Review of The Book Thief (2013) by Panta O — 20 Mar 2014

I expected a lot from this American-German war drama film based on the novel of the same name by Markus Zusak. Directed by Brian Percival and written by Michael Petroni, with an Oscar-nominated musical score composed by John Williams and starring Emily Watson, Geoffrey Rush, Sophie Nélisse, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, and Joachim Paul Assböck, it had all the elements to be outstanding, but it didn't break the "average" barrier.

I liked the unique approach of narration by the Angel of Death (Roger Allam) of the events starting in April 1938 in Nazi Germany. We hear that Angel of Death telling us how the young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse) has piqued his interest. Liesel is traveling on a train with mother (Heike Makatsch) and younger brother when her brother dies. At his burial she picks up a book that has been dropped by his graveside (a gravedigger's manual). Liesel then finds herself in a new family, foster parents Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) Hubermann, because her mother, a Communist, is in danger. When she arrives, Liesel makes a very strong impression on a neighbour boy, Rudy Steiner (Nico Liersch), and they become best friends.

I liked the performances of Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger, and Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson as Meminger's foster parents. Smooth, almost effortless and innocently lovely! I wish the director Brian Percival and screenwriter Michael Petroni could reach that level... but they were simply craftsmen serving up just another tasteful, staiged Hollywood imagination of the terrible times. There was no feeling or excitement and the slow pace didn't bring the suspense or mystery or even heaviness... most of the time ignited a wish for the director to speed up the things! It was a watchable movie but there was lack of honesty in it!