Power Of Words In Brian Percival's The Book Thief

‘The Book Thief’, a moving film lead by director Brian Percival, portrays the meaningful theme of the power of words. This theme remains relevant to the people of today’s society in an extremely relatable manner, even though the movie itself is set in Molching, Germany during the time of WWI.

It is made clear right from the beginning of the film that the importance of words will be carried out throughout the film in a way the audience finds relevant to the modern day. The viewer gains first sight of this as Liesel is required to print her name on the class blackboard. The director sets the scene full of tension as Liesel steps towards the blackboard in a cowardly manner and portrays this in such a way that the viewer is able to feel the whole

The viewer watches as Hans and Liesel’s relationship strengthens and grows through their reading together. The comforting lighting of the bedside lamp enhances the bonding feeling that the director is trying to show. As the people view this precious time that Liesel and Hans share, it is shown in such a way that makes them reminisce about their own memories fondly and appreciate the power of love and the bond that books can bring to us. The director communicates this growing relationship whilst using a two to emphasise the bond between the two and to once again engage the viewer by making them recollect on times where they bonded with another in a similar situation. The relatable nature and nostalgia that is affiliated with this scene shows its ongoing relevance in today’s society and the loving warmth that pours from the scene encourages the bedtime reading tradition to continue for many years to come. Following this, Max and Liesel follow the same pattern, bonding over their love for words and Max encourages Liesel to make words hers and extend her knowledge by adding passion to her vocabulary and expressing herself more openly and articulately through her words. The audience views this as Max pushes Liesel to search deeper into her vocabulary, whilst in a single person mid shot, as he says, “If your eyes could speak what would they say?” In this moment

This is shown through the way books and words are a necessary source of communication to this day, the way relationships build through words and books and how stories are used to heal and distract the mind. Overall, the director executes the power of words in an effectively relatable sense so that the audience of today can still find relevance within the themes whilst using useful camera angles and techniques to capture the audience’s attention and make them feel nostalgic, therefore relating the film to their own experiences so that the film is not only watched but also felt by the viewer in a deeper and more emotional