The Book Thief Movie (2013): Cast and Changes from the Book
A quieter Death, a John Williams score and a story trimmed to two hours
The 2013 cast
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Liesel Meminger | Sophie Nélisse |
| Hans Hubermann | Geoffrey Rush |
| Rosa Hubermann | Emily Watson |
| Rudy Steiner | Nico Liersch |
| Max Vandenburg | Ben Schnetzer |
| Ilsa Hermann | Barbara Auer |
| Death (voice) | Roger Allam |
How the film was made
The film was shot in Germany in 2013, with the German studio Babelsberg as a production base. It was released in the United States in November 2013 and earned about 77 million dollars worldwide on a budget of around 19 million. John Williams, best known for Star Wars, wrote one of his rare scores outside his usual collaborations, and it won a Grammy as well as Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.
↑ Back to the topHow is Death handled?
In the book Death is everywhere: interrupting, foreshadowing, describing colours and the moment of each death. In the film Death speaks only a few times, at the beginning, at key moments and at the end, in Roger Allam's calm voice. The film becomes more of a straightforward wartime family drama, which many viewers found easier to follow and many readers found less unusual.
↑ Back to the topMain changes from the book
Many smaller episodes are cut, including most of Liesel's and Rudy's thefts, the gang of fruit thieves and the second half of Max's illustrated books. Several characters lose scenes, and some events happen in a different order. The film opens in 1938 rather than 1939.
The bombing of Himmel Street is changed slightly: the film gives Liesel and Rudy a final moment together, a softer version of the book's heartbreaking scene. The ending, with Max returning after the war and Death describing Liesel's long life, stays close to the novel.
↑ Back to the topThe performances
Sophie Nélisse, a Canadian actress who was about twelve when she was cast, won several young performer awards for her Liesel. Geoffrey Rush's gentle, accordion-playing Hans is widely praised, and Emily Watson makes Rosa's sharp tongue and secret kindness believable. Nico Liersch, who was around thirteen during filming, is a lively, lovable Rudy.
↑ Back to the topThe Book Thief (2013) was directed by Brian Percival and stars Sophie Nélisse as Liesel, Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann, Emily Watson as Rosa, Nico Liersch as Rudy and Ben Schnetzer as Max. Roger Allam is the voice of Death.
John Williams's score was nominated for an Oscar. The film runs about two hours and ten minutes.
More about The Book Thief
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