The Book Thief

[Beate]

It didn't do Schindler's List any harm but they didn't give everyone heavy accents and let them say Saukerl all the time.

[cranburysquash]

Watched this at a preview in Southampton last week.
Great film, very emotional - understandably - though fine acting from the seasoned actors as well as the younger actors.

Disappointed that the cinema was not more full. Perhaps the recent bad weather in the South has something to do with that.

[umral]

Like many, I read 'The Book Thief' a few years ago. I was particularly impressed by the way the matter-of-fact prose set up one of the most beautifully written and unbearably moving final pages I have encountered. The film is not to that standard, but nor is it as schmaltzy as some professional reviewers have made out. There is a lack of menace. It does not satisfactorily resolve the problems inherent in shooting a film, entirely set in Germany, in the English language. However performances, particularly Geoffrey Rush, are of a high standard, and the movie's 130 minutes did not drag.

German civilian deaths during World War 2 are the subject of considerable dispute. But there is little doubt that they were far in excess of those suffered (for example) by the UK, and 'The Book Thief' is a pertinent reminder of that.

[stuartboy]

My lack of review? My review is on page 1...

Sorry, Beate. I missed that.
I did wonder though...would have been most unlike The Beate.

[nosila50]

Saw this on Tuesday night at Edinburgh Wester hailes. Cinema was full. Thought this was a wonderful film and very well filmed. The child actors were excellent and I was engrossed from the start. Interesting to see it from the German side. I liked the voice over and I could listen to the voice of Jim Carter(Downtown Abbey).all day. Still had juice at the end of the film as I forgot to drink it as I was so in the zone.

[ronal]

I have already seen this wonderfully satisfying but sad film . The talented actors simply draw out the emotions . During the film , what was most noticeable was the many people sobbing in the the cinema . When the lights came up at the end of the film , there were people dabbing at their eyes . It is a tale about how normal Germans coped with the rise of the Nazis just before and during the second world war . Staring an unknown actress as well as Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson , this is a first class cinema experience !

[biggins]

Saw this on Tuesday night at Edinburgh Wester hailes. Cinema was full. Thought this was a wonderful film and very well filmed. The child actors were excellent and I was engrossed from the start. Interesting to see it from the German side. I liked the voice over and I could listen to the voice of Jim Carter(Downtown Abbey).all day. Still had juice at the end of the film as I forgot to drink it as I was so in the zone.

Bet you managed to eat all your homemade popcorn though!!!

[julieisbored]

I thought this was a wonderful film. Great characters good acting. Would like to see it again.
9/10

[alythonian]

Did anyone do the SFF Video survey?

[ajwilliams10]

Although I though it was very good, I didn't enjoy it just as much as so many others seem to have. Found that I was looking at my watch throughout, was a bit too long and thought story could have been told in less time. In saying that, I totally understood why it was paced that way.

7/10 from me.

I agree. Someone walked out but I'd didn't feel it was a film to be walked out on.

My oh and I didn't enjoy this film that much either and thought that it dragged.

To be honest, the (not credible) "German" accents were annoying me as well as the gratuitous inclusion of German words in English sentences (e.g., "und").

Have to agree with deb1/MRMR/pcRock...

I was excited by the prospect of the film but found that it failed to do justice to the text. It was overly simplified and failed to create the suspense, fear or indeed horror that I had anticipated. Elements such as the book burning felt too much like ‘set pieces’ and the death narrator didn’t work for me, other than to hurry along elements of the story for which the film did not seem to have time. That said, there were some fine performances within the film, but they could not elevate it above the ordinary. I came away feeling disappointed – and not a little bored.