The Lives of Others Trivia Quiz

Answer: German Democratic Republic

It is about the German "Staatssicherheit" (State Security), the Stasi. An author, Georg Dreyman, is very popular in the GDR and still his flat, like so many others at that time, is full of listening devices installed and checked by the state. The film shows the procedures that were used in those times.

Answer: HGW XX/7

Gerd Wiesler was appointed to install the listening devices and to listen to all the conversations taking place in Dreyman's flat. He worked in shifts with another man, but later on in the film he worked alone.

Answer: an article about suicides

He is writing about the incredibly high suicidal rate in the GDR. The Stasi. however. would not allow it, which is why Dreyman has to write it in secret. He does not know however, that his flat is being watched and thinks that he's safe.

Answer: under the doorstep

Dreyman received a typewriter from the editor of the Spiegel so that the article cannot be traced. He hides it under the doorstep between the lounge and the hallway.

Answer: twice

They enter it the first time to install the microphones and the camera, but that is unknown to anyone except the lady living next door, who is sworn to keep it secret. Near the end of the story they knock on the door and search the flat again, after having received information from Dreyman's arrested girlfriend.

She reveals the hiding place of the typewriter and they search the flat again. They do not find anything pointing towards the article.

Answer: Christa-Maria

She is an actress, who is drug-addicted and forced to sleep with a minister. About halfway through the movie Dreyman persuades her not to sleep with the minister, which leads to her arrest later.

Answer: IM

An IM, an "Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter" (inofficial colleague), was a person who had given important information to the Stasi at least once. All these people had code names (i.e. Martha, Johanna, Karl, etc.).

Answer: Lazlo

His case is the "Operation Lazlo" as we are told numerous times throughout the movie.

Answer: she jumps in front of a lorry

After she is released from prison she returns to the flat. When the Stasi comes to search the flat again she can't stand the shame of having reported her boyfriend and kills herself not knowing that the typewriter isn't there anymore.

Answer: Gerd Wiesler

Surprisingly Wiesler is the one who helps Dreyman throughout the movie. He gives incomplete reports and leaves out the article about suicide. Because of that he is transferred to a minor department when his boss finds out.

Answer: True

He seems to be very engrossed in the poems when we see him reading them.

Answer: False

At the beginning the lead part is played by Dreyman's girlfriend. At the end we see him in the audience (it seems he even has a new girlfriend) but the memory is too strong and he leaves the theatre in the middle of the play.

Answer: hands out leaflets

When Dreyman searches for him, he sees him putting leaflets into letterboxes, but he doesn't speak to him.

Answer: "It's for me"

I had to cry when the movie ended, because it was so beautiful. Wiesler says this to the assistant in the bookshop. At the beginning of his newest book Dreyman had written "For HGW XX/7 in greatest thanks" - HGW obviously being Wiesler's codename.

Answer: True

It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. Thank you for playing my quiz.