Review of The Reader (2008) by Tiva B — 07 Feb 2013
In changing 2 key portions of the book, the movie largely undermines the whole point of The Reader. The first change occurred in the scene where Hanna noticed young Michael watching her put on her stockings.
In the movie, she became angry and sent him out; in the book, she was oblivious to the effect she was having on him, which is in large part the essence of Hanna - oblivious to the impact of her actions.
The second was the exchange between the prison warden and Michael after Hanna's death. This was really the crux of the issue, the confrontation of the moral dilemma: how could Michael justify knowing that Hanna was illiterate and remaining silent as she took the entire blame for the death of the inmates in the fire instead of coming forward with his knowledge? Both as her former lover and as a lawyer, Michael (arguably) abdicated his duty, and in the book, the conversation between him and the warden delved into this issue.
Without these 2 elements, the movie largely misses the point.
This review of The Reader (2008) was written by Tiva B on 07 Feb 2013.
The Reader has generally received positive reviews.
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