Sonata for a Good Man

" Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the young West German film-maker, points out that he did not set out to make a film "about the German Democratic Republic. Instead he came from the angle of classical music, Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", which he listened to one night during his student years. Suddenly he remembered reading about Lenin who had said that that he could not listen to Beethoven's sonata "Appassionata" because if he did he would never finish the revolution. Apparently the effect of the music on him was so strong that it made him want to "tell people sweet stupid things and caress their heads" instead of "smashing in those heads mercilessly". ... Henckel von Donnersmarck began imagining what would have happened if Lenin had been forced to listen to the "Appassionata". And then the central image of a man with headphones, listening to beautiful music, formed in his head. The man was a "professional" listener; he was spying on an enemy who loves music. Thus the central figure of "The Lives of Others" was born. Within minutes the treatment for the film was written. The technical aspects of Stasi work which pervade the film were all carefully researched and are authentic."
----"Mizze", Gobsmacked Again

For a good albeit "conservative" review of this film; as an interesting side note to this film, Ulrich Mühe, who plays Stasi Agent Wiesler was himself an East German spied upon by the Stasi and betrayed by his wife.