“The Book Thief”: Worthy Holocaust Film
Almost forgotten in this season’s slate of quality movies is “The Book Thief,” which will be released on November 8. Variety reviews: The ‘international bestseller “The Book Thief,” starring Geoffrey Rush (pictured) has been brought to the screen with quiet effectiveness and scrupulous taste by director Brian Percival and writer Michael Petroni. This tale of Nazi Germany seen from a child’s perspective translates into solidly engaging drama, albeit one that may not be starry, flashy or epic enough to muscle its way into the front ranks of awards-season contenders. Bolstered by the novel’s fans, the Fox release should ride solid reviews and word of mouth to midlevel prestige returns in line with such comparable medium-scaled WWII dramas as “The Reader†and “The Pianist.‒
