Background context:
The Book Thief - HMD Film Screening
and Discussion
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The Book Thief
Certicate: 12A Length: 2 hours
Liesel Meminger is adopted by a German couple in 1938 when
her mother can’t look after her. She settles into her new life in
Berlin. She learns to read and makes friends with Rudi, the boy
next door. But Nazi ideology begins aecting life around her.
Hitler’s portrait hangs in her school. One night, all of the shops
run by Jews have their windows smashed and people are being
taken away. Liesel is taken to a book burning, and begins to
understand what the Nazis believe in. Then one day, Max arrives.
He is a Jew and he is in danger.
A lm screening and discussion is an engaging way to mark Holocaust Memorial
Day (HMD) with your group, suitable for a wide range of ages and interests.
You could combine this with a minute of silence or a candle lighting as an act of
remembrance. This resource is designed for those leading the lm screening and
we recommend it is not shared with other members of the group as it contains details of
the lm’s plot.
The Book Thief focuses on the experiences of a family in Nazi Germany. You can
stream the lm on several platforms, and the DVD was released in 2013, so it is widely
accessible. It may also be available to loan from your local library. Your group may
choose to watch the lm together, either on a big screen or at a cinema if possible, or
through an online platform such as zoom, and then discuss it immediately after the
screening. Alternatively, they may wish to watch the lm individually at a time or place
convenient to them and schedule a later session to come together for the discussion.
The Holocaust was a tragedy for humanity – six million Jewish men, women and children
were murdered by the Nazis. Many other groups such as Roma and Sinti, black people,
communists, gay people, disabled people and others were also targeted and murdered. Acts of
resistance and rescue took place across Europe, and saved many lives.
Other genocides have taken place around the world since the Holocaust. For more information
on what genocide is, and how the term came to be legally dened, see this page on our
website. You can also learn more about the Holocaust and Nazi Persecution, and the
genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur on our website.
We all have a responsibility to challenge discrimination and prejudice in society, whenever
we see or hear it taking place. Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable and we cannot be
complacent. That is why we learn and remember on Holocaust Memorial Day.
The length of time your activity will take will vary depending
whether you choose to screen The Book Thief or one of the
other lms listed at the end of this resource. We would suggest
between half an hour, for groups including younger audiences,
to an hour of discussion time for adult audiences, for your group.
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Questions for adult audiences
Some suggested questions are provided below to help start a discussion following the lm
screening for an adult audience.
• What do we learn about the Holocaust/genocide through this lm? Is it informative
enough? What issues might there be using ctional stories to portray a real
genocide?
• What parts of the lm did you nd memorable? Why?
• Consider if the lm subverted your expectations, or tted them. Were there major
turning points or unexpected twists in the plot and characterisation?
• Are there any recurring motifs – either visual, musical or thematic, for example,
which contribute to the narrative and emotional impact of the lm? How does this
build throughout the lm?
• How did the lm’s editing and cinematographic choices contribute to its treatment of
the moral or ethical issues raised in the story? What are your opinions on the issues
the lm raises?
• What motivated the characters in the lm? What points of view did the camera show
and why do you think this was?
• Have you been inspired to learn more or take an action as a result of seeing this
lm?
Questions for younger audiences
In this second set of discussion questions, some basic information is provided under each
question to help you facilitate a discussion which includes younger audiences.
• Who do you think is narrating the lm? How does that make you feel?
Death is narrating the lm, an unusual choice. Several characters in the story die, and it is
set during World War II and the Holocaust, when many millions of people were being killed.
• What examples did you see of Nazi images in Liesel’s school? Why were they there?
A portrait of Hitler and swastikas. Children were taught Nazi ideology from an early age in
Germany and surrounded by propaganda, as the Nazis wanted them to grow up supporting
them.
• What was happening when the windows were smashed? What was the name given
to this night? Why did the lm put images of this violence over the song the children
were singing?
All the Jewish shops and businesses were vandalised, and Jewish people were attacked.
91 Jews were murdered. It is known as ‘Kristallnacht’ – the night of broken glass, which you
can read more about here. By hearing the children sing, the connection is made between
the discrimination they are being taught and the violence that is happening.
Discussion questions
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• Who is Jesse Owens? Why was Rudi told o for idolising him?
Jesse Owens was a black American athlete, who won medals at the Berlin Olympics
in 1938. The Nazis discriminated against black people, although during the Olympics,
discriminatory policies were paused and covered up. This is why Rudi was not allowed to
publicly say he liked Owens.
• Why were they burning books?
The books were written by Jews, and people who disagreed with the Nazis. The idea was
to rid Germany of these ideas, so people wouldn’t have access to alternative world views.
The Nazis wanted to control everyone in the country, and make them agree with them. You
can nd out more about book burnings here.
• Liesel’s mother is described as a ‘communist’. What does this mean, and why is it
important to the story?
The communists were political opponents of the Nazis, and were attacked and
imprisoned. Liesel’s mother can’t look after her anymore because she is in danger. Liesel
realises ‘Hitler took her mother away’ which motivates her resistance.
• Max talks about his religion. What does this mean for him?
Max is Jewish, which means he is persecuted by the Nazis, as they wanted to kill all of
the Jews in Europe. Talking about his religion brings him comfort and helps him to keep
his identity, even in times of great danger. You can read about more ways Jewish people
resisted the Nazis here.
• Why does Max leave?
If he stays, the family will be in danger. People who were discovered hiding or helping Jews
would have been taken with them to concentration camps, where they would either live
in awful conditions, or be murdered. The danger of discovery is higher after the policeman
takes Hans’ name.
• Who are the people with yellow stars on their clothes marching through town? What
is happening to them?
Jews were forced to wear yellow stars on their clothes. The Nazis have rounded them
up and are taking them to concentration camps. This is where we see the reality of the
Holocaust becoming more visible in the lives of German people.
• How do we see the ‘ugliness and beauty of humans’ throughout the lm?
Ugliness: The Nazi soldiers treating people badly because of who they are. Ordinary
people having to live in fear. The book burning. The Nazi speech and songs. The violence
of Kristallnacht. Franz – the bully from the Hitler Youth who has been given power over
the other children. The shopkeeper being taken away because they suspect him of being
Jewish.
Beauty: The Ubermann family’s resistance against the Nazis. Their decision to take in
Liesel and hide Max. Hans teaching Liesel to read, and the wealthy woman giving her
access to books. Liesel’s use of storytelling to make people happy. Liesel’s friendships with
Rudi and Max.
Once your group have nished their discussion, you could conclude your HMD activity with a
minute of silence, a candle lighting, or reading a poem aloud as an act of remembrance. There
are many other options, and you can nd out more about these on our website’s resources
section.
If you found it useful watching The Book Thief or other lms for HMD, why not explore our
other HMD Together resources, which include:
• Hosting a book club for HMD – your group may nd it particularly interesting to read the
original text of The Book Thief that the lm is based on.
• Writing a poem with your group for HMD
• Creating a group artwork for HMD
Let us know about your activity by adding it to our activity map:
hmd.org.uk/letusknow
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020 7785 7029
@hmd_uk
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Learning from genocide - for a better future
Find out more...
@HMD_UK
HMD.UK
Holocaust Memorial Day Trust: hmd.org.uk
Discover resources for educators and other materials for
your activities: hmd.org.uk/resources
Other lms
You may want to choose a dierent lm to screen, or hold a second lm screening and
discussion. Some more lms are suggested here, and we have produced a separate HMD lm
screening guide for lms about the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur here.
There are questions below that could be used to discuss any of these lms.
Sarah’s Key – Certicate 12. This lm tells a lesser known Holocaust story of what happened
to the Jews in Paris. It is told through the story of a young girl who is taken from her
home. She is desperate to survive and escape to rescue her little brother. This
story is interwoven with a modern day journalist investigating this story. It is set
in France so is partially subtitled.
Another Mother’s Son - Certicate 12. A lm set in Jersey during the time
it was occupied by the Nazis. It tells the true story of Louisa Gould, who
took in and hid a Russian prisoner of war in an attempt to save his
life. You can read more about Louisa Gould at
hmd.org.uk/louisa.
What next
