Comments on: ‘The Reader’: The movie with no leads?

By: Tabb

Tabb — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 04:24:09 +0000

3 Reader
Winslet is excellent in the film as are Ralph Fiennes and David Kross in the “split” role. But it’s no secret that Winslet’s heart this year is more with bringing attention to REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, which she helped develop and convinced husband Sam Mendes to direct, so doesn’t want awards competition with herself. But the worst thing about a lead performance securing a nomination in a supporting category is that it always, always by definition robs another truly deserving and supporting performer of that opportunity. And this year that would mean some other excellent work by another actress would be shoved aside.
If Winslet is nominated for Supporting Actress – accompanied by the likelihood of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s co-lead being nominated in Supporting for DOUBT – I strongly suspect the Academy Board of Governors will finally make a move to create more restrictive criteria for these supporting categories in the future.

By: Tabb

Tabb — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 04:15:15 +0000

2 – Reader
Having scored supporting nominations with SAG and the Golden Globes (which allowed Winslet’s supporting bid only “after what was said to be heated discussion,” according to The Hollywood Reporter) key marketing groundwork has been laid to imprint itself on the minds of Academy voters as they mark their ballots within a very limited time frame. Should the ploy succeed, it would be arguably the most egregious case of “category fraud” in the history of the Academy.

By: Tabb

Tabb — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 04:12:25 +0000

Dave is correct in that the argument that this is a film with no leads does not hold. It’s not an equally divided ensemble of small roles and not even a balanced three-hander. This is a film with two clearly defined lead roles – “David Berg” and “Hanna Schmitz.” Kate Winslet is the only lead actor who appears throughout the film, playing Hanna in every time period, and she is justifiably top-billed as the lead actor. There is no conceivable way this role or performance can be considered a supporting one, based on what this category is meant to single out. The fact that the positioning of her as such hasn’t raised more cries of “Foul!” or ridicule astounds me.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:05:23 +0000

And the article here http://www.qvvo.com/link/e8c54517

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:04:13 +0000

I loved the trailer for this movie. Here it is in HD http://www.hd-trailers.org/2008/11/the-reader-trailer/