The Book Thief

Another book to movie review:

Do I have to go through the disclosure again? These are my opinions etc. etc.

I saw the Book Thief on Saturday. First, I LOVE this book. I count it among the top ten books that I have ever read, and I have read a few books. I also consider it among the top ten books that influenced/changed my life (and no, those are not necessarily the same). So, my recommendation? Go read the book. That being said, I know there are people who don't read. I don't understand it, personally, but I know they exist. For those people, go see this movie. It was an excellent and moving movie. I was very saddened that more people didn't see it. I don't think it was well advertised, and it was released "against" too many other popular movies (ie. Catching Fire, Frozen).

Now, for those that have read the book or seen the movie (possible spoilers ahead). I thought it was wonderfully cast. The man who played Hans Hubermann looked exactly how he did in my mind. Lisel and Rudy were also well cast and I liked that they had German accents, even though they were speaking in English. I really only had two regrets with the whole thing. The book is narrated by "Death" as is the movie, but the book Death describes the sky on the day people died and some of the imagery is so beautiful, and I don't think that came across in the movie. The other regret is that they left out the book that Max wrote and illustrated for Lisel, and though they changed it so that he was encouraging her to "write," I think some of the message of the book was lost. The point of Max's story is how powerful words can be, about how Hitler came to power at least in part because of his ability to use words to manipulate and influence people, and since the book is during the time of the Nazi's it is particularly poignant. I also strongly believe in the power of words. They can be beautiful and evoke emotions and images and memories. I love the way they can make you feel and see and taste and smell even though they are really just sounds put together. That is why I read. That is why I write.

So, I liked it a lot, but as almost always the book was better. Maybe in part because it contained words...