'The Book Thief': a new trailer for the movie for booklovers
If ever there were a movie for book lovers, this might be it.
鈥�,鈥� which opens in limited release Nov. 8 and wide release Nov. 15, is attracting buzz from bibliophiles everywhere.
It鈥檚 an adaptation of the 2006 novel by Markus Zusak and its release has been promoted with a flurry of literary-themed teasers.
First there was this provocative promotional for the film. 鈥淛ust for a moment, imagine what the world would be like without words,鈥� says young actress Sophie Nelisse. 鈥淲ithout words, the world is nothing but a blank page.鈥澛�
On Wednesday, Fox, the studio releasing the film, ran two full-page ads in the that were mystifyingly blank pages with only the paper鈥檚 logo and the URL , a promotional page for the film.聽
And now an international trailer has been released which gives more of a glimpse into the movie's story. (Check out the full video.)
And it鈥檚 already being an Oscar contender, earning comparisons to such dramas as 鈥淭he Reader鈥� and 鈥淭he Pianist.鈥�
鈥淭he Book Thief鈥� is about an orphan girl named Liesel who is adopted by a German couple during WWII. When her classmates discover Liesel cannot read, she is bullied at school. Her kind adoptive father teaches her to read, setting her up for a lifetime of reading 鈥� and of stealing books, beginning with the book she grabbed from a laborer鈥檚 coat when it fell at her brother鈥檚 funeral, 鈥淭he Gravedigger鈥檚 Handbook.鈥�
When Liesel daringly rescues a book from a bonfire of 鈥渄ecadent鈥� works at a Nazi rally, a local Buergermeister鈥檚 wife clandestinely allows the girl to use her late son鈥檚 personal library.
When Liesel鈥檚 adoptive parents take in a Jewish boy hiding from the Nazis, Liesel forges a strong bond with him. We also see Nazi Germany from the tender perspective of a curious child.
Ultimately, however, with the chilling backdrop of Nazi Germany providing a grim reminder, the movie, as the wrote, is about the power of words, both good and bad.聽
Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.
