First Trailer for 'The Book Thief' Starring Geoffrey Rush and Sophie Nélisse

Fox has been keeping their adaptation of bestselling novel and book club favorite The Book Thief relatively under wraps, surprising given the popularity of Markus Zusak's novel. It's not as if they don't have high hopes for it, as the November release date clearly suggests, and they put those expectations front and center in the first trailer, which has just been released.

If "From the Studio that Brought You Life of Pi" doesn't tell you what plans they have for the film, then perhaps this overly dramatic and mushy trailer will do the trick. Set in WWII in Nazi occupied Germany, the story centers on a young girl named Liesel (Sophie Nelisse), who goes to live with adopted parents (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson), and learns to deal with the harshness of her life by stealing books and sharing them with others. From the overpowering score to the corny narrator, this trailer is a desperate cry for Oscar attention. The novel has the embodiment of Death narrating Liesel's story, an intriguing twist that isn't apparent in this footage. It's possible director Brian Percival decided to leave it out entirely.

The Book Thief opens on November 15th.