The Tin Drum - Criterion Collection

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Summary: German History/Satire in a nutshell
Review: The Tin Drum is based on Gunther Grass's Nobel winning novel. The whole setting revolves around the most tumultous period in recent German history, spanning from the late 19th century till the end of the second World War, Germany had seen boundaries and name drawn and redrawn numerous times. Not to mention the various follies of wars that had ravaged the country. Oskar, the perpetual 3 year old kid, who refused to grow after observing the immorality that adulthood has to offer. Oskar represented the conscience of the ordinary German of that era. Being impassive, and at the same time bitter and vulnerable and again embittered (especially after the armistice treaty), Oskar presented a whole range of emotions that reflects the public mood of that period.
The DVD presents a beautiful transfer and a Dolby Digital 5:1 audio track. It also comes with an enlightening audio commentary by the director and co-writer, even though at times the commentary may seem bland and screen specific. Nevertheless, it's insightful in the discussion of the production of the film. Another noteworthy extra feature in the 2nd disc is the documentary "Banned in Oklahoma", which chronicled the banning of the film in that state and its ensuing consequences to the country's values of freedom and liberty.


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Summary: A MASTERPIECE IN ITS OWN RIGHT!
Review: The Tin Drum is one of the most unusual and fascinating films I've ever seen. David Bennent gives a haunting, sublime performance. Buy it!

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Summary: fantastic-dubbed english version is one great film.
Review: The varied scenes have stayed with me over decades. My copy of the english dubbed version was lost in 1983. Yet I still can vividly recall the outstanding scenes from the first in the potato field, which the desolate and errie field presented yet allowed for a non-graphic sexual experience to happen. To the very graphic eels and horse head scene. There were so many excellent actors with great dialog, this should be re-released in the dubbed version so EVERYONE could view this film. I myself find subtitles very annoying. I miss too much of the photograpy and the actors movements...

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Summary: Child beating drum
Review: There are inelligent people and stupid people, people who don't understand this movie are stupid.

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Summary: A Great book, a Great movie, but the book is better
Review: This movie was fantastic. I read the book first and loved every word of it. The only reason the book is better than the movie is because, sad to say, is that the movie was only half the book. When I first got the movie and watched it, I couldnt wait until the pivetal point in the movie where the main character drastically changes, but when that part came it was the end of the movie. This would have been a GREAT GREAT movie classic if the director made a longer more fuller version or a second film that ended the full story of the book. But I must say the actor who played Oscar, the main character, was exactly as I envisioned. I highly recommend you buy the book first and then the movie, but both are a MUST to anyone who likes a bit of the strange.

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Summary: Great Film with disclaimer
Review: This movie was great! It has tons of symbolism: Oskar not growing up reflects the stunted society of Germany after the First World War was until after the Second World War, when Oskar began to grow. Oskar protests social aspects of Germany through his drum and voice. Unfortunately the movie is extremely disturbing at times. If you are unable to forgive some of the harsher scenes in the movie, there are plenty, you will not be able to appreciate the film.

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Summary: A popular and controversial film.
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film. "The Tin Drum" Known as "Die Blechtrommel" in German is based on the book by German author, Günter Grass. The film won the Academy Award® for Best foreign film and the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is about the life of a young man, Oskar Matzerath who falls as a child and decides to stop growing. He spends the next 20 years of his life at the same height. he also carries a tin drum with him everywhere and screams high enough to break glass when someone attempts to take it from. The film portrays events from when his grandparents first met to when his mother dies.

The film is not without it's controversies either. The actor portraying Oskar was 11 years old at the time of filming and the movie contains a simulated sex scene. When that and two other scenes were brought to the attention of the legislature by a family watchdog group, an Oklahoma judge declared to be child pornography which effectively banned the film in the state of Oklohoma, several years of litigation eventually reversed the ban. It, along with several other films, including "Traffic" was at risk for being banned nationwide recently when there was possible legislation to ban "virtual child pornography." The film does have some great scenes in it which make it worthy of the awards it got and that the film should be viewed as a whole though I do think that the scene in question should be removed from the film.

The filmmakers did a great job at making the cities look as they did during the 1920-40's. It also has some very well done costumes also. The musical score by Maurice Jarre is also very impressive and definately vorthy of an album release.

The Criterion DVD has soem very impressive special features also.

Disc one contains the film with optional audio commentary by director Volker Schlöndorff and also an optional music and effects only track.

Disc two contains deleted scenes with commentary by Schondorff, a comparison of the Nazi rally scene in the film with the event in the novel with audio of that part of the novel being read bythe author, a theatrical trailer, production material including drawings, a facsimilie of the film's original ending which was never filmed, The documentary, "Banned in Oklahoma" which describes the events surrounding the allegations of the film containing child pornography and includes interviews with the judge in the case and also Anita Hill. There is also series of interviews with Schlöndorff, Günter Grass and others.

This is a good film despite the controversey and should also be made available in a version with it's controversial scenes cut so those offended would be able to watch it also.

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Summary: SURREAL, CHILLING, BUT DARKLY HUMOROUS VIEW OF WAR
Review: What a richly textured film with captivating use of magical surrealism to explore the Nazi rise and fall during WWII.

Not as a factual chronology, mind you, but a perspective that we see through the eyes of a little boy, who has decided that the only way to protest being part of the frightening adult world around him is by banging on his drum and remaining a child forever.

This is his rebuttal of society and perhaps against all passive people in Nazi Germany at that time. The kid's performance is astonishing, by turns demonic, prophetic, innocent, and impish.

The screenplay portrays the vacuity of German middle-class culture and its susceptibility to the vagaries of the Third Reich.

Like most movies of this 'offbeat' cadre, Tin Drum does go overboard on occasion. It contains some scenes of childhood sexuality (nothing overly objectionable in our times, I guess) and some fairly grotesque scenes of slithering eels being caught using a severed horse head as bait. Not fun to watch.

Such moments may make it a bit less palatable to a mainstream audience looking for regular entertainment, but if you don't mind different cinema with some flashes of brilliance, I highly recommend this unique angle on the futilities of war.