Watching "Das Leben der Anderen" as I install LinuxMint 11.I tried out Linux Mint last week on recommendation from Grandad. I actually took a chance and installed it on someone elses machine first, to try and entice them into the world of Linux. It was a risk because I hadn't used it before but it came with more stuff than Ubuntu (and has none of that Unity interface) so it seemed a better choice. It worked out well anyway. It looks a bit "Linux'y" out of the box, but with a few changes to the appearance settings you can get it looking rather flashy. I'm not sure if the other person is all that taken with a non Microsoft OS but I was quite impressed, and I have decided to move away from Ubuntu and use Mint instead. Who knows, maybe in a months time I may move again, straight forward Debian perhaps.
The BBC were showing a German film last night as I was installing Mint. Das Leben der Anderen (2006) is a film set in East Germany during the Cold War in the 1980's, and revolves around a Stasi officer monitoring the audio from hidden microphones in a German playright's apartment. It was slow to get going but I found myself being drawn into it as it went on. I think that was a major strength of the film. There was a subtle, but exponential build up to the ending moments, which were genuinely powerful and moving. I can't rate it highly enough. If you're looking for a film to watch (foreign or even non-foreign) you won't go far wrong by checking it out.
9 comments:
"on recommendation from Grandad"
Really? Did I? Normally I would deny any such scurrilous accusations, but something seems to have worked out well?
It's a great film, one of my favorites. We don't get to see that many German films over here, but the ones that do make it are very good. Well spotted.
Grandad: Yes, it wasn't a bad recommendation really :) And that reminds me, I mean't to add in a few relevant hyperlinks to you in this post. I'll do that now.
SDaedalus: We're lucky to get any foreign films at all! It's deemed that the masses don't like to read when they are watching tv. The nice thing about subtitled films on tv is that they are almost guaranteed to worth watching. That said, I do have "Das deutsche Kettensägen Massaker" here waiting to be watched. With a name like that, I'm sure it will be just as good as Das Leben der Anderen lol
I watched a Hungarian film "Taxidermia (2006)" 2 weeks ago. A very bizarre film but well worth watching. It deals with the three periods of Hungarian modern history (Fascism, Communism, Capitalism) through generational metaphors. Grotesque imagery, but very well made.
I was sure you were going to go on and connect the hidden microphones in Das Leben . .. ' to the microphones and cameras built-in to virtually ALL modern computing devices these days, and how such devices are being used to surreptitiously spy on users e (http://boingboing.net/2010/02/17/school-used-student.html) but for some reason you didn't.
shame, that, as Linux gives one a much greater the ability to permanently (or temporarily) disable such devices through terminal-commands
"but for some reason you didn't."
I know, odd that. It might have to do with with the €80,000 I spent on psychiatrist visits, to cure my crippling paranoia. I still have his number if you'd like it...
Not German but check out http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098327/
I'll give it a look.
You deserve to die
I like your name.
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