Thanks for answering! Was she simply stupid? The story is told in three parts by the main character, Michael Berg. This wikiHow article will teach you how to activate the dark theme on Adobe... Adobe Acrobat DC is a PDF tool from Adobe Systems. This film adaptation is aware of its distinguished literary background and the serious acting, serious Philip Glass inspired score and serious cinematography all insist that The Reader is An Important Film. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. What did it mean? Enter your email address to subscribe to Cinema Autopsy and receive notifications of new posts by email. This section contains 1,353 words Michael is part of the first generation to come after World War II and a key theme of The Reader is how this generation of Germans, and others after it, confront the horrors of Nazism and the Holocaust. There was much more of an emphasis on the idea that she didn’t want to leave but felt she had to. Print Word PDF. In 1958, Michael Berg is a middle-class, 15-year-old living in West Germany. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, the bigger issues at the core of The Reader does not become apparent until the middle section of the film, set in 1966. What role does it play? Since it’s original German publication in 1995 and then English translation in 1997, it has won multiple awards and become a best seller. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. If you have any questions regarding the content of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, its characters, or something about the analysis of this novel, feel free to put a comment under the corresponding page. I have some stuff written down, but narrator techniques is definetely not among my abillities. Why this discrepancy illustrates a number of key issues of film adaptation. Guilt in different forms is the predominant theme in The Reader. The Jewish voice is not left out and the final third of the The Reader, where Michael is an adult and played by Ralph Fiennes, includes an important Jewish perspective. Part I begins in a West German city in 1958. Hi! So I need help in answering why exactly that event was mentioned? Thank you for this site. Right from the time when Michael forms a special friendship with Sophie and neglects Hanna to some extent, guilt is woven into Michael’s emotions. The shock of seeing Schmitz on the stand, hearing her name first, of course, after all that time, who dumped him when it was time to move forward although the relationship would have probably never went much farther, anyway, is, of course, when things become an unspeakable nightmare; the film seemed a possible example, though, and my first thoughts on how right some have been on how too-young males can be negatively influenced in the long run if getting into things too early, by, in this case, experienced, endowed, illiterates of the opposite sex, often naked and angry. Also we plan to watch the movie at a later date. The Reader is a beautiful and deeply moving film with incredible performances by all involved but in particular Winslet as Hanna and Kross as the young Michael Berg. Or did she believe she could escape exposure altogether? In the film The Reader Michael Berg’s daughter plays a much larger role than she does in the novel. Writer, broadcaster, film critic, public speaker and film programmer. I am supposed to do a short assignment on the narrator techniques of the book. Although this novella focuses specifically on the English monarchy, this idea could apply to political contexts across the globe. This film adaptation is aware of its distinguished literary background and… The Uncommon Reader Themes. Michael is studying law at Heidelberg University and attends a trial of former SS guards who let 300 Jewish women die when a church they imprisoned them in caught fire. This Study Guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - Summary, characterisations, interpretations, presentations and much more. As a film, it got me thinking, as films rarely do; that’s the DVD version, not the preferable, more impressionable sometimes big-screen. Don’t be annoyed by our advertisements, please keep in mind that running this site without advertisements would not be possible. This Study Guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Reader. And no one’s mother these days would say “Make sure you thank her personally”. At this trial Michael again encounters Hanna and discovers who she was prior to their affair in 1958. This site is very helpful to me to put together some questions to help move the story and insights garnered by reading. Since it's original German publication in 1995 and then English translation in 1997, it has won multiple awards and become a best seller. Bernhard Schlink. Tram conductor Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet) assists him when he is sick in the street but when he returns to her apartment to thank her they begin a passionate affair. You can easily use it to get in touch with the book, repeat different things during reading, or prepare for an exam. The Reader is an adaptation of Der Vorleser, a partly autobiographical novel by Bernhard Schlink, a German law professor and judge. The Reader addresses the legacy of guilt that the Holocaust has left behind, and Hanna's question to the judge at her trial, "What would you have done?" I thought Winslet was great, and that acting, as some in the business claim, doesn’t seem that difficult at all; it seems just about anyone could have pulled off some of the scenes. However, if you have questions to move the discussion, please forward to me as discussing the book is important to this group. Each part takes place in a different time period in the past. If Hanna's motive was fear of exposure—why opt for the horrible exposure as a criminal over the harmless exposure as an illiterate? Readers may ask themselves these same questions. I think the film was great, but have to agree with critics who say it should not be lauded; Kross seems a better actor when he’s angry, and who hasn’t had a Hanna or two, for those of us with any appreciation of stray nannies. The page should give you an overview of the whole plot and the story, The Reader, with Hanna and Michael Berg. Everything you need to know about The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. He is ashamed to reveal his affair with this woman. Film reviews, criticism and discussion by Thomas Caldwell. This website about the novel, The Reader, written by Bernhard Schlink, was published during a project work in a German class.We created summaries on every single chapter, wrote characterizations, built presentations, and collected information on the Holocaust topic during the weeks of our project work. When I read the book I felt that Hanna’s intentions were portrayed differently to in the film. The Reader is an adaptation of Der Vorleser, a partly autobiographical novel by Bernhard Schlink, a German law professor and judge. This first third of The Reader focuses on the dynamics of this affair and it is an erotic, tender and slightly unsettling romance. This Study Guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Reader. One of the most critical thematic elements of The Uncommon Reader is the way that Bennett explores how a monarch operates according to duty rather than desire. If you are looking for a book that is a fast read and a real page-turner that leaves you craving others to discuss its moral ambiguity with, "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink is a great choice.It was an acclaimed book published in Germany in 1995 and its popularity spiked when it was chosen for Oprah's Book Club.The 2008 film adaptation that was nominated for several Academy Awards, with … This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We are not associated with Bernhard Schlink or the publishing house. After reading twice, I chose it for my BookClub to read. The film suggests an uneasy feeling before they get in the courtroom; “from both sides”. The brilliant narrative device of using Michael’s sexual awakening with Hanna as the means to link his generation to the previous generation, allows the complexities involved to be explored on a personal level. The extent to which Hanna is guilty is a complex question and one that Michael attempts to unravel when he demands: But could Hanna's shame at being illiterate be sufficient reason for her behavior at the trial or in the camp? The Reader is not a cold academic exercise but a deeply moving film. Maybe this is the biggest resource about Schlink’s, The Reader, on the web. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Reader. This is explored a lot more in the book as well. In the hands of less capable filmmakers it could have been excruciating but as they demonstrated when they collaborated on The Hours, director Stephen Daldry and screenplay writer David Hare are more than capable of making such a text accessible to wider audiences. It is an emotional and philosophical exploration of national guilt, the difference between morality and the law, and how to assign responsibility to something as evil and all consuming as the Holocaust. Acrobat comes with two different themes: dark and light. There is issue in the film, clearly, concerning Berg’s “distance.” When an old flame was essentially an SS in-the-making, well, yeah, you watch your 6 after that with everyone. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Caldwell with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. To accept exposure as a criminal for fear of being exposed as an illiterate? Hanna’s literature about concentration camps, Michael’s Change from Youth to the Present, Transition from Reality to the Dream World of Michael Berg, Michael’s skepticism about Holocaust education.