The Reader (2008)
Drama, Romance |
The Reader is a romantic drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare, based on the 1995 German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. It stars Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, and David Kross. It was the last film for producers Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, both of whom died prior to its release. Production began in Germany in September 2007, and the film opened in limited release on December 10, 2008.
The film tells the story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a 15-year-old in 1958, has an affair with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz. She disappears only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp.
In 1995 Berlin, after a woman he has spent the night with leaves his apartment abruptly after he has made her breakfast, Michael Berg watches a U-Bahn pass by, setting up a flashback to a tram in 1958. In the flashback, as a 15-year-old boy, Michael (David Kross) feels sick while wandering the streets. Pausing nearby an apartment building he vomits. Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet), a tram conductor returning home, cleans him up and helps him return home. Michael, diagnosed with scarlet fever, recuperates at home for three months, and once recovered, he visits Hanna with flowers to thank her.
The 36-year-old Hanna seduces him, and they begin an affair. They spend much of their time together having sex in her apartment after she has had Michael read to her from literary works he is studying. After a bicycling trip with Michael, Hanna learns that she was promoted to a clerical job at the tram company’s office, upon which she suddenly leaves her home, without telling Michael or anyone else where she has moved to.
Director: Stephen Daldry
Writers: David Hare (screenplay), Bernhard Schlink (book)
Stars: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, David Kross, Susanne Lothar, Lena Olin, Matthias Habich
►Cast:
| Ralph Fiennes | … | Michael Berg |
| Jeanette Hain | … | Brigitte |
| David Kross | … | Young Michael Berg |
| Kate Winslet | … | Hanna Schmitz |
| Susanne Lothar | … | Carla Berg |
| Alissa Wilms | … | Emily Berg |
| Florian Bartholomäi | … | Thomas Berg |
| Friederike Becht | … | Angela Berg |
| Matthias Habich | … | Peter Berg |
| Frieder Venus | … | Doctor |
| Marie-Anne Fliegel | … | Hanna’s Neighbour |
| Hendrik Arnst | … | Woodyard Worker |
| Rainer Sellien | … | Teacher |
| Torsten Michaelis | … | Sports Master |
| Moritz Grove | … | Holger |
| Joachim Tomaschewsky | … | Stamp Dealer |
| Barbara Philipp | … | Waitress |
| Hans Hohlbein | … | Clerk |
| Jürgen Tarrach | … | Gerhard Bade (as Juergen Tarrach) |
| Kirsten Block | … | Female Judge |
| Vijessna Ferkic | … | Sophie (as Vijnessa Ferkic) |
| Vanessa Berthold | … | Sophie’s Friend |
| Benjamin Trinks | … | Holger’s Friend |
| Fritz Roth | … | Tram Supervisor |
| Hannah Herzsprung | … | Julia |
| Jacqueline Macaulay | … | Heidelberg Lecturer |
| Volker Bruch | … | Dieter |
| Bruno Ganz | … | Professor Rohl |
| Karoline Herfurth | … | Marthe |
| Max Mauff | … | Rudolf |
| Ludwig Blochberger | … | Seminar Group Student |
| Jonas Jägermeyr | … | Seminar Group Student |
| Alexander Kasprik | … | Seminar Group Student |
| Burghart Klaußner | … | Judge (as Burghart Klaussner) |
| Sylvester Groth | … | Prosecuting Council |
| Fabian Busch | … | Hanna’s Defence Council |
| Margarita Broich | … | Co-Defendant |
| Marie Gruber | … | Co-Defendant |
| Lena Lessing | … | Co-Defendant |
| Merelina Kendall | … | Co-Defendant |
| Hildegard Schroedter | … | Co-Defendant |
| Lena Olin | … | Rose Mather / Ilana Mather |
| Alexandra Maria Lara | … | Young Ilana Mather |
| Martin Brambach | … | Remand Prison Guard #1 |
| Michael Schenk | … | Remand Prison Guard #2 |
| Ava Eusepi-Harris | … | Young Julia |
| Nadja Engel | … | Mail Room Guard #1 |
| Anne-Kathrin Gummich | … | Mail Room Guard #2 |
| Carmen-Maja Antoni | … | Prison Librarian |
| Petra Hartung | … | Head Prison Guard |
| Linda Bassett | … | Ms. Brenner |
| Beata Lehmann | … | Ms. Brenner’s Secretary |
| Heike Hanold-Lynch | … | Prison Guard |
| Bettina Scheuritzel | … | Gate Guard |
| Robin Gooch | … | Ilana’s Maid (as Robin Lyn Gooch) |
| Thomas Borchardt | … | Criminal Defense Lawyer |
| Alexandru Herca | … | Reporter |
| Hendrik Maaß | … | Michael’s Court House Assistant |
| Klemen Novak | … | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Rich Odell | … | Taxi Driver |
| Daniele Rizzo | … | Student |
| Sam Luca Scollin | … | Reporter |
| Stephan Ziller | … | Student in Court |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia