveting. The atmosphere portrayed was very Germanic and captured your attention and concentration for the whole film. It was very symbolic but intertwined with a romantic story which ticked all the boxes for me. I loved the ending!

I bought this movie because I saw it in my German class and really liked it. I really like all the drama in it, and how the film it self is just so different from the other German films that I have seen.

This instantly became one of my favorite movies. The music score, the acting, the color scheme throughout the movie. . . .

This is a great movie! It grabs your attention and won't let go. You really connect with the characters -- it's just wonderful.