Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Monday, December 9, 2013

The Book Thief


Mrs. T and I attend movies only rarely and then only when the mood strikes us and the topic seems worthwhile.   The Book Thief is a melodrama about life under Nazism as told through the eyes of an illiterate young girl adopted by a German couple. The story does celebrate literacy, family and friendship during one of the darkest times in history.
Despite the awful setting of a totalitarian nightmare  society, the film offers an uplifting story of perseverance and hope. Perhaps too much so.  It’s often sentimental and sometimes schmaltzy, but the understated performances are very well done. We not talking about the Diary of Anne Frank here and certainly not Schindler’s List. As you can probably tell I was somewhat conflicted about what I saw. I found it interesting but it made me uneasy. At first I wasn't sure why. Perhaps I knew too much of the history.

Yes, when the truth is subverted and information controlled then evil runs rampant. The scene showing books being burned says it all.   The young girls new parents Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) are older and far less attractive than her biological and possibly communist mother. Rosa, at first,   seems quite  cold and conservative, ensuring the little girl with the blond curls and sweet smile immediately plucks a little heartstring to set the Dickensian tone of the whole yarn.
The book, upon which this movie is apparently  based,  is of the genre now known as  Young Adult or Teen Fiction, which is something new to me.  Apparently,  that explains a lot about the movie's appeal and deficiencies.  Perhaps that’s what made me uneasy. A lot of it was more like a fairy tale with the bad stuff cut out or somewhat glossed over.  Spunky heroines are nice but really…..pluck can only carry you so far especially in the shadow of Nazism.  As to character development, except for Rosa,  who shows a caring side, there isn’t much. Each person remains unchanged, in spite of the occasional bombings,  death and destruction or picking on Jews. This all is as hokey as the lack of reality in "reality" TV. In the end,  I didn’t find anything truly redeeming in most of this.  Even though Mrs. T and I could be considered first class sentimental grandparents, when leaving the theater and asking the inevitable question, "so what did you think,"  we both shrugged and displayed our most puzzled expressions.

 

17 comments:

  1. I've only seen a couple of ads on the TV for this one and I don't go to the movies. So, if it's hokey and if it ever comes out on TV, I'll probably be glad I didn't pay theater prices to see it!

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  2. I have seen the ad for this movie and it did look somewhat interesting. Thank you for this review!

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  3. I've picked up and passed over the book several times. Something about "young adult fiction" turns me off. But I did read the Hunger Games and Harry Potter.

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  4. You had a date night! Sorry the film wasn't better. We hardly ever go to the movies we wait for them to come on TV:)

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  5. I heard the same criticism of the movie from others who saw it. I read the book and enjoyed it, but I think I will skip the movie. Thanks for the review. :-0

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  6. It sounds like you picked a good movie with a history lesson.

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  7. Sounds like a "miss" for me. As for YA fiction, I read Hunger Games, and they were okay. I read some of Harry Potter, and "some" was enough although I liked the movies well enough and still need to see thet last two. I also saw the first Hunger Games, either on the big or little screen. It was okay but not super duper. So, I am not really anxious to plunk down $ to see the current installment.

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  8. I have seen that movie advertised. We never go to movies, so I don't have an opinion. I will rely entirely on your review.

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  9. We saw the movie and had some of the same reactions. I taught a Holocaust unit for years to 10th graders and had to be careful about the literature I choose. Most of the fiction involving that period is not very good because it does not deal with reality. And the non-fiction can be pretty brutal. I found that a collection of poems by children in Tierendstadt (sp) Concentration Camp called, "I'll Never See Another Butterfly" worked very well because the students made mobiles and art work based upon a poem each selected from the anthology. In addition, they each wrote a short poem or essay in response to the poem they selected. Students responded very well to authentic material to which they could connect.

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  10. Thanks for reviewing this film for us old foggies. It will play well during the Christmas holiday, as most of us would rather be entertained than be made to think or suffer old wounds.

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  11. Because I am profoundly deaf, I will wait until it comes out on DVD and watch it at home. I do love Geoffrey Rush and he has done some great roles. I was hoping this might be another one.

    Cheers,

    Jo

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  12. Your review says a lot about the young adult genre of movies that is so popular in recent years. I love that you refer to the film and "hokey" and "schmaltzy". Those are terms that I can identify with. While the movie sounds sweet and charming, I don't think I'd go out of my way to see it.

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  13. Thanks for this. The ads looked appealing. I am still intrigued. Ordinary life continues for many people even under horrid regimes. I might watch it if it comes to Netflix. Knowing it is Young Adult is helpful.

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  14. I haven't seen the movie since I'm halfway through the book, which is marvelous and beautifully written. The book is not sunny or sentimental: the narrator is death. Also the girl isn't illiterate but loves to read. It sounds like Hollywood is to blame if the movie is as you describe. My kids loved the book and it's written in a sophisticated, literary style. Maybe I'll keep reading and skip the movie entirely.

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  15. Two things; a teen book and your review -- together I don't think I will watch. Like reviews such as yours that give out the real lowdown -- barbara

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  16. So I've heard from others as well. However, I don't give the book/movie a pass for being aimed at young adults. When I was a young adult (aka teenager) and had finally outgrown Nancy Drew (see my old blog on Miss Drew: http://veronicawaldsamusingmusings.blogspot.com/2009/03/nancy-drew-was-created-by-committee.html) I read plain old adult books (including The Diary of Anne Frank). I don't think I was harmed in any way as a result!

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  17. I found the movie to be a great depiction on what the Nazis did, her entire family is killed and that's just not good enough for you people!!! How could a little blonde and blue girl not be a good heroine, "spunky heroines are nice but really…..pluck can only carry you so far especially in the shadow of Nazism." I guess she is too spunkyish for you guys.

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