"Words are life, Liesel"

Rating: 9/10 (28 February 2014)

THE BOOK THIEF is the most poignant and haunting film that I have seen in some time, one that will stay with me for years. Sophie Nélisse gives an outstanding performance as Liesel Meminger, an initially illiterate but incredibly imaginative and independent girl who's full of unique metaphors and similes --e.g., "The sun looks like a silver oyster"--and, with the help of various diverse people, discovers the power of books and the written word while living with foster parents in Hitler's Germany. Virtually every other player in this film gives a fine performance, and the very special narrator, Roger Allam as the somber yet strangely unforbidding voice of Death, adds a distinct touch, coming in at just the right crucial moments.
I have never seen anything remotely like THE BOOK THIEF and can only say that I wish there were more like it. The best way I can describe it is like a dark yet ultimately heartwarming Disney film for adults. It is, of course, a Fox 2000 production expertly directed by Englishman Brian Percival, spoken mostly in English--albeit, with some speeches in German w/English subtitles--with a cast of various nationalities. Still, the characters are all most convincingly German. It captures the lives of ordinary German citizens during WWII in a way I've never seen done in any non-German film. The accents and various mannerism are very, very real and immediate. The cinematography is also excellent, with stunning views of the town and countryside and, even when viewed from approaching Allied bombers, the sky above them. THE BOOK THIEF is driven mostly by its characters, themes, and atmosphere. Nevertheless, even if it takes a while to find itself, the plot also makes perfect sense (allowing for the various elements of magical realism), moves at a natural pace, and is ultimately quite gripping.
Though I loved every second of this film, a common criticism seems to be that it simply does not do justice to Markus Zusak's original novel. Film adaptations, of course, often make serious departures from the books that spawned them, and it's fairly impossible to completely capture a really great novel on screen. Though I have not yet read the novel, I could tell that the directors and writers had a lot to pick and choose regarding what/whatnot to show. There are a few patchy spots: In particular, I wanted a little better sense of Liesel's origins. In this respect, I can only say that this film should prove an excellent illuminator for the book, which I am now eager to read.