Why did this only get a 49% on rotten?
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief/
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It really is a terrible film. It's sugary, sentimental and superficial.
One fairly strong indicator of how poor it is is the absurd use of spoken English with German accents. This is a ludicrous device as it makes no sense dramatically at all. Either, a) use German and subtitles, or b) just use English. But English with German accents is just nonsense, especially when background characters are speaking German, and the main characters occasionally throw in a German word like "nein" amongst the English! They really should have thought that through, it sounds ridiculous.
First of all I do not think the English with German accent took away from the film at all. Secondly, I thought of the endless movies made on this subject and felt that this one was told with a unique view. The performances were excellent especially Leisal's and her adoptive mother. I rate movies by a "waste of time" principal This movie is far from being a waste of time. If you have not watched it then watch it. I promise it's not a waste of time.
If you were impressed by this then I have some old essays to sell you.
You'll find it exquisitely refined literature.
I've seem some "waste of time" principals, but I think you mean "principle"!
shareTotally agree.
share^ This!
shareOkay well Schindler's list did the same thing, so not all spoken English with German accents are bad films.
shareyou are right. And for me, it's the one thing that spoils an otherwise fine film. It sounds ridiculous having Fiennes, Neeson et al speak in cartoon "baddie" accents (like those embarrassing war movies of the distant past). It's not defensible on any level.
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My God, it's full of stars!
I agree Schindler's List is a horrible movie. because i should have read 90% of the movie instead. I would rather have English actors learn German. Than focusing on making a good movie.
shareWatched the movie last night and have to agree with the first poster. For one thing, the girl playing the lead was a terrible actress. Her positive attribute include being pretty and able to speak with a German accent. She was expressionless most of the time. She had no subtle nuances of facial a expression or vocal quality. Even her physical responses were completely bland and blah. I could just hear the director say, "ok now hug him. Now run". Nothing to indicate emotion.
I did not read the book (and the movie sure didn't make me want to) but I'm wondering 1. What happened to her mother and 2. What happened with her and the burgermeisters wife after their emotional hug near the end. I hate it when things are thrown in for emotional value
Re the accents: one school of thought is that expressed by the person who thought that it's absurd to have German characters speaking among themselves in German accents. The other school says that if you don't use an accent, the audience will think of the character as American and not get into the idea that the actors are supposed to be German. Since the actors chosen probably don't speak German, the only solution would be to hire German actors--who may not speak English and therefore would need an interpreter on hand to translate direction. What a mess. I think I can accept the accents.
It's a film primarily for English markets and if they all spoke english then it would look silly. Max wouldn't stand out as being different and some of the actors / actresses were German so they would have a german accent so people would just be left confused as to why only some people had a german accent.
shareThe word that comes to mind is "treacly" and I felt that the crafting of the film was trite at best. From just watching the 1 minute trailer, I got all the plot points and discern all the stock characters. I wasn't so bothered by the inconsistent use of accents/language, but I was especially irked by the whimsical (Harry Potter-esque) narrator/Death. Only knowing that the movie was apparently aimed at younger audiences made it passable (for me), so I gave it a generous 6/10.
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