The Book Thief

2013 "Courage beyond words."
7.5| 2h11m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 08 November 2013 Released
Producted By: Studio Babelsberg
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.

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ishan-pec Firstly, let me state at the onset that I have read the book and loved it. Movies based on books often start with an inherent handicap with viewers like me and movies which have done a better job than the source material can be counted on a single hand with fingers to spare. So my observations are definitely coloured from that perspective. Well, the movie is overall good and largely stays very close to the source material. It has high production value, the cast look their part and acting is largely good. However, the movie seems to lack a soul, and therein lies my problem.Firstly, I believe the source material is a warm story in a dark setting. With its brightly lit sets, immaculate and dare I say fashionable dresses, and generally well-off surroundings, the characters never come off as indigent or suffering. It was difficult to understand why Leisel's mom was calling her dirty when she first meets her. The coat she was wearing could have easily come from a Ralph Lauren store. Overall, the movie could have done better with a cheaper wardrobe and set design.Next, Rudy and Leisel in the book are extremely energetic and passionate. Rudy, especially, came across as someone destined to conquer the world by his sheer confidence and charm. In the movie, they are both much more reserved and the movie is lesser for it. It is the juxtaposition of the spirit of the kids with their extremely harsh surroundings that lent the book its gravity. And both are toned down to a large extent in the movie. For example, in the book, Rudy is constantly hungry which makes Liesel and Rudy steal food alongwith a bunch of other kids. A single apple makes for a good day! The gravity of their situation is never felt in the movie.Similarly, the character development while decent could have been much better and that is the most apparent in the case of Rosa Hubermann, Liesel's adopted mom. Also, the commentary by death which was brilliant in the book just came across as tacky in the movie without lending any value. Lastly, the editing at a few places was shoddy, especially in the last scene which was devastating in the book but was fairly average in the movie. I would recommend watching the movie and people who have not read the book would definitely enjoy it more.
a_naismith I loved the movie so much on first viewing that I went out and bought the book. One of those occasions however where the movie is better than the written word. It surprises me that it seemed somewhat overlooked when on first release. Yes it is a bit too sentimental in places but that is what movies are sometimes meant to be, to take us out of our drab existence. The soundtrack is excellent too and by John Williams of course. In time I expect this to be a Christmas Day movie.
elizajstocks Quite obviously, this was a movie adaptation of The Book Thief by Marus Zusak. I read the book for the first time a few years ago, and it quickly became one of my top favorites, however I'd never seen the movie until recently. I thought that Brian Percival did an excellent job of bringing Zusak's world to life.The artistic value of the film cannot be ignored. The production team did a great job on keeping the set and costume designs true to the time period, down to the tiniest of details. The simple piano theme during the intro not only fits beautifully with the time period, but it also portrays the simpleness of childhood while adding a darker element in minor. The cinematography was also impressive, which just adds to the overall artistry of the movie.As far as entertainment value goes, many people know and love the book (which is amazing!) but I feel like the film isn't getting the attention that it deserves. This was easily one of the best film adaptations of a book that I've ever seen.The Book Thief is definitely thought-provoking. Of course, there's the unique narration by Death himself. Then there's the fact that the story of WWII is told through the eyes of a young German girl who is hiding a Jew in her basement. It delves into the struggles with racism, especially in the Jesse Owens scene. It really shows the effects that war has on people, especially children. Then there's also the fact that books saved her life. One of the scenes that really illustrates this is when Liesel is reading to everyone in the bomb shelter. Earlier in the story, they had attended a book burning, but at this point, books are the only thing providing Liesel and everyone around her with hope and comfort. The plot line is so rich and juicy and yet so simple at the same time. The characters are all so three-dimensional and developed so well that it's like they're real people, which is part of what makes the final scene so heartbreaking---and I don't mean "Aww," single tear, and move on with your life type of 'heartbreaking'. No, I mean blotchy-faced, puffy-eyed, heart-wrenching sobs that leave you out of commission for hours afterward type of 'heartbreaking'. Seriously, buckle up.The only reason I omitted a star from my rating was because I didn't like how they portrayed Death in the movie. What he is lacking in personality, he makes up for in creepiness, which, believe it or not, is not in the nature of Death in the book at all. His character in the book seems much more genuine, and he looks at gathering the souls of the dead as a boring, dead end job that he desperately needs a vacation from, whereas Death in the movies is more stereotypical of the grim reaper. That's my only real complaint. Sorry for the long post!
ianlouisiana It's heart may be in the right place but "The Book Thief" suffers mightily from the almost impossible task of translating a book which was basically about the power of words into a medium that is often at its best when it uses as few words as possible. When an illiterate young girl is adopted by a poor but worthy German family prior to the outbreak of the second world war her desire to better herself is aided and abetted by her adoptive father. As the influence of The Party grows the family give shelter to a Jew thus endangering all of them. That's about it,really in basic terms,but the girl and the fugitive from Nazism develop a friendship and he eventually leaves the house in order to protect them all. The village is destroyed in a bombing raid and only the girl survives. In the end,a bit like in "Titanic",we see the mementoes of her long life and history. It's all very standard stuff but somehow unaffecting when we should be in floods of tears. What happened to "Death"?Here he is an almost peripheral figure whereas in the novel he binds it together and adds to our understanding of the actions of the characters. And the German accents ?They were very much of the "Ve have vays of making you talk"variety and merely distracted the viewer.We know they're supposed to be Germans,for heaven's sake,this isn't "Hallo,Hallo!" where Herr Flick of the Gestapo is going to limp in slapping his leg with his baton. Mr Rush and Miss Watson were particularly guilty of giving us 1950s British War film Germans,but then they say there's nothing like a foreign accent as a prop an actor. I did want to like "The Book Thief" and I did want to be moved by it.Unfortunately I didn't and I wasn't.