***The Starry-Eyed Revue***: wwii

We all delight in seeing our favorite books brought to life on the big screen. We cringe at casting. We scoff at release dates. All the while, we're gearing up to see if the director's vision lives up to the world we've conceived in our own imaginations. Sometimes it does...and sometimes it doesn't. We could lament the movies that don't measure up, or we could return to the books for a re-read, possibly with a slightly different mind-set. All's fair when it comes to artistic vision, right?

This week, I'm featuring the following adaptation:

Title: The Book Thief
Director: Brian Percival
Stars: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson
Release date: November 15, 2013
Based on: The Book Thief by Mark Zusak

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 refuge is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
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The 550-page, World War II-era novel, narrated by Death, tells the story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken at age 9 to live with a foster family in a German working-class neighborhood. Liesel arrives having just stolen her first book, "The Gravediggers Handbook" -- it will be the beginning of a love affair with books.

So, I didn't actually realize this movie was already a thing until I saw the trailer pop up in my inbox:

Honestly, I thought it was slated for next year for some reason, which meant I had plenty of time to read the book before the movie's release. (Yes, I know I am probably one of the last people on Earth who hasn't read this book yet. *hangs head in shame*) And how did I not know the book was narrated by Death? I think I probably would have read it a lot sooner if I'd known that. I have a strange fascination with death personified.

Not having read the book yet, I'd still like to offer up my opinion on the trailer: it looks beautiful. And I mean that in the way that a lot of stories set in this time period are beautiful and tragic and hopeful. However, now that I know the book is told from Death's perspective, how is that going to be executed in the movie? Or is it? I saw nothing that made me think it would be narrated by Death.

I'll be honest, I'll probably wait until this is released on DVD/OnDemand. It just looks and sounds like the sort of story that might make me a sniffling, snotty mess, and I hate doing that in the theater. I much prefer emotional stories from the comfort of my own couch, with a box of tissues in hand. Plus, that'll give me more time to read the book. ;0)

Have you read the book? What do you think about it being made into a film? Do you think you'll see it? Will this adaptation do the book justice?