The Book Thief (film)
| The Book Thief | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Brian Percival |
| Produced by | Ken Blancato Karen Rosenfelt |
| Screenplay by | Michael Petroni |
| Based on | The Book Thief by Markus Zusak |
| Starring | Sophie Nélisse Geoffrey Rush Emily Watson Ben Schnetzer |
| Music by | John Williams[1] |
| Cinematography | Florian Ballhaus |
| Editing by | John Wilson |
| Studio | Babelsberg Studios |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 130 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $12,075,055[3] |
The Book Thief is a 2013 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Markus Zusak, directed by Brian Percival and written by Michael Petroni, with a musical score composed by John Williams. The film stars Emily Watson, Geoffrey Rush, Sophie Nélisse, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, and Joachim Paul Assböck.
Contents
[show]Plot[edit]
In April 1938, the movie opens with a voice (representing the Angel of Death) telling about how the young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse) has piqued his interest. Leisel, her brother and mother are on a train to meet with foster parents when Liesel's brother dies. After she finds her first book beside her brother's graveside, she is sent to foster parents Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) Hubermann. When she arrives she makes an impression on a neighbor boy, Rudy Steiner.
Rudy decides to become her friend and accompanies her on her first day of school. When the teacher asks Liesel to write her name on the chalkboard, she is only able to write an X, showing that she doesn't know how to read. Later that day, she is taunted by her schoolmates as they chant "dummkopff". one of the boys, Franz Deutscher, approaches her and and dares her to read just one word to which Liesel responds by beating him up. She impresses Rudy and they become fast friends. When Hans realizes that Liesel cannot read, he begins to teach her and she becomes obsessed with reading anything she can get her hands on.
While in the comfort of her newfound parents, World War II breaks out and Liesel and Rudy become entrenched in the Hitler Youth movement. While at a Nazi book burning ceremony, Liesel and Rudy are bullied into throwing books onto the bonfire by Franz, but Liesel is upset by all the books being burned. When the bonfire ends and everyone but she has left, she grabs a book that has not been burned but she is seen by Ilsa Hermann, the mayor's wife. She is met by Hans and he discovers she has taken the book and tells her she must keep it a secret from everyone. one day, Rosa allows Liesel to take the laundry to the mayor's house and she realizes that the woman who saw her taking the book is the mayor's wife and she is scared she will be found out. Instead, Ilsa brings her into their library and tells Liesel she can come by anytime and read as much as she'd like. Sadly, Liesel is found reading one day by the mayor who not only puts a stop to her visits but fires Rosa as their laundress. This places Liesel in the position of becoming a "book borrower" to continue reading.
During Kristallnacht in 1938, Max Vandenburg (Ben Schnetzer) and his mother, who are Jewish, are told by a friend of Max's that only one of them can escape and Max's mother forces him to go. Max later shows up at the Hubermann's house and Rosa and Hans give him shelter. We find out Max is the son of the man who saved Hans' life in World War I. Max is initially allowed to stay in Leisel's room while recovering from his trip and they begin to become friends over their mutual hatred of Hitler, as Liesel blames Hitler for taking her mother away. Max is later moved to the basement so he can move around more, but it is colder in the basement and Max's health suffers. Max stays with the Hubermann's for almost two years and the only close call is when a local party member comes by to check the Hubermann's basement and they have to hide Max. They realize later that their basement was being checked as a potential bomb shelter and they weren't suspected of harboring a fugitive. After this, there are no adverse consequences to Max's stay but he becomes very ill after Christmas of 1941, when the snowman he and the family built in the basement melts and he is found shivering in the cold by Rosa. Liesel helps Max recover by reading to him with every spare moment.
One day while borrowing another book, Rudy follows her and finds out she is borrowing books and also keeping the secret of Max, whose name he reads on a journal that Max gave to Liesel for Christmas. Liesel feels pressured to say more about Max than she intends and Rudy guesses that her family is hiding someone and he swears to never tell. Franz overhears them and confronts them about their secret and Rudy is forced to throw the journal into the river to keep it away from Franz, though Rudy later jumps into the river to save the journal and Liesel realizes she really can trust him.
While working one day, Hans sees a neighbor and friend being taken away by the police because they say he is really a Jew. Hans tries to tell the police that the man is a good German but his name is taken by them and he realizes what a mistake he has made, as this has made them visible. He tells the family and Max realizes he must leave in order to protect them. Hans then receives a telegram that he has been conscripted into the the army and must leave immediately.
On the way home from school one day, Liesel believes she has seen Max in a Jewish refugee line that is being marched through their town and she begins screaming his name, walking through the line. She is thrown off the street twice by a German soldier and finally relents when Rosa picks her up and takes her home. Within a few days, Hans returns from the front because he was injured in a bomb that hit his unit's truck. The family is reunited only for a short time though as one night the city is bombed and no air raid siren alerts the citizens. Hans, Rosa and Rudy's family, excluding his father who has joined the Army, have been killed in the blast. Liesel was spared from the bombing by falling asleep in the basement while writing in the journal given to her by Max. Rudy is brought out of his house by neighbors and he is barely alive. He begins to tell Liesel that he loves her but he dies before he can finish the sentence. Liesel begs him to not die, telling him that she will give him that kiss he has been asking for and actually kisses him, but he has already died. During this scene, death is heard speaking again telling about how he received the souls of the dead.
Two years later, Liesel is seen working in Rudy's father's shop, who has returned safely from the war, and she looks up to see Max enter and she runs to hug him. The final scene is death speaking again, telling us about Liesel's life, and death at the age of 90, as we look over her apartment. Death says that he has seen many good and bad things over the years but that Liesel is the only one that ever made him wonder how it would be to live life.
Cast[edit]
- Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger
- Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann
- Emily Watson as Rosa Hubermann
- Ben Schnetzer as Max Vandenburg
- Nico Liersch as Rudy Steiner
- Joachim Paul Assböck as SS officer
- Sandra Nedeleff as Sarah
- Hildegard Schroedter as Frau Becker
- Rafael Gareisen as Walter Kugler
- Gotthard Lange as Gravedigger
- Godehard Giese as Policeman on train
- Roger Allam as Death
- Barbara Auer as Ilsa Hermann
- Heike Makatsch as Liesel's Mother
Production[edit]
A search for an actress to play the eponymous book thief, Liesel Meminger, occurred across the world. on February 4, 2013, it was announced that Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse was cast in the role, and that Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson would be playing Meminger's foster parents.[4]
Principal photography began in early March 2013 at Babelsberg Studio in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany.[5] The first trailer was released on August 21.[6]
Markus Zusak, author of the book on which the film is based, confirmed on his blog that the film would be narrated by the character of "Death", as was the novel.[7] Fans theorized that Death might be voiced by the anonymous American actor that was used in the official trailer. It was then announced that actor Roger Allam of Game of Thrones would portray Death in the film.
Soundtrack[edit]
The music for the film was composed by John Williams, and the soundtrack album containing the score was released by Sony Classical. The album was released in the United States on November 19, 2013.[8]
The Book Thief marked the first time since 2005 that Williams has scored a film not directed by Steven Spielberg.
Release[edit]
Originally scheduled for 2014, The Book Thief's limited theatrical release was moved forward to November 8, 2013, due to being ahead of schedule, and so as to compete in the 2013–14 award season. It premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 3, 2013 and was screened at the Savannah Film Festival on October 29, 2013. It expanded to a wide release on November 27, 2013.
Reception[edit]
The film has received generally mixed reception from critics, yet has been more favorable for audiences.[citation needed] Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 47% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 87 reviews, with an average score of 5.6/10. The site's consensus states: "A bit too safe in its handling of its Nazi Germany setting, The Book Thief counters its constraints with a respectful tone and strong performances."[9] on Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 54 (citing "mixed or average reviews") based on 28 reviews.[10] on December 2, 2013 Emily Watson (Rosa Humbermann) was nominated for a Satellite Award Best Supporting Actress and John Williams was nominated for Best Original Score
Accolades[edit]
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result | |
| Hollywood Film Awards | Spotlight | Sophie Nelisse | Won | |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a supporting Role | Emily Watson | Pending | |
| Best Original Score | John Williams | Pending | ||
| Best Breakthrough Performance | Sophie Nelisse | Won | ||
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