The Lives Of Others (DVD)

It's a truly exceptional film. I found myself thinking about the issues it addresses around love and betrayal for days after seeing it. The last time I felt like this was after viewing Love(Szerelem) by Károly Makk. Of course it's a cliche to say a film haunts one's memory, but in some cases it's true.

A tremendous film. Possibly the best I have seen in the last few years. Understated and moving with an excellent performance by Ulrich Muhe, who tragically died soon after the film received its Oscar. Muhe doesn't have a lot of dialogue. He doesn't need it, his face expresses everything.

It's easy to see why this gem won 'best foreign film'. Tightly scripted with great ensemble acting performances. Everyone is totally believable as their character from the rigorous and cold Stasi Colonel to the actress who just wants to keep working. Their transformations and betrayals add suspense to this thriller and it's a surprise to discover that it's a tale of unrequited love also - whether for person or State. This film paints the Stasi as all too human behind the grey bureaucracy and depict the struggles of dissident artists in their resistance to the regime. I didnt know much about E Germany before watching this but came away from it feeling uplifted that individual actions and choices can make a difference. Bound for classic status!

I'd seen this film reviewed, but never saw it in the cinema. So when a copy came up on eBay I bought it. Quite simply, it is a stupendous piece of film making. Understated, but exquisitely nuanced. Beautifully framed, shot and wonderfully acted. 132 minutes of perfection.

Good film we enjoyed it alot. Great story line it surprised me as it was my husband that wanted to watch this film, he saw it advertised on tv while on holiday and we made a note of the title and ordered it when we returned.

Ordered film and was surprised how quickly it came we watched it that night and was not disappointed it has great story line and kept you interested all the way through the film right up until the end it was great.

Film was voted best of 2006 and lives up to expectations, the DVD tells of communist controlled east Berlin and the claustrophobic environment of state intrusion and control over individuals regarded as dissident, not quite as bleak as Orwell's 1984 but a warning of how far (in certain circumstances), governments will go to in order to spy on their people, period is from 1980 to the Berlin wall coming down in 1989 and tells of a writer/musician and his girlfriend being kept under close observation by the state, the agent watching them and bugging their conversations gradually starts to see how empty his existence is by comparison with the artist and starts to doctor his reports and alter his attitude towards the dissident to ensure he escapes the harassment of the state and the STASI secret police, a quite interesting ending also which illustrates the defiance over adversity and triumph of the spirit of both the watcher and the watched, sad but inspiring and a warning of how extremism of any kind is dangerous.

If you like an intelligent, clever, thoughtful drama with politics, romance and plenty of twists and turns then this is for you. If you want to find out more about East Germany before the wall came down - this will do the job too!
Best film I've seen in a long time.

This film was recommended to me some months ago but I didn't do anything about it until recently when I was at a party and this title surfaced as the best film my friends had seen for quite a long time. So, not wanting to miss out I ordered it the next day!

I found it utterly absorbing from the very beginning and soon forgot that the film was sub-titled (it's spoken in German). For those who don't know anything about the plot, the film is about the bohemian lifestyle of an author and his actress girlfriend in East Germany during the days of the Stasi (Secret Police). They come under suspician for their political views and so their apartment is bugged and an Agent is installed in the attic of their apartment building to listen to their every word. He becomes more and more involved in their lives, with a quite shocking and unexpected result.

I highly recommend this film; the last words spoken make the best ending to a film that I can remember!

A gripping and fascinating insight into the claustrophobic and all-pervading activities of the Stasi, and how underneath all that faceless surveillance, a flicker of human feeling and kindness could emerge. Beautifully acted, well paced and deliberate in a way that Hollywood could never hope to match, I saw this at the cinema and have now purchased the DVD on the basis that I know I will want to watch it again. The accompanying documentaries and interviews are also fascinating and insightful. Recommended without reservation.

This film brings it home to you, what it was like to live in those times. Not just in East Germany, but all Soviet Controlled Countries. Take a look at Britain today, can you see the similarities? Its coming, so suggest you all watch this remarkable film, if not just to understand Eastern Europeans, how they tick. Fantastic film in all respects, highly rated.

i'm more a fan of french subtitled films and also mandarin, but this film changes everything. its a brill film well directed well cast and well acted. a must for any dvd collection

I watch a lot of movies & am always looking for something with more substance than the usual releases. I am very hard to please when it comes to films and this movie lived up to its reputation in every way. I don't usually seek out subtitled films but when I hear of a particuarly good one I will look out for it. 'The Lives of Others' certainly stands out and I would rate it up there with the top english speaking films. If subtitles put you off, make an exception for this film - it is very well made, you will care about the characters, you will definately be gripped and you will forget very quickly that you are reading rather than listening. This is not a film high on action, explosions and car chases, it is much more - tense, clever, totally absorbing and very credible. If you want a film that DOESN'T wash over you - go for this one.

An outstanding film. Together with Pan's Labyrinth and The Black Book this demonstrates that some of the best recent films are not made in the English language. Despite the subtitling and inevitable compression of the actual dialogue this film succeeds in spinning a very human story in an uncompromising setting of state surveillance. The initial scene setting is riveting and if it starts to slow in pace a little in the midsection this is made up for by a twisting and turning last half hour. The characters are engaging and believable and are lifted and dashed in social status as the communist machine first holds sway and then is dashed. And it finishes with an enigmatic last line which causes pause for thought - was this a happy accident of translation or an intentional phrase of two meanings. Exceptional and well deserving of its awards.