Is "The Reader" a good film to show in a High School Holocaust class?

[The_Basterd]

I'm a senior right now and the class is full of 10th-12th graders. We've watched a few R-Rated Holocaust films. Regardless R-rated films have a signed permission slip to watch. We've watched Life is Beauiful, Schindler's List, The White Ribbon, The Boy with Stripped Pajamas, and Defiance btw. I know this film has a lot of nudity.

Do you think the film is worth making a recommendation to my teacher/relevancy?

[SpaceDog]

I don't think it would be nearly as relevant as something like Schindler's List. While this film touches on the Holocaust, it's way too tertiary for most schools to bring into the lesson plan.

[jwerk]

I don't find The Reader to be accurate or relevant. I would say 'no'.

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by jwerk

I don't find The Reader to be accurate or relevant. I would say 'no'.

Accurate?

[Marcus Wright]

No, not at all.
Its drama more than anything else.

[Pondosinatra]

The Reader

3 out of 5

Hanna Schmitz (Winslet) is a simple woman who lives alone in a run down apartment in 1950's Germany. One day she comes across a young boy (Kross) who is violently ill and kindly helps him. He soon returns to thank her and they begin a torrid love affair. However the sex becomes secondary to her delight in having him read great books of literature to her. And then one day she is gone and the boy grows up into a young adult who enters law school. While attending a war crimes trial he hears Hannah's familiar voice once again and to his horror realizes the woman who broke his heart all those years ago was formerly a SS guard at a Nazi concentration camp. I liked the first half of the movie, but found the second half lacking. This is one of those films that frustrate me for being tantalizingly close to greatness but ultimately failing for any number of reasons. They really could have explored the moral dilemma of the German citizens in WWII, but instead chose to sum it up in one sentence with Hannah asking 'What would you have done?' They also could have explored the postwar generations attempts to come to terms with the horrors of the past and national sense of shame. But instead they only fleetingly touched upon it in a few scenes. Still, Kate Winslet is amazing and as usual you get to see lots of her naked. A thought provoking but ultimately frustrating movie.

[Mahatma]

Is there nudity?!I say yes!

[Show spoiler]

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

The Reader

3 out of 5

Hanna Schmitz (Winslet) is a simple woman who lives alone in a run down apartment in 1950's Germany. One day she comes across a young boy (Kross) who is violently ill and kindly helps him. He soon returns to thank her and they begin a torrid love affair. However the sex becomes secondary to her delight in having him read great books of literature to her. And then one day she is gone and the boy grows up into a young adult who enters law school. While attending a war crimes trial he hears Hannah's familiar voice once again and to his horror realizes the woman who broke his heart all those years ago was formerly a SS guard at a Nazi concentration camp. I liked the first half of the movie, but found the second half lacking. This is one of those films that frustrate me for being tantalizingly close to greatness but ultimately failing for any number of reasons. They really could have explored the moral dilemma of the German citizens in WWII, but instead chose to sum it up in one sentence with Hannah asking 'What would you have done?' They also could have explored the postwar generations attempts to come to terms with the horrors of the past and national sense of shame. But instead they only fleetingly touched upon it in a few scenes. Still, Kate Winslet is amazing and as usual you get to see lots of her naked. A thought provoking but ultimately frustrating movie.

What's wrong with spoilers?

[Col. Zombie]

The focus of this movie isn't so much on the Holocaust as it is on the relationship between this older woman and younger man. The Holocaust is only, I would say, a minor backdrop.

With all the nuidity and fairly graphic sexual depictions, I certainly wouldn't want my 10-12 grader watching it in a high school class.

[scraptor]

There is a lot of sex in this movie, so if you think your class is mature enough to deal with that, then I would ask whether this is the best way to examine the moral questions posed. And I would say, probably not. The questions are dealt with in a very superficial way. The film struck me as somewhat hollow at its core.

[Bluyoda]

No. Reasons mentioned above.

[Offender_Mullet]

Documentaries are the only way to go.

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

Documentaries are the only way to go.

Documentaries are great and all, but dramatizations definitely can have an impact. There is something to be said about developing specific characters that students can bond with so as to greater empathize with their plight.

[Offender_Mullet]

That's why I mentioned docs. Dramatizations are just that. While the subject matter might be based on or inspired by a real event, it's still Hollywood. But I do understand your point.

[AKORIS]

actually it is a good film, Winslet gives an outstanding performance (again) in it-- there is some great drama and emotional scenes--

is is a film that you would want to watch over and over? no, it's very depressing (as is the apparant darling of the subject-- Schindler's List)

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by Holmes

NO. As a God-fearing American, I simply can't abide the idea of teenagers being exposed to the naked female form. The very thought...I'm going to lose sleep tonight. Ultra-violence is fine, but, please, in the name of our savior, NO TITS!

lol.Understand completely

[jhiggy23]

100%, authoritatively, NO. The film has a terrible message regarding the Holocaust and participation in horrific crimes, in general. And no, I'm not misinterpreting the point of the film--Kate Winslet herself admits to it in the special features. The book has a different, more appropriate theme.

[Plasmachick]

The reader is a very good film but it doesn't have much to do with the Holocaust. It is like previously stated above, more about the relationship between a young man and an older woman with a past (Nazi prison guard). It is less about the actual holocaust and more about her past and the impact it has on the young man's life.

I would recommend Schindler's list, the Pianist, and even the Diary of Anne Frank (any version).

[jhiggy23]

Films such as the following should be watched:

Schindler's List
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Night and Fog***
Judgment at Nuremberg
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Sophie's Choice (best female performance ever)
The Pianist
The Pawnbroker (1964)
Shoah
The Counterfeiters

However, note that there are other films that should be seen that deal with massacres during WWII outside of the Holocaust (I mention this because you did mention Defiance, which is not a particularly good film on the topic):

Katyn
Flame and Citron
Sophie Scholl

[Plasmachick]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Films such as the following should be watched:

Schindler's List
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Night and Fog***
Judgment at Nuremberg
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Sophie's Choice (best female performance ever)
The Pianist
The Pawnbroker (1964)
Shoah
The Counterfeiters

However, note that there are other films that should be seen that deal with massacres during WWII outside of the Holocaust (I mention this because you did mention Defiance, which is not a particularly good film on the topic):

Katyn
Flame and Citron
Sophie Scholl

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas would be a good one for kids, I think.