The Reader: DVD Review

The Reader: DVD Review

The Reader
Cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
From director Stephen Daldry, this is the film which finally saw Kate Winslet enter the pantheon of Oscar winners after five prior nominations.
She stars as Hanna Schmitz, who begins a torrid affair with a 15 year old boy Michael Berg (a stunning turn by David Kross). Years later, when the pair's paths cross again, he's enrolled in a law school and she's on trial for war crimes - not exactly the reunion either would have planned&
The Reader sees Daldry tread some tricky ground - it's difficult to feel anything too much for Schmitz's character because Winslet plays her as cold, unemotional and very matter of fact. Although he does make it an interesting look at how far some would go to protect a secret.
It starts off as a love affair type story and then switches to a court room drama which packs a bit of an emotional sucker punch around the 90 minute mark.
Ralph Fiennes is okay as the elder Michael Berg who ends up dealing with the emotional fall out of his relationship with Schmitz; but it's David Kross who carries most of the film with his performance - it's a compelling turn from a relative newcomer which anchors the film and provides an emotional heart to what is, by all accounts, a thespian's dream role.
The solid extras (the usual docos of behind the scenes and trailers) round off a reasonable package - and while The Reader may not be the easiest night's entertainment, it's certainly understandable to see why the Academy honoured this performance from Winslet.
Extras: Making The Reader; Kate Winslet on the art of ageing Hanna Schmitz; A New Voice- a look at the Reader's composer; Production Designer and a trailer flesh out the DVD

Rating: 7/10