The Life of Others - The movie thread

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

did you see it?
i saw it yesterday and it's really fantastic thriller.
kinda superficial with the idea behind it (if there is any - i don't wanna spoil it),but the direction is excellent, and the acting superb.
Jean Pier Melville's mise-n-scene and alienation meets "The conversation" in an east-germany stasi paranoia.
the only problem,as i've said,is that the movie is a little too commercial to be considerd a good piece of art, (mostly as shown at the ending and at some banal dialouges on the script), but the directorflorian henkell von donnersmarck , sure got the talent,keeping a great pace with images that get stuck in your head long after you leave the theatre.

― john lang (emekars), Friday, 16 February 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

in short, it could be the best hollywood picture in years, not made in hollywood.

― john lang (emekars), Friday, 16 February 2007 16:40 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, a very good movie. The Stasi guy who does all the spying, Ulrich Muhe I think, is amazing too. I'm kind of baffled by your too-commercial-to-be-considered-a-good-piece-of-art stance though. What exactly about the ending is too commercial? (I think I see what you're talking about but won't go there just now as it is spoiler material)

― jibe (jibe), Friday, 16 February 2007 17:08 (seventeen years ago) link

the idea that art will rise above every evil that tries to control it and human kinds in general, is banal and it doesnt appear in an intersting/complex/new way in the movie, i think.
plus,(spoiler alert!) the idea that in the end (almost) all mankind are good is also very banal, very superficial and is probably even wrong to begin with.thats why i think the ending is dissapointing, although it has that nice gimmick at the bookshop scene.but again its just a gimmick.
still, the movie is highly recommended,it's Speilberg's best film that he haven't done!

― john lang (emekars), Friday, 16 February 2007 17:23 (seventeen years ago) link

the idea that in the end (almost) all mankind are good is also very banal, very superficial and is probably even wrong to begin with

Well there is a bit of that idea in the movie, but it is a bit nuanced. The "good guys" (writer, Wiesler) are still there in the end, but it's not like every thing is for the best for both of them.

Spoiler alert!!!

Wiesler has become a postman, looks very miserable. The writer seems to have lost his inspiration (but finds it back to write about Wiesler). If you think about it, the guy who seems to have the best situation at the end is the minister, Hempf. He's the guy who wants the wire taps started, he's the one who causes Christa-Maria's fall and death, yet he seems to be the one who leads the best life at the end.

End of spoiler

I'm not going to argue that the subject is treated in a completely new and fascinating manner but I feel you're kinda harsh with the movie (even though you liked it).

Anyways, yeah, this movie is strongly recommended!

― jibe (jibe), Friday, 16 February 2007 18:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Isn't it against Academy bylaws to nominate more than one good film in the Foreign category?

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 16 February 2007 19:41 (seventeen years ago) link

You can if a foreigh film directorial totem is ignored (i.e. Almodovar).

― Alfred Soto (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 16 February 2007 19:52 (seventeen years ago) link

I saw it in German. It was a bit hard to follow.

The music in it is really good... one of the tracks I have on some DDR compilation album, but the rest made me think there is more East German exotica to be mined.

― The Real Dirty Vicar (The Real Dirty Vicar), Sunday, 18 February 2007 19:51 (seventeen years ago) link

ulrich muhe was actually spied on by his wife for years y'know

i've been kicking myself for the last 2 weeks cuz i interviewed the director in toronto and... lost the tape

― a mediocre black-and-white cookie in a cellophane wrapper (hanks1ockli), Sunday, 18 February 2007 20:17 (seventeen years ago) link

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.