Lives of Others : (das Leben der Anderen)

Annie Ring

"Annie Ring's study offers a fresh approach to the remarkable German film The Lives of Others (2006), known for its compelling representation of a Stasi surveillance officer and the moral and ethical turmoil that results when he is ordered to spy on a playwright and his actress lover. Annie Ring explores the film's aesthetic qualities, sets it in its historical and intertextual contexts, and evaluates the heated politics surrounding its reception. She analyses The Lives of Others' cinematography, mise-en-scène and editing, tracing connections with Hollywood movies such as Casablanca in the film's portrayal of an individual rebelling against a brutal dehumanising regime. Drawing on several archival sources, including original East German artefacts, music that accompanies the film's narrative and primary research from the Stasi files themselves, she explores the film's strong but...