Narrated by Death and told from the perspective of a child in a small German village during the Third Reich, this coming-of-age tale revolves around Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse), an adolescent who attracts the interest of the omniscient Grim Reaper (voiced by Roger Allam). In 1939, following the deaths of her mother and brother, orphaned Liesel is delivered to new foster parents: benevolent housepainter Hans Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush) and his cranky wife, Rosa (Emily Watson). Liesel is quickly befriended by their neighbor, Rudy Steiner (Nico Liersch), an aspiring track star. After Liesel is ridiculed by schoolmates who discover that she is illiterate, Hans teaches her to read, beginning with The Gravedigger's Handbook, a book she grabbed when it fell from a workman's coat at her brother's funeral. Later, Liesel defiantly snatches a burning book from a bonfire at a Nazi rally, where she's spotted by the Burgermeister's wife (Barbara Auer), who invites Liesel into her late son's library. Meanwhile, the Hubermann household is secretly harboring Max Vandenburg (Ben Schnetzer), the seriously ill son of Hans' Jewish WWI comrade. Adapted from Markus Zusak's lyrical 2006 bestseller, director Brian Percival's The Book Thief is unfortunately far too episodic and emotionally restrained to evoke more than superficial attachment to the characters—despite the horrors of the Holocaust and Allied air raids. Still, even though this gently engaging historical melodrama lacks the magic of Zusak's novel, it is recommended, overall. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (7 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are “A Hidden Truth” production featurettes, including “An Inspirational Story,” “Finding the Thief and Her Family,” “Bringing the Past to Life,” and “The Legend and the Music” (31 min. total), as well as bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray extras package for an uneven but still often engrossing adaptation of the popular book.] (S. Granger)
This title is included in our article on teaching historical and current events using film