FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: The Reader [Blu-ray] [2008]

The Reader [Blu-ray] [2008]
enlarge	Director: Stephen Daldry Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, David Kross, Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara Studio: Entertainment in Video Category: DVD List Price: ~~£24.99~~ Buy New: £8.97 as of 22/11/2009 22:27 GMT details You Save: £16.02 (64%) New (12) Used (1) from £7.80 Seller: encorerecords Rating: 10 reviews Sales Rank: 3967 Format: PAL Language: English (Subtitled) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Media: Blu-ray Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 124 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5017239151248 ASIN: B001RQFXPI Theatrical Release Date: 2008 Release Date: May 25, 2009 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 1 2 Next » Compelling September 10, 2009 Antonio Moncayo (Zaragoza) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful I wasn't sure what to expect before I watched this movie and I was nicely surprised by the story. The story is written and a reflective and almost poetic way and touched many controversial issues ,including the holocaust and some viewers might find disturbing. br / br /The story centers around justice and the sense of national shame in Germany after the war ,told in the frame of a love affair spanning nearly 40 years. br / br /It is no easy to watch as there are difficult and angry scenes. br / br /The main actors , Winslet and Kross , provide intense performances and are delight to watch. The direction is excellent and perhaphs the film's only flaw was to open in the same year as slumdog millionaire. br / br /5 stars the reader July 3, 2009 W. L. Chalmers (johannesburg, SA) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful Certainly one of the best films released in the last year. Blu-ray quality was of the highest standard and brilliant performances from Kate Winslet and Ralf Fiennes. The Reader - bluray review September 12, 2009 David Lawson (London) After reading the somewhat lukewarm negative comments on the quality of this BD I felt I had to write a review in its support. This is a great movie - beautifully written, paced directed by Stephen Daldry. Here I just want to comment on the exemplary transfer, which as other's have said may not be Full 1080p 24fps - it is in fact 1080i - but this in no way detracts from what is by any standards a fine looking disc. There is a very fine layer of grain present, which was the directors intent in no way spoils the experience. Colours are spot on, black levels are deep inky fine detail is amazing. This is first rate transfer and far exceeds the SD version. Likewise the DTS HD-MA is always fully immersive with accurate pans to all speakers dialogue is always crisp clear. Perhaps those giving this a paltry 2 stars should consider buying a new TV or visiting Specsavers - because this reviewer feels their comments are wholly unjustified. Highly recommended should be in everyone's Blu-ray collection. Flawed but good film, perhaps better value on DVD June 8, 2009 Mr. Blu (Europe) 5 out of 7 found this review helpful When a film tries to be something special, it is sometimes difficult not to be too tough on it for falling short of loftier targets. Whatever its faults, this is an enjoyable adult drama which is very well acted by the three principals: Winslet, Kross and Fiennes. Kross plays a young boy, Michael, who has a brief but passionate affair with the older, and illiterate, Hanna, played by Winslet. He reads to her without realising at the time that she cannot read. br / br /Later he encounters her in court when he is a law student and she is on trial for her role as a guard in the SS. Her illiteracy plays a crucial role in the trial, and I will steer clear of a plot spoiler here. Suffice it to say that she is imprisoned, and that during her imprisonment Michael, now played by Fiennes, sends her tapes of the books he used to read to her. With great determination she finally learns to read by comparing what she hears on the tapes and what she sees on the pages of those books borrowed from the library. The culmination of the plot I found somewhat unsatisfactory, but cannot give details without spoiling the film for those who have not seen it. br / br /The film has its faults. The tempo is often far too slow, and yet still allows for sketchiness. Of course, the film is very much concerned with secrecy, but I am not sure if this licences the extremely cursory treatment given to the end of their affair. Later dialogue makes it clear that Michael feels he was harmed by the relationship, but too little of the substance of this is cinematically shown, and not much told. Unless we are to automatically infer that his life was ruined by losing his virginity to an older woman; which would be strange given that this has probably happened at some point in history without a man's life being ruined! The dialogue is also often shaky. The way in which Hanna calls him "kid" (also when they are both quite old) never rings true. In fact often the dialogue sounds a little unidiomatic, a rare example in films these days of when a source book's status as foreign literature really advertises itself. The dialogue between Fiennes and a camp survivor late on is also very strained and artificial, for my money. br / br /The film is worth seeing, but it is not really the sort of film where Blu-Ray is worth the extra money. I disagree with the other reviewer here about audio quality, I thought it was scarcely recognisable as a high definition sound-track (international customers please note that only English is on this disc!) By way of contrast I thought that "Frost/Nixon" also dialogue driven was worth it as a Blu-Ray. In this film there is so much soft-focus and so few of the kind of shots that make Blu-Ray worthwhile that I would recommend the DVD. Potential customers should also note that this film is NOT in cinema aspect ratio, but in widescreen ratio 1,85:1. br / br /I nearly gave it three stars, but having so often given five stars to plain, honest, action films, I suppose you have to give film-makers some leeway when they try to produce more ambitious films, even if the "Odyssey" motifs are somewhat overdone (the endless baths, Hanna as Circe ?) and end up seeming on the wrong side of pretentiousness. Moving and thought-provoking July 29, 2009 Tealady2000 (Edinburgh) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful I didn't catch this film at the cinema and often a movie doesn't have quite the same impact when you see it at home so I was surprised at how emotional I felt when watching this on Blu-Ray. Kate Winslet's performance is remarkable (well worth the Oscar) and David Kross and Ralph Fiennes are excellent too. br / br /Winslet plays Hannah Schmitz, a tram conductor who in the late 1950's begins an affair with 15-year old Michael Berg. Michael begins reading his school literature books to Hannah and this becomes just as important as their physical relationship. But Hannah suddenly disappears and the story skips forward to the time when Michael, now a law student, is attending the trial of some female SS guards who were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Jewish women. Hannah was one of those guards, and she ends up taking most of the blame owing to a miscarriage of justice which Michael can see but does not prevent. Hannah is imprisoned for life and later Michael begins sending her tapes of the books he used to read to her. Michael's emotions on discovering Hannah's past are never explicitly revealed but I found this part of the film (where he sends her the tapes) incredibly moving. br / br /David Kross and Ralph Fiennes are superb as the idealistic young Michael and the repressed older Michael respectively but it is Winslet as the complex Hannah who really shines. A truly thought-provoking film on a very difficult subject. Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 1 2 Next »

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