Der Vorleser

A nice drama with a leisurely start and a very intense second half and ending. Kate Winslet has outdone herself with a performance that is clearly Oscar worthy. I also appreciate that the film doesn’t pass any categorical judgement, leaving the viewers free to impart their own absolution. The topics The Reader deals with are so strong and deep that, thanks to the above mentioned liberty, they will stay in your head for a lot longer than five minutes after the screening. I also want to praise the music, it’s not obtrusive but still striking enough for me to notice it (which is far from the rule for me). (26.01.2009)

The part that takes place in the fifties is proof that pedophile soft porn and a story don’t go well together. The voyage through the sixties raises hopes that it would turn to some burning questions regarding collective guilt, the need to find a scape goat and to hypocritical verdicts for “the nation’s peace of mind". But no more than two or three sentences are uttered about that. And the final twenty years are good, but nothing more than just good. It’s a crying shame that the Germans didn’t adapt the book themselves. At a time when German cinema is experiencing a historic boom, when they settle up accounts with one historical skeleton in the closet after another, it would fit beautifully into their clutch of movies. They certainly have the actors for it (in fact apart from Kate and Ralph everybody’s German here). Plus it would be in German which would significantly add to the authenticity. And the English with a would-be German accent is torture to the ears. (24.04.2009)

If this film was supposed to be primarily a drama about responsibility, guilt, and punishment, it failed to evoke the relevant emotions and catharsis in me. The film combines two problems: the relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a woman from an older generation, and the conflict arising from the young woman's involvement in war crimes. I am not familiar with the book, so I cannot assess to what extent the film's shortcomings stem from the literary material or the screenplay. However, some motifs and layers of the characters' relationship remained hidden or failed to captivate me. The stronger problem in general seemed to be the relationship between two unequal sexual partners. The genesis of this relationship is not particularly shocking, although it is certainly one of the few taboos that still exist today. Post-war Germany had to deal with the problem that millions of men had fallen on the front lines, so women found various ways to help themselves. The aspect of crime and punishment does not work for two reasons: firstly because the protagonist's involvement in the crimes is unquestionable, and secondly, because this line is overshadowed by the bizarreness of the whole plot and the main character. The characters seemed too flat to me, and the film felt dragged out. Overall impression: 55%. (24.10.2010)

Es ist natürlich sehr gut, dass die Aufmerksamkeit auf das Thema der Auschwitz-Prozesse von 1963 bis 1965 gelenkt wurde. Kate Winslet ist eine interessante Wahl für die Hauptrolle, obwohl wir wissen, dass sie schauspielern kann, ist sie doch zu bekannt für solch komplexe Charaktere. Es wäre interessant, eine gute deutsche Schauspielerin in dieser Rolle zu sehen. Bernhard Schlink hat ein Buch geschrieben, das viele Emotionen, Fragen und Diskussionen ausgelöst hat. Und die Themenkomplexe, die sich wie ein roter Faden durch das Buch ziehen, passen scheinbar nur schwer zusammen. Doch das Gegenteil ist der Fall. Sehr kontrovers sind die Teile, in denen Interviews mit Jurastudenten der 1960er Jahre und das abschließende Treffen mit einem ehemaligen Opfer dargestellt werden. Ich persönlich finde den gesamten Ton des Romans äußerst problematisch, aber das ist nicht Schlinks Schuld, sondern das Problem des allgemeinen Phänomens der Entnazifizierung. Der Lauf der Geschichte lässt sich nicht ändern, indem man das schwächste Glied bestraft. Nota bene ist es unmöglich, den Holocaust auf diese Weise zu behandeln. P. S. Ich stimme danliofer auf jeden Fall zu, dass es angesichts der Thematik des Films besser ist, auf die Synchronisation zurückzugreifen, da es keinen Sinn macht, die deutschen Realien auf Englisch zu sehen. (12.01.2020)

A captivating and unique film charged with intimacy, which does not explicitly show off and therefore does not disrupt the smoothness and flow of the story. Ralph Fiennes was maybe born for such roles, and Kate Winslet is in a surprising role that I could never have imagined her in before. I have some quibbles about artificially heightened moments due to the routine piano, but otherwise I’m satisfied overall. After a long time, an intelligent film with a serious theme, executed in a way that you won't get bored, and that is appreciated. Daldry is not completely useless after all. (15.05.2010)

To be honest, I don't understand why I liked The Reader so much. I’m absolutely immune to Kate Winslet's feminine charms, David Kross strikes me as a terribly shallow actor, and the story is just another cloying and wannabe thought-provoking tale about tragic love. But the narrative is so gripping, atmospheric, emotionally charged and, in the case of Winslet and Fiennes, superbly acted, that Rosamunde Pilcher should give up on romance novels and get into science fiction. But to be fair to Kross, the chemistry between him and Kate is perfect, and their scenes together are definitely the highlight of the film. As a self-proclaimed tough guy, I didn't need any tissues, but the power of the story still hit me with such a creeping impact that I will never forget it. Strong 4*. (23.03.2013)

Kate Winslet kam 2008 mit zwei Filmen, so als wolle sie mit sich selbst in Wettbewerb treten, in welchem Film sie eine bessere Leistung erbringt. Zeiten des Aufruhrs, ein sehr gut gespieltes, aber schwaches Drehbuch, Der Vorleser, ein hervorragend gespieltes und hervorragendes Drehbuch. Wenn ich nur Kate Winslet bewerten soll, so denke ich, dass sie in Zeiten des Aufruhrs um Haaresbreite besser ist. Und gleich bietet sich ein Vergleich mit Meryl Streep in Glaubensfrage an, da geht der Vergleich um mehr als Haaresbreite zugunsten von Meryl Streep aus. Ihre Nonne ruft in mir eine Welle von Emotionen, Wut und fast Hass hervor, während die Kontrolleurin Hanna mich kalt lässt, und zwar bis zu dem Augenblick, als sie von Michael im Gefängnis die Kassette bekommt. Der Vorleser hat mich noch durch eine kleine Besonderheit fasziniert. Es scheint mir, als handele es sich um zwei unterschiedliche Filme, die durch die zwei Hauptgestalten verbunden sind - der erste, eine dezent erotische romantische Geschichte über die Liebe eines jungen Mannes und einer erwachsenen Frau und der zweite ein Drama aus einem Gerichtssaal und einem Gefängnis. Zusammen ein anständiges Ganzes. (02.03.2009)

An incredibly strong and emotional film that doesn't just use the Second World War to be emotional, but brings forth a beautiful and sad story that stands on its own. Yes, the war is of course important here, but the story would hold up even in slightly different circumstances. A stellar performance by the main cast and director Daldry. (15.09.2014)

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. After an unnecessarily long and drawn out opening about ignited passion (I understand that in terms of content it certainly has its point, but I found it boring at times), the reunion occurs again after eight years – at this point the plot begins to pick up and offers a truly excellent drama about hurt feelings and the difficulty of letting go of the past. Daldry's matter-of-fact, aware and precise direction is perfect for the subject matter of The Reader, all the actors perform more than adequately to the accompaniment of the beautiful chamber music, and the ending is well scripted, but it's not up to full marks with me. 90% (16.01.2010)