Schlafes Bruder

To the person who said this film is not worth your time ... well, your "review" of the film is not worth the time of half the members of IMDb, but why should I be surprised when all I ever find on this website are people trying to outwit each other with their supposed intellectual superiority? The film is based on a book by Robert Schneider, who also wrote the screenplay. Having read both the book and seen the film, I think the film was a decent adaptation. As one review I read said, the director did seem to take a more stylistic and overall artistic angle on the story, and as such much of the finest material from the book was lost.

However, the film itself is still an excellent piece of work and stands on its own, aside from the book, as a remarkable movie. I'm not sure I noticed anything about "horrible sound effects", but I remember first seeing this film several years ago on Bravo late one night, and I could not get it out of my head for the next several YEARS ... until I discovered Amazon and was able to find an imported copy to purchase for my own. Only a year ago did I actually read the book, which was incredibly engrossing, and I encourage anyone who enjoyed the film to tackle the literary version as well.

The cinematography and the overwhelming metaphysical essence present in this film are what truly sucked me in. The story itself is simply beautiful in the same way that any tragedy, whether Greek or Shakespearean or whathaveyou, is captivatingly melancholy. It resonates within you and makes your heart ache for days afterward. Personally, I found the main character, Elias, to be the most fascinating element of the film. And of course, the scene in which he "opens the gates of heaven" with his sheer musical virtuosity is riveting to behold. This film is truly a delectable treat for the senses.

Anyone who is truly passionate about their talent or art will relate to the "tortured artist" persona that is Elias - the isolation, the dedication to your craft in spite of other desires which we cannot displace, and the embodiment of the emotional realm that so frequently serves as the origin of our inspiration ... this is what the story is truly about. If you can appreciate that, you will love this film.

If you want to see a film that is in the 1% of different; this is the film for you. It is eccentric, bizarre, beautiful, mesmerizing, horrific, and at times, a bit disjointed. The total effect, however, is unforgettable. The music alone is worth the price of your time. It has the feeling of a Hesse novel at times; with that mixture of beauty and horror. In this film, however, the hills truly are alive with the sound of music.

This is a good film, actually. It's not extremely faithful to the novel, which is not a bad thing in itself, and if you know the novel, you will understand that there are some aspects of it that couldn't be expressed very well in a film. So they added and changed quite a bit of the story and expanded on the novel, which makes the film interesting to see even if you already know the book, but for some reason they apparently tried to "modernise" the character of Elsbeth by what she is made rather implausible. Still, it's a good movie, well executed, beautifully shot, with a great film score and great cast and acting, rather inspired.

When I saw the movie I was a little bit disappointed because I first read the novel, but when I really thought about it Joseph Vlismair did the best with the stuff he had. In the novel there are so many feelings described which you can't describe with pictures and sounds. Watch the film when you already read the novel because otherwise you may not understand some parts. All in all it is a very good Film!

While certainly to many American viewers this film lacks the flare of Hollywood, but that's what it so exquisite about it. I am not exactly a film connoisseur, I am American foreign film fan and I know that this film probably does not appeal to the general public. However for those who like psychological thrillers and

stories about misunderstood and socially inept geniuses, this is amazing.

The music and cinematography is fantastic. Plus this film incorporated 3 of my favorite German actors. The way that the sound was utilized is just unbelievable as well.

For the intellectuals out there who appreciate art in all things, rent or buy this one.