The Best Film of 2013

Rating: 10/10 (8 January 2014)

"The Book Thief" is a beautifully crafted motion picture. The cinematography is magnificent. The acting is extraordinary. The directing is excellent.
The Book Thief looks at World War II from a child's point of view. The political world is somewhere else. The war penetrates everyday life in the Germany village, but it is an unwelcome intrusion. As adults, we can fill in the historical context, but the characters do not know the big picture. They are busy trying to get past the inconvenience of war and resume a mundane existence.
Wonderful performance by Geoffrey Rush, as the warm, genial foster parent. Emily Watson plays a cranky, cantankerous hausfrau whose bark is worse than her bite.
Most of the film is told from the point of view of Liesl, played by Sophie Nélisse, an extremely talented 12-year-old actress. The camera loves her. Her best friend is Rudy played by Nico Liersch. Together they take us away from the war and back into childhood.
The John Williams score is beautiful.