There are films that make a lasting impression. These include the film "Reader." Reviews about him are completely positive. The Reader is one of those stories that seems impossible to invent. Was it all really, or is this another successful fantasy of the scriptwriter and director?
The creators of the picture
The film "Reader" (2008) was shot on the basis of the novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. The writer partly “painted” the image of the protagonist of the work from himself, but the events described in the book are still fiction, albeit very believable. The book has so affected the hearts of readers that it has become close and understandable to both the audiences of Europe and America. The novel "The Reader" is the only work by a German author to make it into the ranking of the best books from The New York Times.
The British director Stephen Doldry was also impressed by Schlink's novel, so in the early 2000s he decided to film a bestseller. I must say, Doldry is generally a fan of film adaptations: he shot the film “Clock” based on the novel by
Michael Cunningham, and “Terribly Loud and Extremely Close” - based on the creation of the same name by Jonathan Foer.
The Reader was produced by Sidney Pollack and Anthony Mingella. However, shortly before the premiere, both producers died. Then the project was transferred to Donna Giglotti and Redmond Morris. A multiple Oscar nominee came up behind the camera - cameraman Roger Dickins.
Short story
The main character of the film is a representative of the German youth of the postwar years (meaning World War II) named Michael Berg. On the street in 1958, Michael is only 15 years old. Once, on the way home, he becomes very ill and falls on the street. Passers-by indifferently pass by, and only conductress Hannah Schmitz assists him.
After recovery (it turned out that the main character caught scarlet fever) Michael comes to Hannah's home to thank for the help provided. Then Berg comes to the 36-year-old woman again and again, gradually an affair begins with them. Hannah constantly asked her young friend to read her books. Once she disappeared from his life.
Michael met Schmitz the next time in the late 60s: he came to court to see the trial of the overseers from Auschwitz and saw Hannah among the convicts. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Berg did not dare to personally visit his old acquaintance, but he recorded several tapes to her, having read the famous literary works. With the help of these tapes and the prison library, Hannah learned to read, until that moment she was completely illiterate.
For exemplary behavior, they decided to release the woman ahead of schedule, but the day before leaving prison she hanged herself in her own cell. Throughout the film, Michael Berg tried to comprehend the time and actions that the older “military” generation had to do. And as a result, I came to the conclusion that everyone deserves forgiveness.
"Reader": actors and roles. Kate Winslet as Hannah Schmitz
Initially, the role of Hannah Schmitz was entrusted to Nicole Kidman. But the actress became pregnant before filming. Bearing a child was difficult, so the movie star refused the role.
Then they introduced Kate Winslet into the project. Loud fame came to the performer back in 1997, when James Cameron presented the legendary Titanic. Then, for a long time, the actress starred in class “B” films. In 2004, she again loudly declared herself, taking part in the project "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" with Jim Carrey. Mrs. Winslet’s many successful films include the comedy Exchange Vacation and the drama Road of Change. In 2014 and 2015 the actress took part in the filming of the movie "Divergent", playing the brutal dictatorial Janine Matthews.
Performers of the role of Michael Berg
The film "Reader", reviews of which in 2008 were published in the best world newspaper editions, made a splash also because Rafe Fiennes appeared in it. The fact is that the actor rarely spoils fans with screen works, since he prefers to work in the theater. Nevertheless, Rafe managed to appear in significant projects for Hollywood: in Schindler's List by Steven Spielberg, The English Patient by Anthony Mingella, Maid of the Maid Wayne Wang, as well as in the Harry Potter and Agent 007 franchises.
Ralph Fiennes played the role of lawyer Michael Berg at a more mature age. And novice actor David Cross was entrusted with the role of Berg in his youth.
David Cross is a true German, a fairly well-known actor in Germany. However, the experience of filming in Hollywood projects for Cross ended on the project "Reader". A little later, David made an attempt to move to London, but a year later he abandoned this idea.
Other actors
Lena Olin, a Swedish performer, also took part in the filming of The Reader. Olin immediately got two roles: Ilana Maser (a former prisoner of Auschwitz) and her daughter Rosa. Lena Olin also starred in the movie Remember Me with Robert Pattinson, in the film Narcosis with Jessica Alba and the melodrama Casanova with Heath Ledger.
Carolina Herfurt is a popular German actress. She began her career in youth films. In 2006 she appeared in the movie "Perfumer", becoming the first victim of the protagonist. One of the most famous roles played by Carolina Herfurt is the role of the Jewess Gretel Bergman in the drama Berlin 36.
Also, Swiss Bruno Ganz (“Baadera-Meinhof Complex”), Volker Bruch (“Red Baron”), Alexandra Lara (“Baadera-Meinhof Complex”) took part in the filming.
The film "Reader": reviews from critics and viewers
On the IMDb website, a picture of Stephen Daldry has a rating of 8 points. This means the high confidence that the film “Reader” aroused among the audience. Reviews from the general audience are mostly positive: the plot is non-standard, the talented play of Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, as well as the talented camera work. For the image of Hannah Schmitz embodied on the screen, Kate Winslet received her long-awaited Oscar.
Negative reviews about the picture mainly come from fans of the original work of Bernhard Schlink. Not seeing in the film adaptation of some bright moments from the book, readers felt disappointed. They were especially outraged by the emphasis that the director shifted from social and political problems to sexual relations. But even with such errors, the film is still worth watching.