# The Book Thief (film)
**The Book Thief** is a 2013 war drama film directed by Brian Percival, adapted from [Markus Zusak](https://www.edgepedia.org/markus-zusak)'s 2005 novel of the same name, about a girl named Liesel Meminger who learns to read in [Nazi Germany](https://www.edgepedia.org/nazi-germany) while her foster family shelters a Jewish refugee. It was released in the United States on November 8, 2013, rated PG-13, with a screenplay by Michael Petroni and starring [Geoffrey Rush](https://www.edgepedia.org/geoffrey-rush), Emily Watson, Sophie Nélisse, Ben Schnetzer, and Nico Liersch.[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-book-thief) • [2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/69822-THE-BOOK-THIEF?cxt=filmography)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 8, 2013 (United States), distributed by 20th Century Fox; PG-13[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-book-thief) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Book-Thief-The) |
| Source | Based on the novel *The Book Thief* by Markus Zusak (Sydney, 2005); screenplay by Michael Petroni[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/69822-THE-BOOK-THIEF?cxt=filmography) |
| Principal cast | Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann, Emily Watson as Rosa, Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger, Ben Schnetzer as Max Vandenburg, Nico Liersch as Rudy, Roger Allam as the voice of Death[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief/cast-and-crew) |
| Filming | Principal photography at Studio Babelsberg and on location in Berlin, Brandenburg, and Görlitz, Germany[5](https://www.studiobabelsberg.com/about-us/press-and-news/beginn-der-dreharbeiten-von-the-book-thief-in-deutschland/) |
| Box office | $21,488,481 domestic and $54,598,230 international, for a worldwide total of $76,086,711 against a $19,000,000 production budget[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Book-Thief-The) |
| Critical reception | 49% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 150 reviews, with a 73% audience score; a Metacritic Metascore of 53 from 31 critic reviews[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-book-thief/) |
| Awards | Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score (John Williams); the film recorded 9 wins and 17 nominations overall[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442/awards/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and source
The film is set in 1938 and follows Liesel ([Sophie Nélisse](https://www.edgepedia.org/sophie-nelisse)), a young orphan who arrives at the home of her foster parents, Hans (Geoffrey Rush), a housepainter, and Rosa ([Emily Watson](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-watson)). When Hans learns that Liesel cannot read, he teaches her the written language; she grows to love books, even rescuing one from a Nazi bonfire. The family's situation becomes more precarious when they secretly shelter a Jewish boy, Max ([Ben Schnetzer](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-schnetzer)), whose father once saved Hans's life.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief/cast-and-crew) The studio's synopsis describes Liesel as illiterate when adopted and credits the power of words with helping Liesel and Max through the events unfolding around them.[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-book-thief)
The source novel was published in Sydney in 2005 and is narrated by Death, voiced in the film by [Roger Allam](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-allam).[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/69822-THE-BOOK-THIEF?cxt=filmography) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief/cast-and-crew) The novel sold 16 million copies worldwide.[9](https://time.com/5415043/markus-zusak/)
## Historical setting and accuracy
Although the film may seem to be based on a true story, it is not: the characters and storyline are fictional, though it depicts factually based events such as the Nazi burning of books and [Kristallnacht](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristallnacht).[10](https://psu.pb.unizin.org/holocaust3rs/chapter/the-holocaust-and-21st-century-media/) An academic study of the adaptation argues that Percival refines the story of the Holocaust through a young girl's eyes, deflects attention from Nazi atrocities by removing violent scenes so the film could reach all ages, and emphasizes humanity and warm family relationships between Germans and Jews; the same study finds that the director fails to present the narrator, Death, as the unique character he is in the book.[11](https://eudl.eu/pdf/10.4108/eai.30-8-2021.2316288)
## Production
[Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) began at Germany's Studio Babelsberg, with location work in Berlin, Brandenburg, and the city of Görlitz in Saxony.[5](https://www.studiobabelsberg.com/about-us/press-and-news/beginn-der-dreharbeiten-von-the-book-thief-in-deutschland/) The film is a [Fox 2000 Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-2000-pictures) production co-produced with Studio Babelsberg, produced by Karen Rosenfelt and Ken Blancato, with Redmond Morris as executive producer.[5](https://www.studiobabelsberg.com/about-us/press-and-news/beginn-der-dreharbeiten-von-the-book-thief-in-deutschland/) The American Film Institute catalog lists the production companies as Sunswept Entertainment, Studio Babelsberg, and TSG Entertainment.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/69822-THE-BOOK-THIEF?cxt=filmography)
The credited crew includes Florian Ballhaus as cinematographer, John Wilson as editor, Simon Elliott as production designer, and Anna B. Sheppard, an Academy Award nominee for *The Pianist* and *Schindler's List*, as costume designer.[5](https://www.studiobabelsberg.com/about-us/press-and-news/beginn-der-dreharbeiten-von-the-book-thief-in-deutschland/) The score is by [John Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-williams).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief/cast-and-crew)
## Release and box office
The film opened in limited release on November 8, 2013 in 4 theaters, grossing $105,005 on its opening weekend, and expanded wide on November 29, 2013, reaching a maximum of 1,316 theaters.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Book-Thief-The) Domestic grosses reached $21,488,481, with international receipts of $54,598,230 and a worldwide total of $76,086,711, about 4.0 times its $19,000,000 production budget.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Book-Thief-The) [Home video](https://www.edgepedia.org/home-video) sales added an estimated $13,119,398 from DVD and $2,431,712 from Blu-ray.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Book-Thief-The) Reported runtimes differ across listings: 2h 9min per the studio, 125 minutes per the AFI catalog, 127 minutes per The Numbers, and 2h 11m per Rotten Tomatoes and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch).[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-book-thief) • [2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/69822-THE-BOOK-THIEF?cxt=filmography) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Book-Thief-The) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief) • [12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-book-thief)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. Rotten Tomatoes records a 49% Tomatometer from 150 reviews against a 73% audience score, with a critics consensus calling the film "a bit too safe in its handling of its Nazi Germany setting" while crediting its respectful tone and strong performances.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 53, labeled mixed or average, based on 31 critic reviews, while its user score stood at 7.2 from 189 ratings.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-book-thief/) [The New Yorker](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-new-yorker)'s David Denby wrote that the novel had been adapted "as a movie for middle-aged children," turning Nazi oppression and hunger into "a pleasantly meaningless tale of good-heartedness."
[13](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-book-thief) The Washington Post review found that the film's attempt to contain the novel's many plot points produced a rushed conclusion that tempered the intended climax.[14](https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/book-thief-movie-review/2013/11/13/ea0f896a-47db-11e3-a196-3544a03c2351_story.html)
## Awards
The film earned an Academy Award nomination for John Williams's original score, a BAFTA nomination for the same score, and four Saturn Award nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Emily Watson and Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Sophie Nélisse.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442/awards) Nélisse won several youth-performance honors, including the [Young Artist Award](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-artist-award) for leading young actress and awards from the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the Nevada Film Critics Society.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442/awards/) The film also won audience awards at the Mill Valley Film Festival and the Sofia International Film Festival.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442/awards/)
## References
1. [The Book Thief, 20th Century Studios](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-book-thief)
2. [The Book Thief (2013), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/69822-THE-BOOK-THIEF?cxt=filmography)
3. [The Book Thief (2013) – Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Book-Thief-The)
4. [The Book Thief – Full Cast & Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief/cast-and-crew)
5. [THE BOOK THIEF Begins Production in Germany, Studio Babelsberg](https://www.studiobabelsberg.com/about-us/press-and-news/beginn-der-dreharbeiten-von-the-book-thief-in-deutschland/)
6. [The Book Thief, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_thief)
7. [The Book Thief Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-book-thief/)
8. [The Book Thief (2013) – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442/awards/)
9. [The Book Thief Author's New Novel Grapples With Masculinity and Brotherhood, Time](https://time.com/5415043/markus-zusak/)
10. [The Holocaust and 21st Century Media, Penn State University Press](https://psu.pb.unizin.org/holocaust3rs/chapter/the-holocaust-and-21st-century-media/)
11. [Cinematic Adaptation of Markus Zusak's Novel, The Book Thief, EUDL (ICGCS 2021)](https://eudl.eu/pdf/10.4108/eai.30-8-2021.2316288)
12. [The Book Thief streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-book-thief)
13. [The Book Thief, The New Yorker (David Denby, November 19, 2013)](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-book-thief)
14. ['Book Thief' movie review, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/book-thief-movie-review/2013/11/13/ea0f896a-47db-11e3-a196-3544a03c2351_story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Adaptations of literature, stage, and other media › Films based on novels, novellas, and short fiction › Films based on contemporary literary fiction › Drama and romance adaptations*
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