Movie: The Reader (2008)

• Director: Stephen Daldry
• Release Date: 19 March 2009 (Hong Kong)
• Run Time: 124 min
• Country: USA , Germany
• Genre: Drama , Romance  
• MPAA: Rated R for some scenes of sexuality and nudity.

Tagline: How far would you go to protect a secret?  

Trivia: The Latin lines Michael quotes to Hanna are “Quo, quo scelesti ruitis? Aut cur dexteris / aptantur enses conditi?” These are the opening lines of Horace’s 7th Epode, a short poem where he expresses outrage at the fact that his countrymen are still engaged in civil war. “Villains, where are you rushing to? Why are your hands / Grasping those swords that were sheathed?” (translation A.S. Kline). The Greek lines he quotes are the opening stanza of Sappho’s 16th fragment: (transliterated) “Oi men ippeon stroton, oi de pesdon, / oi de naon phais’ epi gan melainan / emmenai kalliston, ego de ken’ ot- / to tis eratai”. “Some say a host of horsemen, others of infantry, and others of ships, is the most beautiful thing on the dark earth: but I say, it is what you love.” (translation Denys Page).
 

Goofs: Crew or equipment visible: In the opening scene the camera/cameraman covered in black can be seen in the reflection in the top of the teaspoon.
 

“THE READER opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from “The Odyssey,” “Huck Finn” and “The Lady with the Little Dog.” Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken. Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life – this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna’s past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. THE READER is a story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another. Written by The Weinstein Company”