The Book Thief: Page vs. Screen

THE BOOK

OK, I admit this may be unorthodox - but it is a well known fact that the film industry is constantly inundated with pictures that have been directly adapted, based on or inspired by novels. This often has mixed results. Personally - I say have at it. Why not? It's a solid theory - a captivating popular book can surely have the potential to be a smash box office hit, or else a deeply moving cinematic experience. There have been numerous occasions where this has been the case for me; I have enjoyed many a good, even great film which itself was based on a book. Here though, I choose to speak about such a parallel where the relationship between page and screen isn't so smooth.

Markus Zusak's The Book Thief swept through the literary world and captivated for a number of years following its 2006 release, and it can even be said that it is still garnering die-hard and deeply emotive responses from readers today. The story of a young girl thrust into war-torn Germany, Hitler's uprising, Jewish persecution, the yearning for family and the adventure of reading, all narrated by Death himself certainly makes for a unique story.

I enjoyed it. Yes I feel that the author has a tendency to smother readers in endless self-obsessive descriptive showing off (as opposed to description that adds to the narrative) and that the characterization is occasionally dissected and examined to within an inch of any character's life, but these, whilst noticeable for me are passable too in what is a deeply moving and powerful tale. 

There are a great many WWII novels out there spanning several genres, but not many have that certain quintessential charm, and also jagged ragged edge that the Book Thief has. 

THE MOVIE

Transfer The Book Thief onto film and...oh dear. Almost all the plus points I found and enjoyed when  reading the book went out the window and were submerged under a mire of clichés, poor casting, poor adaptation, poor performances and the negative aspects of the book intensified.

Far, far too much whimsical wide shots and apparently "dramatic" sequences that actually just come across as a cameraman and a director trying to boost their own egos. The tragedy, personable horror and mesmerizingly morbid mayhem of the war is all but completely lost - resulting in a look at one of the most horrific tragedies in human history viewed through the eyes of a wholly inept and pompous ingrate.

But the worst thing for me is the characters of this film. Often lovingly and patiently crafted in the book (if a tad over-embellished) most of them are reduced to mere echoes of their potential on screen. The glorious Emily Watson as Rosa Hubermann could have been inspired casting, but sadly depressingly limited writing and lack of resonating screen time stifled even her brilliance. The characters of Rudy Steiner and Ilsa Hermann were not only also given a poor slice of screen time but were also reduced to near-caricatures of 1940s Germany. Max was never a character I liked or appreciated much in the book anyhow, but the supremely arrogant and self-absorbed performance Ben Schnetzer gives did not redeem him for me in the slightest.

The lead character of Liesel is possibly the one I despair of most of all - reduced to a wide-eyed simpering girl with the almost second-nature ability to annoy with nearly every move and gesture she makes. None of the attitude, none of the lust for life and none of the charm that Zusak gave her. The results had me despairing and seething.

There were two, and only two saving graces of the film version of The Book Thief - and they were two casting choices and the performances that which followed. Roger Allam and his dulcet tones were so suited to the narration of Death, that not even drastically scaled down and clichéd moments could stop his glory popping in and out of proceedings. Also alongside him is the superb Geoffrey Rush, an acting legend who again is perfectly suited for Liesel's adopted-father Hans (and even if he wasn't he would probably give a fine performance anyway). Again criminally scaled back role, dialogue and screen time but nonetheless Geoffrey Rush shone.

So in conclusion, all I can simply say is that in my opinion if you want to pursue the story that is The Book Thief - on this occasion I'd stick to the book.