 |
| The Book Thief - 2013 |
Our next film comes in the form of 2013's "The Book Thief", a story about a young girl who comes to live with a childless couple and becomes influenced by the people she meets and the power of words and books.
The film's cast includes Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Nico Liersch, Ben Schnetzer, Barbara Auer, and Roger Allam.
In February 1938, a young orphaned girl named Liesel is brought to a village in Germany. On the way, she steals a book from a gravedigger entitled "The Grave Digger's Handbook".
Her new parents are Hans and Rose Hubermann. They are a bit unsure about Liesel, as they were told they would also be getting a boy, Liesel's brother. Unfortunately, the young boy died en route.
Liesel's arrival piques the interest of a boy named Rudy, who aspires to be a famous runner like Jesse Owens.
Liesel's new mother Rosa is a hard woman who uses words like saukerl and saumensch to get her point across. Underneath her tough exterior, Rosa has a heart of gold.
Her husband Hans wears his good-naturedness more openly. He plays the accordion, and Liesel instantly takes a liking to this kind man.
On her first day at school, Liesel is instructed to write her name on the blackboard. All she can do is write "X" three times. It's discovered that she can neither read nor write, and her classmates take the opportunity to ridicule her.
However, Rudy takes Liesel under his wing and the two become fast friends. After her new parents, Rudy becomes the most important person in Liesel's life.
By this time, Hitler's expulsion of the Jews has begun. Hans has work scraping names off of signs. At an accountant's office where he has begun scraping, Liesel asks Hans what an accountant actually is. "Something we will never need," he says with a smile.
Hans takes it upon himself to help Liesel learn to read. In their basement, he creates a dictionary on the walls to help keep track of the words she learns. Liesel is forever grateful to this kindred spirit.
During a book burning by the Nazis, Liesel can't stand the sight of books being thrown into the flames. She sneaks one out and under her coat. However, she is seen by the mayor's wife. Hans quickly takes her home.
Before too long, a young Jewish man named Max comes to the Hubermann residence to hide from the Nazis. He ultimately becomes a very important person in Liesel's life.
One day, Rosa asks Liesel to take some laundry to the mayor's house. There, she meets the mayor's wife. Liesel is instantly nervous because she remembers that the mayor's wife saw her saving a book from being burnt.
Liesel doesn't need to worry. Recognizing that Liesel likes books, Frau Hermann takes her into the library and lets her explore. She tells Liesel that she can come anytime and read.
Liesel takes her up on this offer, and the two get together frequently. They share a bit about each other's lives in the process and become friends.
At home, Max helps Liesel get better at expressing herself through a journal. When he asks her what the day is like outside, she responds that it is cloudy. He presses her for more. "Make the words
yours. If your eyes could speak, what
would they say?"
Eventually, Rudy discovers that Liesel and her parents are hiding a Jew. However, Liesel finds out very quickly that she can trust Rudy with any of her secrets.
When Hans tries to intervene in the harsh treatment of one of his Jewish friends, he is conscripted by the army for service. Liesel and Rosa are left completely bereft at his leaving. To make the heartache worse, Max also has to leave in fear of his life.
Hans returns from the war, but he comes back injured. He sees that Liesel has matured a lot in his absence. "Liesel, you are all grown up," he says proudly.
Their happy family life doesn't last long. A bombing gone wrong completely destroys the town. Liesel only manages to survive because she was reading in the basement at the time of the bombing. Hans and Rosa are gone. And, so is Rudy, though Liesel was able to speak with him before he died.
Seeing a book among the rubble, Liesel carefully picks it up. Later, when the mayor and his wife come to inspect the damage, Liesel runs into the arms of the mayor's wife.
Two years later, Liesel is very happy when a familiar face comes back into her life: Max.
Narrating throughout the film is Death. He tells us that Liesel lived until the age of ninety. When it was her time to die, she thought of all the people's lives that had intersected with hers: Hans and Rosa, Rudy (the boy whose hair was the color of lemons forever), Max, her husband, her children, and her grandchildren. We also find out that she became a famous writer.
Cast rundown:
Sophie Nelisse................................Liesel Meminger
Geoffrey Rush.................................Hans Hubermann
Emily Watson.................................Rosa Hubermann
Nico Liersch...................................Rudy Steiner
Ben Schnetzer.................................Max Vandenburg
Barbara Auer...................................Ilsa Hermann
Roger Allam....................................Death
And that's all for The Book Thief. When she first heard that she would be working with Emily Watson, Sophie Nelisse, who played Liesel, thought the producers meant Emma Watson, from the Harry Potter movies. Before filming, she told everyone that she was going to be working with the famous Hermione Granger. Eventually, her mother corrected her.
No comments:
Post a Comment