7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
While subjected to the horrors of World War II era Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is sheltered by her adoptive parents.
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nélisse, Ben Schnetzer, Nico LierschHistory | 100% |
War | 68% |
Drama | 62% |
Coming of age | 58% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Russian: DTS 5.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Turkish, Ukrainian
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
So-called Young Adult Fiction has provided fodder for several huge film hits over the past several years, including such iconic franchises as the Harry Potter movies and the still current Hunger Games outings, which has just seen the Blu-ray release of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The Book Thief might seem like a somewhat odd addition to this growing subgenre. Despite its huge success (something that, like the source novels for the films listed above, stretched far beyond any one limited demographic), it was a standalone novel, without the built in opportunity to build a franchise, and it also was a perhaps more purely literary work, one which focused on books. The setting of Germany on the brink of World War II might not seem to be an immediate calling card for younger viewers at least, and the fact that the story is narrated by none other than Death itself might seem counterintuitive to attracting a younger audience which largely believes itself impervious to the threat of aging and ultimate demise. The film version of The Book Thief has a lot to recommend it, however, while at the same time never fully realizing the potential the book at least had the opportunity of offering. At times too glamorous and glossy for its subject matter, and also stuck in some weird stylistic netherworld where its German characters either speak in German with English subtitles or lapse into English with faux German accents (sometimes with just a word or two of German thrown in for good measure), this is a film whose parts are definitely greater than the whole. Some fine performances, an often evocative production design, and an absolutely gorgeous (and Academy Award nominated) score by John Williams all contribute to the film’s luster, but ultimately this is one cinematic adaptation that never quite manages to capture the haunting magic of its source.
The Book Thief is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. This is a largely flawless high definition experience that offers the crisp digital look of the Arri Alexa bolstered by a refreshing lack of overt color grading. In fact a lot of this film features a wonderfully natural looking palette, from the cool, frozen whites of the film's opening snowbound scenes (an environment which is revisited a couple of times in ensuing years) to the drab browns and beiges of the interior of the Hubermann home. There are a couple of notable exceptions to this, however, including a nice montage intercutting scenes of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics with a blue tinged "recreation" by a young Rudy, who has unwisely adorned his face and body with black makeup (see screenshot 4). Even in these rare instances of intentional filtering, surprisingly little fine detail and sharpness is compromised. Contrast is generally strong, though there were one or two interior scenes in the Hubermann basement that I felt could have benefited from stronger shadow detail. All in all, though, this incredibly handsome looking film pops extremely well on Blu- ray.
The Book Thief's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 provides a wealth of surround activity, including relatively subtle ambient environmental effects like the bustle of the little village's main street. The one place this track may surprise some audiophiles is in how restrained it sometimes is, as in some instances like a major bombing attack that rains down destruction on various characters, where just a couple of relatively conservative explosions play out underneath a swelling music cue. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the Hubermann home is very well rendered, with creaks of floorboards and a kind of slightly closed in sound in the home's attic making things sound very realistic. Dialogue is cleanly presented, and the film's moving score by John Williams is immaculately spread through the surrounds to great effect. Fidelity remains top notch and dynamic range is wide.
The Book Thief is an often noble film, but it ultimately fails to really connect on the emotional level it should have. It's hard to say exactly where the fault lies, though perhaps a too meandering screenplay (despite having jettisoned quite a bit of the book) is to blame. Certainly the actors are all top notch, and Nélisse provides one of the finer juvenile performances in recent memory. Production design and other technical credits are all superb, including yet another classic John Williams score. What's here works in fits and starts, but the entire film feels like it could have been so much more. Still, video and audio are superb on this release, and even with its flaws, The Book Thief comes Recommended.
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