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The Lives of Others

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity.

R 138min.
Drama
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A man who has devoted his life to ferreting out "dangerous" characters is thrown into a quandary when he investigates a man who poses no threat in this drama, the first feature from German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Read More
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8 Viewer Ratings
Critic Score
39 Critic Reviews
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Cast & Credits

Christa-Maria Sieland
Captain Gerd Wiesler
Georg Dreyman
Lieutenant Colonel Anton Grubitz
Minister Bruno Hempf
Paul Hauser
Gregor Hessenstein
Albert Jerska
Karl Wallner
Udo

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May 22, 2008
p2826782
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Gripping and tense throughout.\nA window into the lives of people caught in the horrors of the Communist "system" \nWe usually associate German political terror with Hitler and the Nazis, but the Communist Marxist tyranny which imprisoned East Germany from 1945 through the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. (the wall was built in 1961 with the "approval" of Nikita Kruschev) actually lasted longer
May 22, 2008
padoma3
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Excellent. Americans, take heed...
May 22, 2008
johnsbury1
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East Germany was an extension of the Nazis and the Stalinists. This movie shows how it existed in our time, up until its fall in the late 1980s. It is hard to imagine what life was like in that environment but this movie gives you a window into that world superbly. It is a haunting, well acted and well crafted movie.This is not a bunch of good looking people doing a lot of brave things on great
May 22, 2008
mfr65
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"The Lives of Others" is a miracle of a film that manages to be both subtle and intense at the same time.What's even more astounding is that this is the feature debut from German writer-director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who previously had made a few shorts and done some TV work.The international awards and acclaim "The Lives of Others" has received, along with a well-deserved Oscar
May 22, 2008
mitchpnyc
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I found this movie plodding and too long. Nothing new historically was revealed and the same point made too many times. Many scenes could have been cut and characters combined to made the same points. The motive for change of the main character was is unknown. Does this movie remind anyone of Fahrenheit 451, a better movie with a similar story?
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