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Catch Oscar-winner "The Lives of Others" at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park

Original post made by Rory Brown, Almanac staff writer, on Feb 20, 2007

The German film, "The Lives of Others," which won the Oscar for best foreign language film Sunday night, is playing at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park.

For showtimes, go to:

www.LandmarkTheatres.com, and under "S.F. Bay Area" click on "Peninsula"

Here is a synopsis of the film from LandmarkTheatres.com:

In East Berlin, five years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Captain Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) of the secret Stasi police is given the mission to spy on a celebrated writer and actress couple (Sebastian Koch, Martina Gedeck) for the German Democratic Republic. But Wiesler's loyalty begins to erode as his immersion in "the lives of others," in love, literature and freethinking, makes him acutely aware of the shortfalls of his own existence. Written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Winner of 7 German Film Awards including Best Director and Outstanding Feature Film.

The film is 2 hrs. and 27 min., and rated R.

Comments (3)

Posted by Elizabeth Lasensky
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Feb 21, 2007 at 2:57 pm

This movie will rank as my favorite of the year, no matter what the Oscars do with it.

If you like car chase movies, this isn't for you.

If you like thoughtful, subtle, complex and insightful movies, this is a treasure.

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Posted by Mr. Man
a resident of Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park
on Feb 23, 2007 at 1:50 pm

It's a shame that this movie and "Pan's Labyrinth" can't both win Oscars for best foreign film.

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Posted by ForgetAboutHollywood
a resident of another community
on Feb 28, 2007 at 5:50 pm

I agree, Mr. Man, it's a real pity that both "The Lives of Others" and "Pan's Labyrinth" couldn't have won the Oscar for best foreign film. They were both outstanding films -- movies that shallow, greedy, puerile Hollywood is incapable of producing. They both shone a powerful light on historical events and issues that matter. And they both were brilliantly imagined and put to celluloid. These movies shouldn't be missed by film lovers who want to leave a theater with a full, rich meal to disgest. And "Pan's Labyrinth" really should be seen on the big screen.

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Catch Oscar-winner "The Lives of Others" at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park

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