The Thief Lord (2006)

Director:

Richard Claus

Writers:

Richard Claus (screenplay)
Daniel Musgrave (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

5 January 2006 (Germany)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Magic is just around the corner.

Plot:

A tale about two young boys, Prosper and Bo, who flee to Venice after being orphaned and dumped in the care of a cruel auntie...

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Thief | Detective | Foster Family | Orphan

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Aaron Taylor-Johnson	...	Prosper (as Aaron Johnson)
Jasper Harris	...	Bo
Carole Boyd	...	Esther Hartlieb
Bob Goody	...	Max Hartlieb
Jim Carter	...	Victor
Malcolm Turner	...	Chemist
Rollo Weeks	...	Scipio
George MacKay	...	Riccio
Alice Connor	...	Hornet
Lathaniel Dyer	...	Mosca
Alexei Sayle	...	Barbarossa
Caroline Goodall	...	Ida
Geoffrey Hutchings	...	Conte
Robert Bathurst	...	Dottore Massimo
Roya Zargar	...	Maid
Ann Overstall Comfort	...	Housekeeper (as Ann Comfort)
Chris Bearne	...	Newspaper Salesman
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Sister Antonia
Anita Wright	...	Contessa
Mehran Khalili	...	Policeman
Linda Woodhall	...	Nun
Poppy Rogers	...	Morosina
Lewis Crutch	...	Renzo
Zak Davies	...	Baby Barbarossa
Dean Gregory	...	Boat Dealer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Claude Breda
Margaret Tyzack	...	Head Nun (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Claus

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Richard Claus		screenplay
Cornelia Funke		novel
Daniel Musgrave		screenplay

Produced by
Carola Ash	....	associate producer
Bob Bellion	....	co-producer
Avi Bouhadana	....	co-executive producer
John Buchanan	....	co-producer
Alexander Buchman	....	executive producer
Richard Claus	....	producer
Jimmy de Brabant	....	executive producer
Kwesi Dickson	....	co-producer
Michael Dounaev	....	executive producer
Michael Halimi	....	co-executive producer
Gary Hamilton	....	executive producer
Patricia McMahon	....	line producer
Daniel Musgrave	....	co-producer
Rosanna Roditi	....	line producer
Bill Shephard	....	line producer

Original Music by
Nigel Clarke
Michael Csányi-Wills

Cinematography by
David Slama

Film Editing by
Peter R. Adam

Casting by
Andrea Clark
Jeremy Zimmermann		(as Jeremy Zimmerman)

Production Design by
Matthias Kammermeier

Art Direction by
Frank Meiling

Set Decoration by
Manuel Demoulling

Costume Design by
Stephanie Collie

Makeup Department
Lesley Noble	....	hair stylist
Lesley Noble	....	makeup artist
Roseann Samuel	....	makeup designer
Consuelo Vitturi	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Tommaso Dabala	....	unit production manager
Bénédicte Humbel	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Juri Biasiato	....	trainee assistant director
Emilie Cherpitel	....	first assistant director: second unit
Nicola Marzano	....	second assistant director
Beatrice Pettovich	....	second assistant director
Marc van der Bijl	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Boris Bartholomäus	....	construction manager
Klaus Bienen	....	on-set stand-by carpenter
Daniele Carrer	....	assistant art director
Paolo Cusin	....	buyer
Paolo Cusin	....	props
Manuel Demoulling	....	property master
François Dickes	....	props buyer
Rosie Ellis	....	painter
Thomas Ferrandis	....	carpenter
Ulrike Gojowczyk	....	stand-by props
Annett 'Gogo' Golinski	....	draper
Marino Ingrassia	....	swing gang
Ermanno Kerstich	....	swing gang
Edouard Pallardy	....	head painter
Barbara Prati	....	stand-by props assistant
Stephanie Rass	....	painter
Paola Saraval	....	painter
Otfried Suppin	....	assistant art director
Olivier Wojcik	....	scenic painter

Sound Department
Hubert Bartholomae	....	sound designer
Hubert Bartholomae	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nick Foley	....	adr recordist
Pit Kuhlmann	....	sound supervisor
Ted Swanscott	....	adr mixer
Roberto van Eijden	....	sound mixer
Dominik Oppon	....	dubbing mixer assistant (uncredited)
Ralph Thiekötter	....	sound dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Alain Couty	....	special effects coordinator
Lawrence Michael	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Henning Ahlers	....	visual effects art director
Tobias Becker	....	digital artist
Elmar Behr	....	systems engineer
Joerg Bruemmer	....	digital compositor
Sven Bruhn	....	compositor
Lars Buntemeyer	....	roto artist
Sonja Conrad	....	visual effects producer
Jan Dubberke	....	lead compositor (as Jan Dubbercke)
Philipp Eckel	....	shake artist: das werk
Haggi Floeser	....	digital artist
Stefan Gnizia	....	software development
Marc Goecke	....	digital artist
Bernie Greiner	....	digital colorist
John Grower	....	visual effects supervisor
Miriam Harringer	....	roto artist
Rudi Hensel	....	compositor
Jens Kafitz	....	texture artist
Alice Kim	....	assistant visual effects editor
Gunnar Kruse	....	software development
Jan Kruse	....	visual effects supervisor
Mo Li	....	rotoscope artist
Sebastian Locker	....	visual effects
Thomas Marquardt	....	digital artist
Frank Mirwald	....	scanning operator
Rolf Muetze	....	technical director
Manuel Pietschmann	....	compositor
Frank Richter	....	scanning operator
Sonja Spader	....	lead compositor
Gerhard Spring	....	film recording
Sheldon Stopsack	....	digital lighter
Ralf Wacker	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Andreas Wilcken	....	compositor

Stunts
Serge Beuchat	....	stunt rigger
Carlos Bonelli	....	stunts
Ekenah Claudin	....	stunts
Laurent Coin	....	stunts
Tidd James	....	stunts
Luke Kearney	....	lead stunt double
Tony Lucken	....	stunts
Christophe Roblin	....	stunts
Frédéric Vallet	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Alex Aach	....	clapper loader: Luxembourg
Susie Allnutt	....	still photographer
Giovanni Andreotta	....	clapper loader: Venice
Ruzbeh Babol	....	cinematographer: second unit
Etienne Braun	....	still photographer
Dariusz Brunzel	....	focus puller: "a" camera
Voxi Bärenklau	....	lighting designer
Gilbert Degrand	....	best boy rigging gaffer
Pierre Dermience	....	pre-light electrician
Kevin Dresse	....	electrician
Mick Durlacher	....	gaffer: rigging
Claus Gerling	....	grip
Arnout Glas	....	pre-light electrician
Vania Guinsbourg	....	camera trainee: Luxembourg
Sascha Görlich	....	electrician
Oliver Haas	....	best boy electric
Max Jacoby	....	clapper loader: second unit
Graham Johnston	....	focus puller: "b" camera
Graham Johnston	....	focus puller: second unit
Alexandre Léglise	....	clapper loader: second unit
Alberto Marchiori	....	camera loader
Alberto Marchiori	....	camera trainee: Venice
Robert Patzelt	....	Steadicam operator
Robert Patzelt	....	camera operator: "a" camera
José Alberto Pinto de Jesus	....	electrician
Mike Roberts	....	video assist operator
David Morais Rocas	....	grip trainee
Laurent Wallerang	....	grip

Casting Department
Katja Wolf	....	extras casting coordinator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Akiko Kusayanagi	....	wardrobe trainee
Akiko Kuyasanagi	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Christoph Strothjohann	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Rupert Coulson	....	music engineer
Geoff Foster	....	score recordist
Joe Henson	....	musician: bass guitar
Mark Lo	....	musician: guitar
The London Oratory School Schola	....	musicians: boys choir
Robin Page	....	conductor
Alison Wright	....	music supervisor: Air-Edel

Transportation Department
Gaby Meyers	....	facility/truck driver
Francois Muller	....	truck driver

Other crew
Alessandra Asta	....	production coordinator
Bob Bellion	....	finance manager
Wayne Docksey	....	animal consultant
Jean-Philippe Dumont	....	runner
Rus Ekkel	....	tutor
Ambroise Gayet	....	production assistant
Ali Jazayeri	....	production financing
David Junck	....	production secretary
Wolfgang Krautter	....	balloon operator
Patricia Kretschmer	....	assistant: Jimmy de Brabant
Roberto Longobardi	....	production accountant
Aurelio Marino	....	cashier
Tony Miller	....	production accountant
Alessandra Moresco	....	production coordinator
Pascale Noël	....	assistant location manager
Cristina Olivari	....	assistant production coordinator
Andrea Porcelluzzi	....	assistant unit runner
Joanne Reichling	....	production coordinator
Christophe Vincent	....	assistant menuisier
Stephane Wasila	....	location manager

Thanks
Jayson Rothwell	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Thema Production
• Comet Film
• Delux Productions
• Future Films
• Warner Bros.

Distributors

• Fox-Warner (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2009) (UK) (TV) (BBC1) (broadcast premiere)
• Condor Entertainment (2012) (France) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (2009) (Germany) (TV)

Special Effects

• Pictorion_das Werk (visual effects)

Other Companies

• C.R.G. International  production services and consultation
• Film & Television Facilities  facility vehicles
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Location Consulting & Facilities  facility vehicles
• London Oratory School Schola, The  music performed by (as The London Oratory School Schola - boys' choir)
• London Symphony Orchestra, The (LSO)  music performed by
• Pictorion_das Werk  digital laboratory
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Studio Funk  dubbing studio

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and thematic elements

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Luxembourg | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Brazil:10 | UK:PG | Ireland:PG | Germany:o.Al. | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7

Filming Locations:

Hamburg, Germany

Company:

Thema Production

Trivia:

Margaret Tyzack filmed a two scene role as a Head Nun that was cut down to just a few seconds of a reaction to events in the finished film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bo is walking along the ledge after climbing out of the window the ledge crumbles. Moments later in a wide shot the ledge is undamaged.

Quotes:

Victor:Can someone please explain what's going on here before I start drinking port for breakfast as well?

Movie Connections:

References Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Soundtrack:

Orphan Skies

Excellent adaptation. Scipio impresses.

Cornelia Funke is my favourite author, due to her natural characters, rich imagination & the vivid scenes she paints. (In the imagination.) Yet I had no idea The Thief Lord was being made & only discovered by chance that it was on release. Very minimal publicity indeed compared to the over-hyped Harry Potter films. As a fan I wondered if it had suffered under the film-makers' knife. Whether it had been drastically altered. Well, there is occasional alteration & several scenes cut, but otherwise one of the more faithful adaptations. I was impressed by Scipio in particular, but I thought everyone was good. The adults were a little OTT, but not bad. Archers fans will recognise the distinctive voice of "Lynda Snell" (Carol Boyd) as the aunt. The score is dramatic & the effects wondrous. I'd rather see this than Harry Potter any day. Thief Lord has genuine heart & doesn't rely on constant flash & show. It's real storytelling for a change. It's just a shame it will be lost beneath the heavyweights of X3 & The Wild. 9/10