The Book Thief

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After a long time, I have watched a movie which took me to a different world. There was tragedy, love, passion, family, warmth, humor, violence, curiosity and so on. Every character was simply terrific. They did not stretch the movie which was wonderful. The ending was touching. Simply a story of ordinary people conducting themselves in extraordinary fashion when faced with the hell of Hitler's Third Reich and World War II. The Book Thief is the kind of film you could show your children as a way to first begin a discussion of World War II and the Holocaust, but it never takes shortcuts from darker subject matter to reach this role. An excellent movie. The message of this movie is "to stand up for what you believe and don't let a group of people tell you otherwise." It is a must watch.

If hadn't read the book I would have probably given the movie a five, but because I actually did read the book, I am only giving this a one. There are so many plot holes in the movie and a majority of the books key moments were left out. Overall, it takes away from the film and it is very disappointed. In the novel, the relationship between the main character and Rudy is very important and it is really downplayed in the movie. **Spoiler** Then when he dies in the end of the movie it does not have the same emotionally charged effect that it should have. There was a dramatic build up, that was successful in the book, but then on screen you are left wanting something more. On screen, the character development is lacking and you do not feel connected to any of the characters.

There is a waterfall of fantastic reviews for this flick. Of course, it is perfectly fine. We all have different tastes. One's treasure could be someone else's junk. I found this movie to be trite and predictable, typical feel good Hallmark TV movie. All those ridiculous German accents ( with an occasional German word snuck in), all these million times chewed upon saccharine sweet messages, that everybody enjoys, but nobody takes seriously. And, above all not a single one original idea, even a sentence. So, if you like a bit of kitsch, nicely colored, wrapped in shiny paper, knock yourself out. You could do worse. Or many times better.

If you read the book then it's not woth watching, also there is cheap propaganda in the movie.

The film takes place in Nazi Germany. The opening narration is done by Mr. G. Reaper (Roger Allam). Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is going to live with new parents. Unknown to her at this time, her mother was taken away because she was a communist. Liesel lives with some good Germans who care for her as their own. Liesel is illiterate but takes a shine to reading. She gets engrossed in reading books, while her loving adopted Papa (Geoffrey Rush) walks the fine line by hiding Max (Ben Schnetzer) a Jew whose father saved his life in WWI. The film gets its title from the fact Liesel would steal (and then return) books from the Burgermeister. The film contains both the feeling on impending doom and hope simultaneously. I felt like I was reading poetry while I watched the film. It was that well done. The performances were spectacular. Must see film for those who love a great movie. It is Oscar worthy.

I really enjoyed the movie and I deeply liked the Story. I loved the Girl and the way she acted, Sophie Nélisse did a great job, the same thing for the whole team . they did a magnificent job by creating such a movie . Thanks to everyone of them. I wish I find enough time to buy and read the book. and who knows I might love the book more than the movie, one thing I am sure about, once I will start reading the book I will picture the same characters faces from the movie. everyone of them, including the dog at the Jewish store. lol . I will recommend this movie to all my friends and my family members. and I am sure I will add it to my Gallery.

In this German/US co-production we get to see the German civilian side of the WWII conflict. There is a mix of real German and English with a German accent in the movie because English actors can't speak German and the German actors can't speak English without the accent. So they all sound a bit like when someone imitates a funny jew/rabbi accent (yes really) but you get used to it pretty quickly. It's always a bit ironic when a film pimps the virtues of the written word. Certainly when it relies so heavily on the visual presentation and acting performances (which are all excellent) as this one does. I liked the film a lot but as a lot of films these days it's quite long but it's also told at a slower relaxed pace. I would certainly recommend it as it is a very honest film: it doesn't try to tear-jerk or manipulate the audience and it's a good entertaining production.

As the story opens, it is 1938, and a young German girl whose mother cannot keep her, is sent to live with strangers. Little Liesel adjusts to her new life with the help of her kindly new Papa and the books she steals, which teach her to read. But life becomes frightening when the war starts and the family decides to hide a Jew in their home. This is an exquisite movie, the best I've seen a long time. The story is unforgettable and the cast is outstanding. Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson are wonderful as Liesel's foster parents Sophie Nelisse is perfectly cast as Liesel, growing from age 8 to 16. We see the war through her eyes; she is unflinchingly brave and lovable. There is a small amount of violence, mostly bombing, with just enough good people to show that life is worth living. This is a tear-jerker, but well worth watching.

Average movie. The acting is good i have to give it that but the story isn't really a gripping one and its not s film that left me with any feeling or message at the end. It's one of those films I would never watch again. I understand the movie and how it is showing the struggles the people went through, and how the innocent girl wants to learn and read and has to sneak around to a womens house and read her books as that privilege was taken away from them, but there just aren't enough shocking moments, or ground breaking scenes to make this anything near a classic. Good actors, it's shot well, but it just isn't memorable moments in the film to make it a classic film.