The Book Thief

Rating: 10/10 (12 May 2014)

The Novel Book Thief by Markus Zusak takes place mostly on Munich, Germany. The story started around the time of World War II. When one of the main characters Max's father saves Han's life in 1916. Han's the foster parent of Liesel, takes Max in and helps him. He was displaced a foreigners in his country. The identity and family heritage cruelly snatched from due to political circumstances during the outbreak of World War II in Germany. The Book Thief features innovative stylistic techniques. This film is an inspiration story which can help us realize we can follow our dreams and not use any obstacles to reach them. There's different type of emotions in the film that makes a connection with viewers.
In 1939 Liesel and her brother are traveling on the train to Munich, Germany to a new home with a foster family. But death takes her brother sooner then they thought because of poverty. Liesel's family could not afford it anymore since her father was taken away and their communist mother could not provide for them no longer. The theme of Liesel's struggle was with words and to keep up in school. The students from her school would tease her because she couldn't read or write. Liesel Meminger one of the main characters of the novel when she was about fifteen years old a bomb destroyed her home and family in Germany. Liesel in the start of the story can't read or write books. But her passion for books is so strong, she is so hunger over books that begins to read with her papa Hans everyday to learn more and more about books. Liesel started to read down the basement every time there was a air raid. Reading books seem to be a comfort for liesal. Also learning new words would fill her up. But she didn't realize that Adolf Hitler words were ugly. The way Hitler use the words to manipulate the Germans to cause violence. The Nazis hated books, they heap in the town square. Instances of book burning in Nazi Germany are historic facts. Nazis hated all books that were non-German and burn it, they felt that anything that was not German was not accepted and destroyed.
Han's who was not really part of the Nazis party takes Max in and hides him in basement. He once was saved by the father of Max, which had done a promise that if his family ever needed anything he would help. "Hans' life is miraculously saved by a Jew in World War I, and for the rest of his life Hans is gracious to Jews despite the threat of imprisonment in a concentration camp for helping them in the wake of Kristallnacht -- indeed, Hans is lucky that he is not taken away for vandalizing a Nazi Party office. Risking his life to hide Max is Hans' courageous payback for Max's father Erik's good deed. Hans feels guilty over the fact that Erik, who had a son, died while childless Hans survived. By caring for Max, who still suffers from the loss of his father at a young age, Hans performs an important fatherly duty (Web. Zusak)."
Soon then within time Max and Liesel began a close friendship since both had something in common their mothers were communist and Jewish. They both were displaced people foreigners in their country. According to Bilge Ebiri a journalist from the article, Ebiri on The Book Thief: Nazis, Stories, and a Chatty Grim Reaper "Diesel becomes fascinated by, and somewhat enamored of, a young Jew, Max (Ben Schnetzer), whom the Hubermanns hide in their basement; the relationship never really comes alive for us." This article reminds me of Titanic's film when the two youngsters fall in love but can't be together because of many reasons like political circumstances .
The voices in the film are in a cod German accent. The author Han's as voiced by Roger Allam is the only English accent we hear. He teaches Liesel how to read although he was not much of a good reader. Han's was a housepainter who like to play the accordion a lot. There's lots of emotion like anger, Liesel is upset when the Nazis are burning books. Through out the film most of the characters would talk with a German accent. In the film The Book Thief there's Love, Death, Anger, and Hate many different emotions towards each other. I have to say to the film The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak is very interesting how it goes over a very important historic story. It is very excellent film with a beautiful story. It takes us back to World War II time and it reminds how education is also important in our lives today. As a great example of Liesel's story it reminds us how learning to read or write is very useful so we can connect with the real life. She overcame those fears and continue with school and learn new powerful words even the ugly ones of Adolf Hitler. Liesel was a brave young girl and who faces all the ugly words from Adolf Hitler when he would encourage the people to cause harm to the others just because they were not Germans. This film is very inspiring to me it makes us realize we can follow our dreams no matter how far it seems to get to them. As longest we feel hunger and ambitious over our dreams it can be reached.