The Reader (2008)

Director:

Stephen Daldry

Writers (WGA):

David Hare (screenplay)
Bernhard Schlink (book)

Release Date:

9 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

How far would you go to protect a secret?

Plot:

Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.

Plot Keywords:

Law Student | Trial | Student | Germany | Nazi

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 14 wins & 27 nominations

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 Neighbor
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
Kirsten Block	...	Female Judge
Vijessna Ferkic	...	Sophie
Vanessa Berthold	...	Sophie's Friend
Benjamin Trinks	...	Holger's Friend
Fritz Roth	...	Tram Supervisor
Hannah Herzsprung	...	Julia
Jacqueline Macaulay	...	Heidelberg Lecturer
Volker Bruch	...	Dieter Spenz
Bruno Ganz	...	Professor Rohl
Karoline Herfurth	...	Marthe
Max Mauff	...	Rudolf
Ludwig Blochberger	...	Seminar Group Student #1
Jonas Jägermeyr	...	Seminar Group Student #2
Alexander Kasprik	...	Seminar Group Student #3
Burghart Klaußner	...	Judge
Sylvester Groth	...	Prosecuting Council
Fabian Busch	...	Hanna's Defense Council
Margarita Broich	...	Co-Defendant #1
Marie Gruber	...	Co-Defendant #2
Lena Lessing	...	Co-Defendant #3
Merelina Kendall	...	Co-Defendant #4
Hildegard Schroedter	...	Co-Defendant #5
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	...	Prison Guard (as Heike Hanold-Lynch)
Bettina Scheuritzel	...	Gate Guard
Robin Gooch	...	Ilana's Maid (as Robin Lyn Gooch)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Thomas Borchardt	...	Criminal Defense Lawyer (uncredited)
Alexandru Herca	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Rich Odell	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
Sam Luca Scollin	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Stephen Daldry

Writing credits (WGA)
David Hare		(screenplay)
Bernhard Schlink		(book "Der Vorleser")

Produced by
Jason Blum	....	co-executive producer
Christoph Fisser	....	co-producer
Donna Gigliotti	....	producer
Tarik Karam	....	associate producer
Anthony Minghella	....	producer
Henning Molfenter	....	co-producer
Redmond Morris	....	producer
Arno Neubauer	....	line producer
Sydney Pollack	....	producer
Marianna Rowinska	....	line producer: Poland
Michael Simon de Normier	....	associate producer
Nora Skinner	....	associate producer
Marieke Spencer	....	associate producer
Bob Weinstein	....	executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	executive producer
Charlie Woebcken	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Nico Muhly

Cinematography by
Roger Deakins		(director of photography)
Chris Menges		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Claire Simpson

Casting by
Simone Bär
Jina Jay

Production Design by
Brigitte Broch

Art Direction by
Christian M. Goldbeck		(supervising art director)
Erwin Prib
Yesim Zolan

Set Decoration by
Eva Stiebler

Costume Design by
Donna Maloney
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Pauline Fowler	....	prosthetics
Gabriele Kent-Horspool	....	makeup artist
Linda Melazzo	....	makeup artist
Ivana Primorac	....	hair designer
Ivana Primorac	....	makeup designer
Valeska Schitthelm	....	additional hair stylist
Valeska Schitthelm	....	additional makeup artist
Annett Schulze	....	makeup artist
Matthew Smith	....	prosthetic makeup designer
Anna Von Gwinner	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jan Enderlein	....	unit manager
Jennifer Lane	....	post-production supervisor
Aaron Levine	....	production manager: New York
Jeff Maynard	....	executive in charge of post-production
Arno Neubauer	....	production manager
Jasmin Torbati	....	production manager: Czech Republic
Caren Wiederhold	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Blazina	....	second assistant director: New York
Carlos Fidel	....	second assistant director
Mara Fiedler	....	trainee assistant director
Tarik Karam	....	second unit director
Josh Newport	....	first assistant director: New York
Miguel Angelo Pate	....	third assistant director
Tonja Schürmann	....	second second assistant director
Richard Styles	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Stefanie Arndt	....	art department assistant
Martina Valentina Baumgartner	....	art department assistant
Susann Belaval	....	art department coordinator
Klaus Bienen	....	carpenter
Joshua Black	....	supervisor painter
Maresa Burmester	....	set dresser
Temple Clark	....	storyboard artist
Katja Clos	....	graphic designer
Axel Eichhorst	....	concept artist
James Gambino	....	typesetting
Ulrike Gojowczyk	....	stand-by props
Omid Gutt	....	set dresser
David Hoffmann	....	property master
Sarah Jablonka	....	art department assistant
Benjamin Kniebe	....	storyboard artist
Jose Pavon	....	property master: New York
Daniel Peeck	....	set dresser
Johannes Pfaller	....	assistant property master
Doro Polstorff	....	set dresser
Matthias Prange	....	swing gang
Melanie Reichert	....	construction secretary
Dominik Reindl	....	painter
Gabriele Roß	....	art department coordinator
Thorsten Sabel	....	assistant art director: Cologne
Tobias Schroeter	....	sculptor
Anu Schwartz	....	art director: New York
Waleska Theis	....	assistant set decorator
Dorothee von Bodelschwingh	....	set decorating researcher
Dorothee von Bodelschwingh	....	set decoration buyer
Wolfgang Wrede	....	lead painter
Hélène Gourdin Doherty	....	trainee set dresser (uncredited)
Dagmar Wessel	....	lead set dresser: NRW (uncredited)

Sound Department
Antonio L. Arroyo	....	sound mixer: New York
Manfred Banach	....	sound mixer
Michael Barry	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Boulton	....	adr mixer
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Pam DeMetruis-Thomas	....	adr editor
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dan Edelstein	....	supervising adr editor
Michael Feuser	....	adr editor
David Flynch	....	supervising foley editor
Michael Fowler	....	adr recordist
Peter Gleaves	....	adr mixer
Jim Greenhorn	....	production sound mixer
Heather Gross	....	sound effects editor
Harry Higgins	....	re-recordist
Eric Hirsch	....	re-recordist
Bobby Johanson	....	adr mixer
Andrew Kris	....	sound re-recording mixer
Benjamin Krüger	....	boom operator
Avi Laniado	....	sound mix engineer
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer
Blake Leyh	....	sound designer
Blake Leyh	....	supervising sound editor
Ashley Low	....	adr mixer
Igor Nikolic	....	first assistant sound editor
Dominik Oppon	....	adr mixer
Dominik Oppon	....	adr recordist
Jac Rubenstein	....	dialogue editor
Andreas Rudroff	....	adr mixer
Steve F.B. Smith	....	sound consultant: Dolby
Rick Gould	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Michael Apling	....	special effects office coordinator
Del Reid	....	snow effects technician
Bernd Wildau	....	special effects foreman
Olaf Will	....	special effects technician
Adolf Wojtinek	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Louie Alexander	....	digital compositor: Framestore
Ryan Beadle	....	data managment supervisor
Zachary Bloom	....	scanning and recording: Framestore
Clare Brody	....	data operator - framestore
Cara Buckley	....	visual effects producer: RhinoFX
John Bunt	....	digital compositor
Paul Burke	....	scanning and recording: Framestore
Peter Chiang	....	visual effects
Dayne Cowan	....	visual effects supervisor: Double Negative
Zoran Cvetkovik	....	digital matte painter: RhinoFX
Sam Dabbs	....	digital compositor
Mark Dornfeld	....	visual effects supervisor
Richard Edwards	....	data operator - framestore
Michele Ferrone	....	visual effects producer
James Gambino	....	rotoscoping
Camille Geier	....	visual effects executive producer: RhinoFX
Sarah Grieshammer	....	digital compositor
Adam Hawkes	....	compositor: Framestore
Karsten Hecker	....	film mastering engineer
Jan Hogevold	....	vfx producer: Framestore
Shaina Holmes	....	digital artist supervisor
Petar Jovovic	....	digital matte painting supervisor: RhinoFX
Nitant Karnik	....	lead compositor: RhinoFX
Brian Krijgsman	....	vfx supervisor: Framestore
Paulina Kuszta	....	visual effects coordinator
Eric Leverenz	....	software engineer: Digital Intermediate
Karin Levinson	....	production executive: RhinoFX
Laura Lunt	....	production assistant: Framestore
Veronica Marcano	....	scanning & recording operator: Framestore
Hector Mejia	....	IT engineer: RhinoFX
Bogdan Mihajlovic	....	lead matchmove technical director: RhinoFX
Morgan Miller	....	digital touch-up artist
Lauren Montuori	....	visual effects production manager: RhinoFX
Jesse Morrow	....	digital effects artist: Smoke
Adam Parker	....	retouch and restoration: Framestore
Ivan Pribicevic	....	digital matte painting supervisor: RhinoFX
Lee Rankin	....	scanning and recording: Framestore
David W. Reynolds	....	Flame compositor: RhinoFX
David W. Reynolds	....	digital compositor
Jim Rider	....	visual effects supervisor
Jim Rider	....	visual effects supervisor: RhinoFX
Dragan Veselinovic	....	digital matte painter: RhinoFX
Dan Victoire	....	rotoscope artist: Framestore

Stunts
Marco Camper	....	stunt assistant

Camera and Electrical Department
Martin Bartels	....	video assist operator
Georg Bozkurt	....	electrician
Tilman Büttner	....	Steadicam operator: "a" camera
Andy Day	....	gaffer: New York
Daniel Erb	....	additional assistant camera: "a" camera
Philip Fleischer	....	electrician
Melinda Sue Gordon	....	still photographer
Thomas Gottschalk	....	first assistant camera
Mario Grech	....	electrician
Bruce Hamme	....	grip
Andy Harris	....	first assistant camera
Dirk Henkel	....	electrician
Alexander Jung	....	best boy
Patrick Kaethner	....	Steadicam operator
Karl Keil	....	camera loader
Oliver Kühne	....	electrician
Robert Lau	....	first assistant camera: New York unit
Adrian McCarthy	....	key grip
Luke Menges	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Beda Mulzer	....	electrician
Won-suk Park	....	second assistant camera
Marcus Pohlus	....	camera operator
Alexander Sachariew	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Robert Slomke	....	camera trainee
Bjoern Susen	....	gaffer
Oliver Taube	....	electrician
Ole Ki Bun Wedemann	....	best boy
Ole Ki Bun Wedemann	....	rigger
Klaus Witt	....	grip
Tom Witt	....	grip

Casting Department
Lori Eastside	....	casting associate
Robert Oppel	....	extras casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Daniela Backes	....	set costumer
Dorota Budna	....	costume assistant
Sandi Figueroa	....	costumer: kate winslet
Sparka Lee Hall	....	assistant costume designer
Heike Huett	....	costume supervisor
Anna Isabell Logen	....	assistant costume supervisor
Michelle Matland	....	assistant costume designer
Andre Schopf-Markov	....	set costumer
Bettina Seifert	....	set costumer
Claudia Torsiello	....	costumer
Carol Anne Wegner	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Leslie Bautsch	....	post-production coordinator
Jens Baylis	....	first assistant editor
Christopher Berg	....	digital dailies project manager
Dana Bloder	....	digital intermediate producer
Jimmy Fusil	....	digital intermediate producer
Paul Hyman	....	assistant editor
Barbara Jean Kearney	....	digital intermediate executive producer
Carrie Puchkoff	....	assistant editor
Daniel Scheimberg	....	editor trainee
Zachary A. Schwartz	....	editing room assistant
Tim Stipan	....	digital intermediate colorist
Daniel Triller	....	assistant editor
James Turpin	....	second assistant editor
Michael P. Whipple	....	digital intermediate engineer
Reza Amidi	....	digital intermediate editor (uncredited)
Benjamin Sutor	....	digital intermediate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
James Flatto	....	assistant music editor
Ozren K. Glaser	....	music score consultant
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Annette Kudrak	....	music editor
Nico Muhly	....	conductor
Nico Muhly	....	orchestrator
Simon Rhodes	....	music scoring mixer
Robin Urdang	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Nawid Fassiei	....	driver: Mr. Fiennes
Dennis Freeman	....	driver: Ms. Winslet
Dirk Hannemann	....	driver: Stephen Daldry
Erich Kraus	....	driver: Kate Winslet
Oliver Kujas	....	unit driver
Georg Meierotto	....	transportation captain
Karsten Peter	....	transportation
Dennis Rabenstein	....	transportation captain
Steffen Schuchardt	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Kim Armitage	....	script supervisor daily
Cassandra Barbour	....	rights and clearances
Katri Billard	....	script supervisor: NYC unit
Alex Boden	....	production associate
Mathias Braun	....	location manager
Matthias Braun	....	location manager
Nina Büttner	....	assistant accountant
William Conacher	....	supervising dialect coach
Paulina Czech	....	production manager: Poland
Sam Dabbs	....	title designer
Sabrina Donati	....	assistant: Redmond Morris
Jana Duchnicki	....	location scout
Thomas Duchnicki	....	location scout
Emily Evashevski	....	assistant: Kate Winslet
Linda Gamble	....	unit publicist
Brian Gibbs	....	production accountant
Ozren K. Glaser	....	literature consultant
Helene Gourdin-Doherty	....	set decoration trainee
Alix Graham	....	assistant: ralph fiennes
Julia Gruen	....	assistant: Ralph Fiennes
Roger Grunwald	....	voices
Susan Hegarty	....	dialogue coach: Kate Winslet
Steffi Hiller	....	production accountant
Michelle Icahn	....	assistant: Stephen Daldry
Michaela Ifkovits	....	assistant location manager
Sven Jenuwein	....	set manager
Kerstin Kaczmarek	....	runner
Caroline Kaempfer	....	runner
Ann-Kristin Knubben	....	assistant: associate producer
Ayuko Koresawa	....	office production assistant
Sabrina Kunert	....	assistant set manager
Thomas Lauterkorn	....	location scout
Susanna Lenton	....	script supervisor
Avi Levy	....	financial controller
Marilyn Lindsay	....	assistant accountant
Danny Linsner	....	location runner
Keith Marlin	....	set production assistant: second unit
Jake Martin	....	key production assistant: New York
Paul Meyer-Gerlt	....	payroll accountant
Maggie Murray	....	assistant accountant
Sean Oliver	....	adr voice
Regine Otto	....	production coordinator
Jason Potter	....	production accountant
Bastian Rabe	....	assistant location manager
Justine Raczkiewicz	....	assistant to production executive
Sabine Schenck	....	line producer: New York
Heidrun-Maria Schloßmacher	....	assistant production coordinator
Grit Schluechtermann	....	assistant accountant
Silvia Schneider	....	production consultant
Dee Schuka	....	post production accountant
Laura Sevier	....	rights and clearances
Karen Sieber	....	voices
Maxim Streletzki	....	production assistant
Friederike von Rauch	....	location scout
Bashaar Wahab	....	location scout
Sonja B. Zimmer	....	production executive
Volker Zobelt	....	location coordinator
Gero Brugmann	....	production legal (uncredited)
Justine Raczkiewicz	....	assistant: production executive (uncredited)

Thanks
Anthony Minghella	....	in loving memory of
Sydney Pollack	....	in loving memory of

Production Companies

• Mirage Enterprises
• Neunte Babelsberg Film
• Weinstein Company, The

Distributors

• Weinstein Company, The (2008-2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Benelux Film Distributors (2009) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Benelux Film Distributors (2009) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• Benelux Film Distributors (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Entertainment Film Distributors (2009) (UK) (theatrical)
• Pachamama Cine (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution Sverige AB (2009) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Applause Entertainment (2009) (Taiwan) (all media)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2009) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Bac Films (2009) (France) (all media)
• CN Entertainment (2009) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Entertainment in Video (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Forum Film (2008) (Israel) (all media)
• Forum Film (2009) (Israel) (all media)
• Golden Village Pictures (2009) (Singapore) (all media)
• Imagem Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Maple Pictures (2008) (Canada) (all media)
• Maple Pictures (2009) (Canada) (all media)
• Noori Pictures (2009) (South Korea) (all media)
• Odeon (2009) (Greece) (all media)
• Palace Pictures (2009) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• SND (2009) (France) (all media)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Scandinavia) (all media)
• Senator Film (2009) (Austria) (all media)
• Senator Film (2009) (Germany) (all media)
• Showgate (2009) (Japan) (all media)
• Sundream Motion Pictures (2008) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Sundream Motion Pictures (2009) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Viva International Pictures (2009) (Philippines) (all media)
• Weinstein Company, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Custom Film Effects
• Framestore (visual effects)
• RhinoFX

Other Companies

• C5  foley recording facility
• De Lane Lea  adr recording
• Donna Daniels Public Relations  publicity
• Entertainment Clearances  rights and clearances
• Framestore  digital aging
• Goldcrest Post Production London  adr recording (as Goldcrest Production)
• HireWorks  Avid HD editing equipment
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• NovaStar Digital  sound post-production
• Right Lobe Design Group  titles
• Sound One  adr recording
• Sound One  sound editing
• Sound One  sound re-recording
• Soundtrack  adr facility
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  digital intermediate (as Technicolor NY/LA)
• Technicolor  opticals

Also Known As:

Der Vorleser (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for some scenes of sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | German | Greek | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44922) | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Singapore:R21 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:18 | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Spain:13 | Germany:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Mexico:B15 | Japan:PG-12 | Sweden:Btl | Hong Kong:III | Denmark:11 | Austria:12 | Argentina:16 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Mirage Enterprises

Trivia:

The concentration camp scenes were filmed at the Majdanek concentration camp, located in Lublin, Poland. This camp was functional at the time of its liberation by the Soviets in 1944, meaning that it is intact today. Most other camps (including Auschwitz) were either partially or completely destroyed by the Nazis in an attempt to cover up their actions when they realized they were going to be defeated.

Goofs:

Continuity: The boy Michael (David Kross) is left-handed and wears his watch on the right. The adult Michael (Ralph Fiennes) is right-handed with his watch worn on the left.

Quotes:

Hanna Schmitz: It doesn't matter what I feel. It doesn't matter what I think. The dead are still dead.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Don't look back

Winslet Impressive In This Two-Movies-In-One Story

Kate Winslet is just outstanding in this very interesting film that is almost two stories-in-one. The first part is a sexual story of an older woman having affairs with a teenage boy and the second part is her war crimes tale and what happens afterward. The first is a somewhat happy jaunt of a short story and the second is a very serious and depressing story. That's where Winslet really shines. Obviously, she's developed into an an outstanding actress.

The second part is what most people, I assume, will remember about this film. Can "Hanna Schmitz," a Nazi employee (so to speak), who was part of concentration camps, be a sympathetic character? To me, that's what it looked like that's the question the story was asking. The answer may have come in the final minutes of the movie when her ex-lover "Michael Berg," now grown up and played by Ralph Fiennes, confronts a survivor of the camp. That, too, was very intense and interesting scene. Lena Olin is riveting as "Rose/Illana Mather."

"The Reader" was full of quiet, but intense scenes. This is a very thought-provoking film, especially for one that doesn't start off that way but look almost like some soft-porn flick to get our attention. It is anything but that.

For Germans, this film must bring out many emotions and thoughts. Guilt and forgiveness are just two of the issues that are dealt with in this unique film. "Hanna Schmitz" turns out to be an incredibly simple-yet-complex person, unlike any I've encountered on film in a long time. You see her in all kinds of light, both good and bad.

Kudos, too, to David Kross' acting as the young Michael Berg. It must be strange for someone his age (barely turned 18) to do the scenes he did with 30-something Winslet.

Overall, a very different and excellent film that stays with you and makes you ponder its main characters.