THIEF LORD
Germany, 2005, 98 minutes, Colour.
Aaron Johnson, Jasper Harris, Rollo Weeks, Alice Connor, Jim Carter, Carolyn Goodall, Alexei Sayle, Vanessa Redgrave.
Directed by Richard Claus.
A German production, filmed in Luxembourg and Venice, with a mainly British cast. It is based on a popular book for children by Cornelia Funke.
Whether the film follows the book, I cannot say. As a film, it is quite peculiar. The action is set in a very naturalistic Venice (taking full advantage of the beauty of the city) but the action is that of magic realism. Here the two do not quite gel – perhaps a more magical city would have kept the whole thing more in the realm of the imagination.
A youngster escapes an orphanage, picks up his six year old brother from guardians and they escape to Venice where they join a gang of rather well-mannered thieves who are given a commission to find a large wing broken from a merry-go-round and sell it to a Count. They do. However, the oldest boy and leader, Thief Lord, wants to ride the merry-go-round which has powers to make you older or younger.
Again, the film is peculiar because the children act in a naturalistic fashion – even if what they do is odd and far-fetched. It is the adults who clown around and are caricatures. Maybe that is how the children see them. Jim Carter is a private detective in the employ of the guardians who changes sides. Alexei Sayle is a dodgy shyster. Vanessa Redgrave turns up as a nun to explain the magic merry-go-round – in a habit that should have got the costume designer sacked so unreal does it seem. The cheery thing is that Caroline Goodall is the other star – she is genial, kind and a jolly-good-show kind of mother-figure.
Box-office may have been best in Germany.
1. A popular book in Germany? The adaptation for the screen? For what audience – adults, children?
2. The Venice settings, the naturalistic presentation of the canals, the palazzos, the islands and the lagoons? The beauty of Venice? As a setting for this story? The musical score?
3. The opening: the focus on orphans, Prosper and his running away from the orphanage, going to collect Beau? The conflict with the aunt and uncle? The escape to Venice? The meeting up with the group of children? The friendship of the thief lord?
4. The presentation of the children – naturalistic, more than a touch precocious? The credibility of the group of thieves? Their missions in Venice? Their homes, the orphanages? Their bonding together? The contrast with the presentation of the adults – as caricatured? As seen from a child’s point of view?
5. Scipio as the thief lord? His clashes with his father, the wealthy background? The junior Robin Hood type! The other members of the group and Prosper and Bo fitting in? Hornet? The age of the children, their bonding together?
6. The mission, the getting of the wing for the merry-go-round? The selling of the wing? The count and his buying? The change of money? Finding it was counterfeit?
7. The pursuit of the children by Victor, his commission from the couple, reporting back to them? His trekking and following? The encounter with Ida? With Barbarossa? His coming out of the children’s side, being sacked? Being with the children, with Ida, the pursuit of the count, the merry-go-round – and the happy ending?
8. Ida, cheerful, not caricatured? Photographer? Encountering the children? Her possessing the wing? On the side of the children, supporting them, the orphanage? With them at the end of the mission? A future with the children?
9. Barbarossa, the money deals, his interactions with the children? Double-dealing? Greed? His going to the island, going on the merry-go-round, his reverting to the little child – and his character as a child, the older voice, his being adopted by the couple?
10. The nuns, the old-fashioned habit, Vanessa Redgrave and her performance as the sister with the information about the magic? The other sisters?
11. The conte and the contessa, their wanting the wing, their having the merry-go-round, their secret island? Their wanting to revert to children? Their doing so? The confrontation with the group?
12. Scipio, his wanting to become adult, going on the merry-go-round, the transformation? His still being the leader of the group?
13. The credibility of the blend of magic with the very natural and realistic settings and characterisations?
