I was unpacking some boxes this morning and came across a few DVDs that I'd never watched before. One of them was The Reader (2008). Years ago, I read the book by Bernhard Schlink so it's comes as no amazement to me that I'd tossed the DVD in a box with countless other things that didn't quite seem important at the time. I'm not a big fan of watching films after I've read the books. Somehow the two never really seem to compliment each other but this wasn't one of those times. Directer Stephen Daldry nailed the emotion and passion written by Schlink and I, for one, was captivated.
Set is post-WWII Germany, The Reader begins with the taboo love affair of an older woman and her younger lover who abruptly part ways and are reunited years later during a trial for Nazi war crimes. My admiration of Kate Winslet (Hanna Schmitz) grows each time I watch her star in a film. It's not the dialogue this time, it's just her sheer will to express herself that stands out. Add to that the soundtrack by Nico Muhly, its stirring and oftentimes hypnotic rhythm carried the film to heights that only a young broken heart could ever dream of (mine especially). I was smitten...and that's putting it mildly.
I'm a hopeless romantic so The Reader is a keeper this time. I'm sure it won't go back into that box of unnecessary collectibles. It's a visual reminder that love, forbidden or otherwise, often stands the test of time. It is, after all, the story that we all dream of.
Set is post-WWII Germany, The Reader begins with the taboo love affair of an older woman and her younger lover who abruptly part ways and are reunited years later during a trial for Nazi war crimes. My admiration of Kate Winslet (Hanna Schmitz) grows each time I watch her star in a film. It's not the dialogue this time, it's just her sheer will to express herself that stands out. Add to that the soundtrack by Nico Muhly, its stirring and oftentimes hypnotic rhythm carried the film to heights that only a young broken heart could ever dream of (mine especially). I was smitten...and that's putting it mildly.
I'm a hopeless romantic so The Reader is a keeper this time. I'm sure it won't go back into that box of unnecessary collectibles. It's a visual reminder that love, forbidden or otherwise, often stands the test of time. It is, after all, the story that we all dream of.
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