OVP: The Book Thief (2013)

Film: The Book Thief (2013)

Stars: Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch

Director: Brian Percival

Oscar History: 1 nomination (Best Original Score)

Snap Judgment Ranking: 3/5 stars

I’ve never read the book.  There, I’ve said it, now just look away while I hide my shame.  Don’t you feel this way sometimes when there’s a movie made of a book that you clearly should have read by now (The Help is another recent example, as is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close).  It’s not like not reading Twilight or even The Hunger Games-those are for a certain cliques of teenage girls, and the rest of the world just happened to enjoy them too.  The Book Thief was a critical and commercial smash, and is something we all should have read by now, considering how long it’s been on the shelves of our local Target.  But I haven’t, and while I own it and part of me wanted to quickly read it before I wrote this review, I probably won’t get to it until my annual Christmas book extravaganza (I celebrate Christmas in a land with no internet or Blu-Ray players, so catching up on reading is the best thing I can do at that time).

Anyway, since I hadn’t read the book, I didn’t know going into this film what to expect, and while it was wildly predictable, I didn’t hate the movie (I haven’t read the reviews yet, but considering the Rotten Tomatoes score I’d imagine that they found it saccharine and schmaltzy).  My gut reaction with these sorts of stories is to roll my eyes-children who find adventure in the harshest of times is a really, really tired narrative that has been done a thousand times, but like all familiar stories, they can be revitalized when you have the write combination of actors and characters.

(Spoilers Ahead) In this way, the film succeeds, particularly when you look at the two parents of our young heroine Liesel (Nelisse).  Both her adopted mother Rosa (Watson) and father Hans (Rush) fit neatly into the archetypes of stereotypical adoptive parents (she’s stern, he’s indulgent), but these are not performers that one tosses away lightly, and while the film is far too cheerful and pristine for a War film (it looks like most of the movie was shot within a Christmas card), Rush, and particularly Watson find moments to anchor with gravitas and a little bit of hidden depth.  There’s a great scene with Watson and Nelisse in her school where she pulls her out of class to tell her that the Jewish man living with them (the gorgeous Ben Schnetzer) won’t die of pneumonia.  This moment gives Watson a great scene to hold back when other actresses would have gone further, fighting for more emotional pull when less is more.

The movie checkmarks all of the usual boxes when it comes to a World War II film-the rise of Hitler, the persecution of Jews in hiding, the enormous overreach of the Gestapo-but it never finds a new way to tell the story.  Though I hadn’t read the story to know what was originally in the book, I do know that it translates very well cinematically.  There’s no scenes where I felt “ this doesn’t make sense,” which is usually the hallmark of a bad translation.  I will say, though, that not all of the elements worked that were clear carry-overs from the novel, principally Death as the narrator.  I was speaking with my dad (who has read the book) and learned that it wasn’t always apparent in the novel that Death was the narrator, which is clever in its own way, but doesn’t work onscreen.  In particular, when Death, after the bombing of the city, starts listing the people who have died as a result of this destruction, I found everything about the scene very anticlimactic.  I could see how this would be brilliantly effective in the book (the way each sentence would pluck away a character that you thought would live), but in the film it seems too melodic, and doesn’t give you the same emotional impact.

I have maintained a pretty confident swagger regarding the film and Oscar, and though the reviews have made me rethink that, I do think it has a serious pair of chances with Academy favorites John Williams (the composer) and Anna B. Sheppard (the costume designer).  Williams has been discussed here many times before, but it is extraordinarily rare for him to miss out on a nomination, and this is his only film this year that could potentially make the cut.  The music has all of his trademark lush strings, and while some may argue that it’s a bit safe, that’s what the Academy enjoys here, and there’s no denying the artistry.  Plus, I think the Academy, if they see the film, will have the same reaction as my aunt, who whispered as the first credits started to roll, “this is beautiful music,” and then saw Williams’ name and said, “oh, well now that makes sense.”

Sheppard received both of her previous Oscar nominations for Holocaust films (Schindler’s List and The Pianist) and this year has a marked lack of major period films (at least the periods Oscar usually goes for).  Outside of The Great Gatsby, The Wolf of Wall Street, and 12 Years a Slave, I don’t see a really strong fourth and fifth nominee, and the Costume branch is more than happy to go with a flop when they need to do so.

Either way, I think this is a pleasant enough film to see with a loved one, even if it adds little of substance.  What were your thoughts?  For those of you who loved the novel, what was your reaction?  And do you think Sheppard or Williams can sneak in and get this film into the OVP?  Share in the comments!