The Book Thief (2013)

Director: Bryan Percival

When I heard about the film "The Book Thief" for the first time, I immediately knew I would have to watch it someday simply because the title contained one important word - book.  I started searching for more information, and it turned out there was a novel by the same name written few years ago. Of course, I had to read that before I could watch the adaptation. That's just who I am. Because reading the book after you've seen the film doesn't make any sense, at least for me, since all the characters have already been visualized and you don't have to imagine anything by yourself. I guess this time I made a mistake.

"The Book Thief" is a story about a young girl Liesel Meminger and her life in the WW II Germany after her little brother dies and she is adopted by a middle-aged couple from a provincial town. Liesel quickly finds two good friends - her neighbour/ soulmate Rudy Steiner and books. During the time she spends in her new hometown, Liesel learns that sometimes telling the truth and doing good to people can destroy you. But that doesn't stops her from doing the things that Liesel's heart tells her to do, and eventually, courage, persistence and kindheartedness save the girl from the death that has already taken far too much souls (and is the narrator, don't be surprised).

On the surface, this seems like a really emotional and heart-breaking story, which it really is... in the novel. As much as I loved Markus Zusak's book, I was really disappointed with the film. It didn't come off as powerful as I thought it would. Besides, there were few incorrect places, as well as some important things that were left out, for example, the names and content of all the books that Liesel stole from the burgomaster's house as each of them influenced the girl's later actions. 

Of course, I can't say anything bad about the actors, especially, Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson. Their German, French or whatever accents were really cute and to the point. The music, setting, and the cameraman's job were of high quality as well. If the film was anything like the novel, I would totally love it, give it the well-earned five stars and most probably would watch again. Honestly, I faced difficulties when rating this film. I kept wondering - did I like it because of the book/ the story behind or was it actually good (even if the screenplay was written directly for the screen)? I guess it's worthwhile to compare this film to others that deal with similar issues (the Second World War, Jews, Nazis), and the first one that pops up in my mind was "The Pianist". This film gave me real chills when I saw it at the beginning of 2014, and I couldn't recover for few days (it's very harsh, though reflects the real situation). "The Book Thief" as a film didn't have any impact on me whatsoever. Yes, it was interesting, the story was really good, but I think that Bryan Percival could have done much better even if it meant that the film would be 3 hours long. I would watch it anyway. If something is very well-done, at the end, it doesn't matter how much time it took to reach that perfection.

Don't get me wrong, "The Book Thief" is worth watching, and those two hours won't be spent for nothing. If you have not read the book, you will enjoy it, believe me (at least my mother did, she was actually overwhelmed). I really liked it, my attention was attracted, but I didn't love it. For me, it's simply one of those times when, unfortunately, the reality turns out to be worse than the expectations. Though looking on the bright side, I want to read the book again even if it's less than half a year since I finished it.