The film's story unfolds against the landscape of post-war Germany and follows fifteen-year-old Michael Berg who is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age, when he falls ill on the way home. The pair have passionate affair until she disappears one day. He next sees her when he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. Michael gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder.

Director: Stephen Daldry
Writers: David Hare (screenplay), Bernhard Schlink (book)

Cast:
Kate Winslet ... Hanna Schmitz
Ralph Fiennes ... Michael Berg
Alexandra Maria Lara ... Ilana
Bruno Ganz ... Rohl
Karoline Herfurth ... Marthe
Susanne Lothar ... Carla Berg
Linda Bassett ... Mrs. Brenner
Hannah Herzsprung ... Julia
Matthias Habich ... Peter Berg
David Kross ... Young Michael Berg

Released on: December 12, 2008

Posters, Promotional Stills, On the Set, Trailer Captures, Screen Captures and DVD Featurettes captures

Stephen Daldry's first choice for the lead role was Kate Winslet, who originally turned down the offer due to a scheduling conflict with Revolutionary Road. When Nicole Kidman accepted the role, the producers built in a hiatus in order to allow her to finish filming Baz Luhrmann's Australia. However, by the time Kidman was set to begin her scenes on the film, she withdrew because of her pregnancy, vacating the role. Winslet, who was now available, agreed to replace Kidman.

Juliette Binoche was considered for the role of Hanna Schmitz.

Producers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella both died before the completion of the movie. As the film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the Academy made an exception from their rules not to name more than three producers as nominees because of this rare circumstance. In the end the two producers Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris who took over duties were nominated as well as the posthumously honored Minghella and Pollack.

There is a scene where Michael reads to Hanna from Lady Chatterley's Lover. She tells him he should be ashamed, but when he goes to put the book away, she tells him to read on. This is similar to a scene from Kate Winslet's film Quills (2000), where Madeleine (Winslet) is reading one of the Marquis de Sade's stories to her mother. Her mother says it is terrible, but after a pause urges her to read on.

Before Kate Winslet accepted the role of Hanna, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard and Naomi Watts were considered for the part.

To avoid legal consequences, the crew delayed the filming of sexually explicit scenes until after actor David Kross' 18th birthday on July 4 2008.

The concentration camp scenes were filmed at the Majdanek concentration camp, located in Lublin, Poland. This camp was functional at the time of its liberation by the Soviets in 1944, meaning that it is intact today. Most other camps (including Auschwitz) were either partially or completely destroyed by the Nazis in an attempt to cover up their actions when they realized they were going to be defeated.

The film's original cinematographer was Roger Deakins. From September to October 2007, he shot scenes that didn't feature the character Hanna. After filming was shut down (to give Nicole Kidman, who had been cast as Hanna, time to finish filming Australia (2008) before joining the production), Deakins left to shoot Doubt (2008/I) and begin pre-production on A Serious Man (2009). Once Kidman withdrew from the film and was replaced by Kate Winslet, filming resumed in March 2008; the new cinematographer, Chris Menges, shot all of Winslet's scenes.

It took a total of seven hours to transform Kate Winslet into Old Hanna.

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