I’m not sure why David Levavi brought up “The Lives of Others” in this completely unrelated thread, but I could not disagree with him more, or agree more with Patrick Tyson. Levavi’s fixation with national character vis a vis the level of personal betrayal in East Germany is bizarre. To begin with, the movie most certainly doesn’t white wash it. It’s very much about that. The film was inspired by the true story of the brilliant actor who played the Stasi agent. This man (now deceased) who was an anti-Communist dissident later discovered that he had in fact been spied on by his then wife and mother of his child, who was revealed to be a registered informant. Rather than whitewashing the experience, which he knew was all too common, he exposed it and created a piece of art.
Additionally, that kind of personal betrayal is part and parcel of living in all repressive societies. Ask the Czechs, the other Eastern Europeans, The former Soviets, the Iraqis, the Iranians, the North Koreans… I could go on and on around the world. I don’t understand what point Levavi is trying to make. Is he claiming the Germans should have behaved better under the circumstances than other nationalities have managed to do?
