Leben der Anderen, Das (2006)

Director:

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Writer:

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (written by)

Release Date:

23 March 2006 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Before the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's Secret Police Listened to Your Secrets

Plot:

In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Cigarette Smoking | East German Culture | Sex Scene | Interrogation | Deutsche Demokratische Republik

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 56 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Martina Gedeck	...	Christa-Maria Sieland
Ulrich Mühe	...	Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler
Sebastian Koch	...	Georg Dreyman
Ulrich Tukur	...	Oberstleutnant Anton Grubitz
Thomas Thieme	...	Minister Bruno Hempf
Hans-Uwe Bauer	...	Paul Hauser
Volkmar Kleinert	...	Albert Jerska
Matthias Brenner	...	Karl Wallner
Charly Hübner	...	Udo
Herbert Knaup	...	Gregor Hessenstein
Bastian Trost	...	Häftling 227
Marie Gruber	...	Frau Meineke
Volker Michalowski	...	Schriftexperte (as Zack Volker Michalowski)
Werner Daehn	...	Einsatzleiter in Uniform
Martin Brambach	...	Einsatzleiter Meyer
Hubertus Hartmann	...	Egon Schwalber
Thomas Arnold	...	Nowack
Hinnerk Schönemann	...	Unterleutnant Axel Stigler
Paul Faßnacht	...	Onkel Frank Hauser (as Paul Fassnacht)
Ludwig Blochberger	...	Benedikt Lehmann
Paul Maximilian Schüller	...	Junge mit Ball
Susanna Kraus	...	Andrea
Gabi Fleming	...	Prostituierte 'Ute'
Michael Gerber	...	Zahnarzt Dr. Czimmy
Fabian von Klitzing	...	Tagesschausprecher
Harald Polzin	...	Wächter
Sheri Hagen	...	'Martha' 1991
Gitta Schweighöfer	...	'Anja' 1984
Elja-Dusa Kedves	...	'Anja' 1991
Hildegard Schroedter	...	'Elena' 1984
Inga Birkenfeld	...	'Elena' 1991 / BStU-Mitarbeiterin
Philipp Kewenig	...	Christas Verhafter
Jens Wassermann	...	'Rolf' Andi Wenzke-Falkenau
Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky	...	Bandleader
Manfred Ludwig Sextett	...	Band
Kai Ivo Baulitz	...	Buchverkäufer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ralf Ehrlich	...	Kollege in der Stasi-Kantine (uncredited)
Klaus Münster	...	Erich Mielke (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Writing credits
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck		(written by)

Produced by
Quirin Berg	....	producer
Claudia Gladziejewski	....	delegate producer: Bayerischer Rundfunk
Dirk Hamm	....	co-producer
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck	....	co-producer
Max Wiedemann	....	producer

Original Music by
Stéphane Moucha
Gabriel Yared

Cinematography by
Hagen Bogdanski

Film Editing by
Patricia Rommel

Casting by
Simone Baer

Production Design by
Silke Buhr

Art Direction by
Christiane Rothe

Set Decoration by
Frank Noack

Costume Design by
Gabriele Binder

Makeup Department
Tamar Aviv	....	assistant makeup artist: extras
Annett Schulze	....	makeup artist
Sabine Schumann	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Oliver Berger	....	assistant set manager
Lisa Kolodzik	....	unit production manager
Tom Sternitzke	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claudia Beewen	....	assistant director

Art Department
Olaf Kronenthal	....	property master
Michael Roggemann	....	draughtsman
Christian Sitta	....	assistant production designer
Klaus Spielhagen	....	film architect

Sound Department
Eva Claudius	....	adr editor
João Da Costa Pinto	....	foley editor
Detlef Halaski	....	adr mixer
Andrea Koschmieder	....	dialogue editor
Jörn Poetzl	....	foley artist
Hubertus Rath	....	sound re-recording mixer
Oliver Schnug	....	boom operator
Philipp Sellier	....	foley recordist
Christoph von Schönburg	....	sound designer
Christoph von Schönburg	....	supervising sound editor
Arno Wilms	....	production sound mixer

Stunts
Alister Mazzotti	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Nicolay Gutscher	....	assistant camera
Hagen Keller	....	still photographer
Michael Röska	....	gaffer
Jürgen Ruge	....	rigging gaffer

Casting Department
Marcel Dykiert	....	extras casting assistant
Iris Müller	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Julie Bargeton	....	assistant editor
Olivia Retzer	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Philipp F. Kölmel	....	music recordist: pre-production

Other crew
Oliver Berger	....	assistant set manager
Thomas Duchnicki	....	location scout
Wolfgang Rhaden	....	production accountant
Eva Simonet	....	press attaché: France
Nicole Wolfarth	....	researcher
Martin Zillger	....	location scout

Thanks
Erna Baumbauer	....	special thanks
Jörg Stempel	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Arte
• Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)
• Creado Film
• Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion

Distributors

• Buena Vista International (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• ABC Distribution (2007) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Albatros Film (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Beta Cinema (2006) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Bontonfilm (2007) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2006) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Buena Vista International (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Gemini Film (2007) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Homescreen (2007) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Lionsgate (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Mongrel Media (2007) (Canada) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Océan Films (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Rai Cinema (2007) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution Sverige AB (2006) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Touchstone Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Champagne Veuve Clicquot  thanks
• FilmFernsehFonds Bayern  funding
• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)  funding
• Just Publicity  public relations
• Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg  funding
• Symphonic Orchestra of the City of Prague  orchestra
• Vantage Film GmbH  camera equipment provided by
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Leben der Anderen - Die Sonate vom guten Menschen, Das (Germany) (working title)
The Lives of Others (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | France:Unrated | USA:R | Sweden:7 | Ireland:15A | Argentina:13 | UK:15 | Netherlands:12 | Spain:7 | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-11 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Hong Kong:IIB | Brazil:12 | Germany:12 | Czech Republic:12 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Portugal:M/16 | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Altes Stadthaus, Klosterstraße, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Arte

Trivia:

Nicolette Krebitz auditioned for the role of Christa, which eventually went to Martina Gedeck.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final interrogation of Sieland by Wiesler, he sketches the floor plan in about 5 seconds, and definitely doesn't have time to make the double thickness lines, markers for windows, and door swing arcs. It in fact looks like at least two different pencils were used in the final sketch. His final stroke before showing her the sketch is circular in motion, with no circles to be found in the final.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Buchverkäufer: 29.80. Would you like it gift wrapped?
Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler: No. It's for me.

Movie Connections:

References Salesman (1968)

Intelligent and moving dealing with GDR history

East Berlin, November 1984. Five years before its downfall the GDR seeks to maintain its power with the help of a merciless system of control and observation. When Oberstleutnant Anton Grubitz puts loyal Stasi-Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler on to the famous writer Georg Dreymann and his girlfriend Christa Maria Sieland who is a famous actress herself, he expects career advancement for himself. For most important politicians are responsible for this "operative act".

What Wiesler did not expect: the intimate view on the world of the ones he's observing changes the snitch as well. Looking at "the life of the others" makes him aware of the beggarliness in his own life and enables access to a so far unknown world of love, free thinking and speaking he is hardly able to elude. But the system can't be stopped anymore and a dangerous game, which destroys the love of Christa Maria Sieland and Georg Dreymann and Wieslers present existence begins.

Until the fall of the wall each of them has paid a big price. After that a whole new world begins.

My personal opinion - though it doesn't count that much - is that this one a an absolute Must See. I can hardly remember such an intelligent and moving German movie especially not including the whole topic of GDR history and the dealing with it. I think this is the first German movie which shows this system as it used to be (which has been confirmed by several contemporary witnesses) and not turns it and its people into comedy though there have been several good ones, of course.