The Lives of Others [2006] (BLU)
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Synopsis
The place is East Berlin, the year is 1984, and it all begins with a simple surveillance assignment: Capt. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe in a restrained, yet deeply felt performance), a Stasi officer and a specialist in this kind of thing, has been assigned to keep an eye on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch, Black Book), a respected playwright, and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck, Mostly Martha). Though Dreyman is known to associate with the occasional dissident, like blacklisted director Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert), his record is spotless. Everything changes when Wiesler discovers that Minister Hempf (Thomas Thieme) has an ulterior motive in spying on this seemingly upright citizen. In other words, it's personal, and Wiesler's sympathies shift from the government to its people--or at least to this one particular person. That would be risky enough, but then Wiesler uses his privileged position to affect a change in Dreyman's life. The God-like move he makes may be minor and untraceable, but it will have major consequences for all concerned, including Wiesler himself.
Special Features Include
- Deleted Scenes
- Interview with Director Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
- Director's Commentary *Making of the Lives of Others
Product Details
- Format: Color, Widescreen
- Language: German
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: R
- Label: Sony Pictures Classics
- Release Date: 08/21/2007
- Run Time: 138 minutes
- Region: A