History Trivia / TheLivesOfOthers

** Many people involved in the film-making had a history with UsefulNotes/EastGermany, having lived there, having had relatives living there and having been, naturally, spied on by Stasi agents. Notably the film's star, Ulrich Mühe, was under surveillance and later found out that his (then) ''wife'' was a registered informant on him. When asked how he prepared for the role, he simply answered "I remembered."

* ActorAllusion: Christa's alias in the Stasi files is "Marta". The titular character of the German film ''Bella Martha'' is one of Martina Gedeck's most famous roles.

* RealitySubtext: Many people involved in the film-making had a history with UsefulNotes/EastGermany, having lived there, having had relatives living there and having been, naturally, spied on by Stasi agents. Notably the film's star, Ulrich Mühe, was under surveillance and later found out that his (then) ''wife'' was a registered informant on him. When asked how he prepared for the role, he simply answered "I remembered."

* CastTheExpert: The cover of the suicide issue for ''Der Spiegel'' was created by noneother than the art department of ''Der Spiegel'', to ensure it would match their art standards.

** Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck wrote the role specifically for Mühe - it ended up being his command performance as he died not long after the film was released.

** Von Donnersmarck wrote the role specifically for Mühe - it ended up being his command performance as he died not long after the film was released.

* RealitySubtext: Many people involved in the film-making had a history with East Germany, having lived there, having had relatives living there and having been, naturally, spied on by Stasi agents. Notably the film's star, Ulrich Mühe, was under surveillance and later found out that his (then) ''wife'' was a registered informant on him. When asked how he prepared for the role, he simply answered "I remembered."
** Von Donnersmarck wrote the role specifically for Mühe - it ended up being his command performance as he died not long after the film was released.

* CastTheExpert: In a way. The cover of the suicide issue for ''Der Spiegel'' was created by noneother than the art department of ''Der Spiegel'', to ensure it would match their art standards.

* RealitySubtext: Many people involved in the film-making had a history with East Germany, having lived there, having had relatives living there and having been, naturally, spied on by Stasi agents. Notably the film's star, Ulrich Mühe, was under surveillance and later found out that his (then) ''wife'' was a registered informant on him, along with five other actors he knew. When asked how he prepared for the role, he simply answered "I remembered."

* RealitySubtext: Many people involved in the film-making had a history with East Germany, having lived there, having had relatives living there and having been, naturally, spied on by Stasi agents. Notably the film's star, Ulrich Mühe, was under surveillance and later found out that his (then) ''wife'' was a registered informant on him, along with other actors he knew. When asked how he prepared for the role, he simply answered "I remembered."

* RealitySubtext: Many people involved in the film-making had a history with East Germany, having lived there, having had relatives living there and having been, naturally, spied on by Stasi agents. Notably the film's star, Ulrich Mühe, was under surveillance and later found out that his (then) ''wife'' was a registered informant on him.