EXCLUSIVE: Director Stephen Daldry on Sex, Moguls and Surviving 'The Reader' [Five Questions]
The culmination of our dedicated coverage of The Reader— from Rudin/Weinstein blow-ups to Oscar prognoses to its sexual audacity— arrived this weekend when director Stephen Daldry phoned Defamer HQ. "Sorry, I overslept," he said in his dignified brogue — a forgivable lapse under the circumstances, with his Kate Winslet film following his Billy Elliot stage adaptation by mere weeks on his late-'08 calendar. Nevertheless, we got him properly caffeinated and settled in for a rousing installme

The Reader: "Emotionally Constipated & Unable To Seriously Address The Holocaust" [Critical Mass]
The Reader, a film based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Bernhard Schlink, takes place in a post-war Germany and centers around Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet), an illiterate woman who sleeps with a teenage boy (David Kross) whom she asks to read to her before and after sex. Eventually, the boy grows up and encounters Hanna again when she is on trial for war crimes. The subject matter and plot shift from a story of sexual awakening to a courtroom drama is tiring to some critics, although they agree that

The Reader Director Stephen Daldry on Sex Scenes, Rudin vs. Weinstein, and Kavalier & Clay
Stephen Daldry has made only two feature films, but he's overseen four Oscar-nominated performances and netted himself two Academy Award nominations for Best Director to boot. His third movie, The Reader, seems to stand a solid chance of continuing those trends. Based on Bernhard Schlink's acclaimed novel, the film centers on a 15-year-old, Michael Berg (David Kross), who in post–World War II Germany enters into a sexual relationship with a woman twice his age, Hanna Schmitz, played by the smokin' Kat

Review: Holocaust too messy for the sterile ‘Reader’
Alonso DuraldeFilm criticI’ve generally been a defender of the films of Stephen Daldry, but seeing “The Reader” made me understand why some people hated his previous movie, “The Hours.” That film, they said, was fussy and airless, tamping down truth and humanity in favor of the brand of dry “culture” that lures certain segments of the moviegoing public with the promise of a tastefully prim Sunday matinee. That’s certainly how “The Reader” played for me; watching Daldry try t

Exclusive: Stephen Daldry on Directing The Reader
Eight years ago, director Stephen Daldry worked with playwright David Hare to adapt Chris Cunningham's novel The Hours into a film honored with nine Oscar nominations, including Nicole Kidman winning an Oscar for her performance as writer Virginia Woolf. The duo have reunited to adapt Bernard Schlink's bestselling book The Reader as their latest film, once again tackling difficult subject matter with a semi-autobiographical story set in post-WWII Germany involving a teen's first sexual experience with an ol

Oscar, Oscar! The Reader’s Winslet Left Me Gasping
The ReaderRunning time 123 minutes Written by David Hare Directed by Stephen Daldry Starring Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Lena Olin, Bruno Ganz, David Kross The turkey’s in the soup, the retailers are praying for a Merry Christmas, and the year-end movie countdown is in full swing. I’ve still got a few items on my screening list, but I will go out on a limb right now and predict I will see nothing greater, more haunting, wrenching or profound, than The Reader. I’m preparing you in advance. One viewing

Interview: The Reader Director Stephen Daldry
Stephen Daldry is the only director in history to get a Best Director nomination for his first two films. The guy made such a splash with Billy Elliott and The Hours that you can't blame him for taking a break from the screen. But now he's back with The Reader, a drama based on Bernhard Schlink's novel about a love affair between a teenage boy and an older woman in post-war Germany. Much more than just a hot love story, The Reader deals with the many different levels of guilt felt by Germans aft

An unsettling tale is found between the lines of 'The Reader'
The Reader (* * * out of four) is a slow-moving but absorbing story of sexual awakening and moral dilemmas. Director Stephen Daldry (The Hours) has intelligently adapted Bernhard Schlink's novel set in post-World War II Germany. Though the effort is uneven, it's a well-acted romance that becomes a less compelling courtroom drama. Kate Winslet is especially good as the taciturn Hanna, a thirtysomething ticket taker on an urban train who starts a clandestine affair with bright 15-year-old Michae

The Reader: Film Review
 Doubt Wendy and Lucy The Reader Adam Resurrected Timecrimes What Doesn't Kill You Dark Streets Nothing Like the Holidays Frost/Nixon Punisher: War Zone  more    The sheer size of the Toronto festival can be intimidating. >>> Turkey Business. >>> Check out our preview section for a list of upcoming films. >>>     Direct

Film: Translating Love and the Unspeakable
The Germans have a word for it: Vergangenheitsbewaltigung — more or less, “coming to terms with the past.” It’s not an easy concept to translate into English; even less so, perhaps, into the American idiom. Skip to next paragraph Related Trailer: 'The Reader' Filmography: Stephen Daldry

The Reader Review
“Who would have guessed that a book only 218 pages long could stir up so many emotions!” That quote, which graces the press notes for Stephen Daldry’s The Reader, is attributed to Oprah Winfrey, who selected the novel on which the film is based for her book club. As always, Oprah means no harm, but her influence makes such off-handed insipidity potentially dangerous. But relax –– in this case, she’s just reflecting the party line of the marketable middlebrow: Art mus

Teenagers Fuck Redux: Is 'The Reader' the New 'Porky's'? [Burning Questions]
The Teenagers Fuck phenomenon has seen some compelling discussion this week, a desperately needed change from the fanged chastity that so overwhelmed us during the build-up to Twilight's tween windfall last month. And while a new essay in The Guardian suggests young men in particular are a more sophisticated lot since the days of Porky's, another critic of one upcoming film has a different phrase for that: Child pornography. Particularly as seen in The Reader, which Huffington Post contributor Thelma

Will filmgoers rally around World War II movies?
IT'S THE one war in the last 60 years that doesn't divide politicians, pundits and voters. But can World War II bring moviegoers together? Starting on Friday and ending at Christmas, at least half a dozen dramas whose plots connect with World War II are scheduled to arrive in theaters, all hoping to perform better than the crop of recent war films looking at the modern Middle Eastern conflict. The new movies -- Friday's Spike Lee-directed "Miracle at St. Anna," Nov. 7's concentration camp story "Th

Kate Winslet Premieres “The Reader” in NYC
Showing off her fine figure in a snug black cleavage-baring ensemble, Kate Winslet attended the premiere of “The Reader” at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on Wednesday night (December 3). The 33-year-old English actress was joined for the evening’s festivities by co-stars Ralph Fiennes and David Kross, as well as director Stephen Daldry.

Kate Winslet Debuts ‘Reader’ in NY
ET takes you to the New York premiere of the new post-World War II drama ‘The Reader,’ starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Also on hand for the event at the famed Ziegfeld Theater were co-stars Lena Olin and David Kross and director Stephen Daldry. Hear Kate talk about what it was like working with heartthrob Ralph and doing [...]

Peter, Paul & Mary, Peter Paul Rubens, & Paul Reubens
The ReaderRead It And Possibly WeepTrailers & Mo | Official WebsiteThe Reader's not the easiest thing to digest (get it, Reader's Digest? no, we mean are you a subscriber to Reader's Digest? get it? actually you shouldn't since there's plenty of other reading material more worthy of thumbing through whilst yer takin a dump). The Reader delves into the touchy topic of next generation Germans dealing with the guilt associated with the monstrosity that the last generation created, a little thing called t

No Oscar glory for 'The Reader'?
When the always indomitable Scott Rudin abruptly took his name off Stephen Daldry's "The Reader" in early October after roughly 15 rounds of heavyweight tussling with Harvey Weinstein (who is releasing the movie next week), everyone assumed the worst. If Rudin were willing to abandon ship--and leave Daldry, one of his favorite filmmakers, behind, even after Weinstein had agreed to give Daldry more money so he could edit the film around the clock as he hurried it to the finish line--then the film m

'The Reader' Announces Release Date, Eying as Oscar Candidate
Agreeing to release the movie in December this year, the producer of 'The Reader' reportedly asks for extra financial support from the Weinstein Company. © Solarpix/PR Photos The Weinstein Company finally announce the release date for their big screen "The Reader", marking that a dispute between producers Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin over the movie's release has been resolved. "We are in complete agreement on the dat

Kate Winslet Premieres 'The Reader'& Talks Leo Sex Scenes
British actress Kate Winslet showed up looking gorgeous and unretouched in a charcoal, figure-hugging dress at the premiere of her new film The Reader.

The Reader Release Dispute Settled
A dispute between Harvey Weinstein and producer Scott Rudin over the release of the Weinstein Co.'s The Reader has been resolved. The two men issued the following joint statement Sunday announcing that the film will open December 12: "We are issuing this statement together to emphasize the fact that we are in complete agreement on the date we have chosen to release The Reader. Working together, we developed a plan to extend the post-production schedule in order to give Stephen Daldry the additional ti

Kate Winslet 'More Suited' For Reader Role Than Nicole Kidman, Says Screenwriter
Wednesday night, at the much buzzed about premiere of The Reader, we asked Kate Winslet what it had been like to replace Nicole Kidman in the film. (Ms. Kidman departed in January due to her pregnancy.)   "Often actors jump in an out of each others parts, you know?" Ms. Winslet was wearing a brown off-the-shoulder dress with brown shoes and dark lipstick, and had her hair curled slightly off the shoulder. "You guys don't tend to hear about that stuff. I did have very early discussions wit

Harvey Weinstein Made to Look Really Bad Over 'Reader' Flap
Harrassing widows and folks on their deathbed? Oh Harvey...

Harvey Weinstein vs The World: Part 1
"He was once The Big Macher and now is The Big Loser. This post goes behind the scenes of Weinstein's desperate attempt to roll over The Reader's director Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliot) even though the helmer had final cut approval www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com

Kate Winslet Debuts 'Reader' in NY
ET takes you to the New York premiere of the new post-World War II drama 'The Reader,' starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Also on hand for the event at the famed Ziegfeld Theater were co-stars Lena Olin and David Kross and director Stephen Daldry.Hear Kate talk about what it was like working with heartthrob Ralph and doing steamy love scenes with the much younger Kross. Ralph also gives his thoughts on starring with Kate and says he would love to find new projects that wo

Kate Winslet’s Oscar hopes in doubt
Many felt that Kate Winslet (pictured) was certain to get an Oscar nomination for her role in Stephen Daldry's latest film, The Reader, a drama set in post-war Germany that also features Ralph Fiennes. But this is now thought to be in jeopardy following an attack on the movie by the influential New York film critic, Charlie Finch, who has accused Daldry of trivialising the holocaust with the English actress’s many nude scenes in the film. Winslet, 33, plays a former concentration camp guard who h