The Book Thief

"Courage beyond words."

2013 2h 11m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 4,598

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.

“Courage beyond words.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Geoffrey Rush
Hans Hubermann
Emily Watson
Rosa Hubermann
Sophie Nélisse
Liesel Meminger
Ben Schnetzer
Max Vandenburg
Nico Liersch
Rudy Steiner
Roger Allam
Narrator / Death (voice)
Barbara Auer
Ilsa Hermann
Rainer Bock
Mayor Hermann

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Brian Percival
Writers: Raymond Boy, Michael Petroni
Languages: English, German
Countries: Germany, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Germany, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

220+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Brian Percival, shot by Florian Ballhaus. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Brian Percival directs. Florian Ballhaus behind the camera. John Williams scores. John Wilson cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Germany, United States of America. Dialogue in English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.
2Released 13 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.
4International production across 2 countries: Germany, United States of America.
5220+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Brian Percival, shot by Florian Ballhaus. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor John Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson and Sophie Nélisse carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Courage beyond words.".
11IMDB entry: tt0816442 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Florian Ballhaus
Original score: John Williams
Editing: John Wilson
Production design: Simon Elliott
Costume design: Anna B. Sheppard
Makeup / hair: Nathaniel De'Lineadeus
VFX supervisor: Florian Gellinger
Sound: Glenn Freemantle
Stunt coordinator: Antje Rau
Runtime: 131 min · 2h 11m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $19,000,000
Box office: $76,586,316
Return: 403% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Book Thief (2013)

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Brian Percival

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What people are saying

Gimly2020-05-19
★ 3/10
As I was watching The Book Thief I spent most of the time thinking "That was an odd decision to make" but I did also have the thought process "I'm not digging this really, it's not for me, but it's not bad. Like a 5 outta 10 or something". But during the credits, my roommate who was working from home because of the COVID-19 quarantine decided she was done for the day and came out into the loungeroom, and asked me to tell her about what I'd just watched. And as I was explaining to her, or trying to, I very quickly realised, wait a minute... That was fuckin' stupid! Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid where possible.

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