The Reader [Blu-ray]

The film:"The Reader" deserved its Oscar for best actress, but it also deserved the Oscar for best film (it lost to the inferior "Slumdog Millionaire.") It tells the tale of a young man growing up in post-war Germany who has an affair with a mysterious older woman. Without spoiling too much, the story ends up touching on the holocaust, how much we can blame participants, and whether or not love transcends these historical pains.Normally, I dislike holocaust films. I find that Hollywood too often beats us over the head with the "it's BAD" message (This Just In! Hollywood Geniuses Discover Holocaust Was Bad!) as opposed to mining the much more interesting tales of personal struggle, loss, redemption, and ignorance. "The Reader" offers an intelligent, probing, and insightful look at the human costs on those who were not direct victims, and on the society of post-war Germany at large. It also tells a heck of a love story, to boot.I felt so respected by the makers of this film. There is no heavy-handed moralizing, in fact, the message of the film seems to be that, while of course there are great moral wrongs that have been perpetrated, there are lesser consequences which do not make it into history books, but do have an impact on real people and deal them real pains that ought to be respected.As mentioned in other reviews, this is not a movie for the kids, at least not kids who still titter when they see nudity on screen. The first half of the film is consumed by a lusty affair between a 32 year old and a 15 year old. It's not for immature audiences.The Blu-Ray:On the opening scene, I thought this film must be shot on digital. The source was just too clean, with little to no film grain in evidence. Upon further research, however, I have discovered that it was indeed shot on Kodak Vision2 and Vision3 film - which Kodak advertises as producing less grain in low light and in general. Given this, and the fact that detail is generally so strong in this image, I can only assume that this Blu-Ray has been mastered without excessive Digital Noise Reduction.It is a lovely 1.85:1 image which suits nice widescreen displays beautifully. Black levels are strong, loads of detail is evident in shadows, and colors are extremely naturalistic. There are many moments that offer the sort of "3-D" realism that the best HD can give. The quality of the image adds immediacy and impact to the already involving film.Audio is very dialogue driven. This is not a BD that will rock your neighbors.Extras are very strong. 42 minutes (!) of deleted scenes are presented in 480p widescreen. I watched them all, and I would say only one cut was truly unfortunate - a little bit of backstory for Michael's law professor that would have added depth to the story. Mini-documentaries are also available, touching on the writing and casting process, as well as Kate Winslet's aging with make-up. Overall, it's a very strong slate of extras.*********Any fan of serious dramas and romances would do quite well to pick this up. It's a truly great movie that is very affecting and also thought provoking. It's a monument to respecting the viewer, allowing them to digest complex morality without beating them over the head with a "message." I would compare it to films like "The English Patient" or "I've Loved You So Long" (another 2008 Oscar Nominee).It is also presented in an exceedingly beautiful HD transfer and a strong package of extras. Certainly, if you're doing a survey of 2008 Oscar nominees, you should pick this up over the trite, pat Hollywood fare of "Slumdog." It's also better than the very good, but somewhat flabby "Benjamin Button," and the excellent, but not as brainy "Milk." I can't recommend it enough.

The Reader is a provocative and heartbreaking film which tells the tale of a May-September affair between Hanna (Kate Winslet) and 15 year-old Michael (David Kross) in the decade after WWII. Beyond that, however, I believe the film is an allegory of the relationship between those Germans who were responsible for the Holocaust and those loved ones who came after them, and were forced to confront the horrible truths at a later time. It deals with the guilt, the anger, and the conflicting emotions therein. The story is heartbreaking because it reminds us that we are all struggling with guilt, emotions, and the legacy we have created for ourselves by our actions or inactions. It neither asks the viewer to forgive nor condemn. It merely shows us how similar we are to these people by putting their humanity in our faces.The movie is provocative for both the many nude/sex scenes between Michael and Hanna, and because it purposefully makes it a bit harder to blame or label, not only those responsible for the Holocaust, but all of the people in our history who have a connection between an evil deed and tacit complicity, regardless of the severity. There is a powerful moment during the trial when a confused Hanna is questioned about her responsibilities as a guard and she innocently asks one of the judges, "What would you do?" None of the judges has an answer. Throughout all of history's atrocities, there are always those who were simply "doing their job." It's so easy to imagine being the heroic person who would stand up a make a difference, but the fact is, few possess that much courage and conviction.Many recoil at the sexual perversity, but I think the intention was to make the audience uncomfortable. Not only did Hanna's seduction help create a person who would end up sharing her emotional void, but so too did the generation responsible for the Nazi atrocities force their shame onto the generation that followed them. The beauty of The Reader for me was in how these characters can speak for generations; the passion, the heartbreak, the guilt, the shame, the anger, and the eventual cold-blooded detachment.The acting is stellar throughout, with special props going to Kate Winslet and David Kross for their fearless portrayals and for breathing such believability into their characters. To engender empathy for people who run the gamut from despicable to emotionally empty is a nod to their acting skill. To compel me to watch the drama of such unsavory individuals is a testament to the power of this movie. The Reader might disturb you, anger you, disgust you, or even confuse you. Certainly one of the principal responsibilities for art is to provoke such reactions.P.S. I don't usually include info about the dvd extras, but since I watched them this afternoon, I thought I'd add a sentence or five. There are about a handful or so, focusing on the set design with a German woman who had left her native country during the post WWII period to get away from the drama, a lengthy bit with Kate Winslet getting into her older make-up, an interview with Kross and the director, and a bit with the music director. There are also quite a few deleted scenes that must've made it pretty far as they seem like a finished product, if you know what I mean. They are illuminating and at least one in particular should've been included as it not only bridges two scenes that have little continuity, but also features a very poignant conversation between Michael and an older truck driver. It's kind of chilling and should have been in the movie.