The Tin Drum (1979)

I saw this movie back in 80'or 81' on HBO in the middle of the night. I was only 7 years old and everyone in the house had fallen asleep and I sat there enthralled. I did not know what it was about throughout the entire move. I didn't understand what the story was but the scenes in the movie have stayed with me for 20 years! Due to the internet,20 years later I am able to come on and find out what in the world I saw that night because I remembered that the title had Drum in it. I still don't know if the story of this movie will be any good but I can make the comment that this movie absolutely has the most memorable scenes I've ever encountered in a film before.

Fmovies: In Danzig, the young Agnes (Angela Winkler) has a triangle of love with her Polish cousin Jan Bronski (Daniel Olbrychski) and the dealer Alfred Matzerath (Mario Adorf). She marries Alfred, but has a son, Oskar (David Bennent), with Bronski. On the day of his third birthday, Oskar decides to stop growing up. Along the next years, the family lives the life after World War I and before and during World War II and the rise and fall of the Nazi Party.

"Die Blechtrommel" is a bizarre cult-movie with a wonderful art direction, too long and boring surrealistic story and an annoying lead character. The movie has grotesque scenes and is senseless most of the time. The symbolism of the stuck German after WWI and the boy with a drum that refuses to grow-up is obvious but the 142 minutes running time entwined with disturbing and nonsense scenes give the idea of the intention of raising polemic to be in the spotlights. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "O Tambor" ("The Drum")

The Tin Drum is one of the strangest films that I have seen in a long time. Strange not necessarily being a bad thing. It contains a feel similar to that of other eastern european films. It follows the life of Oskar, a three year old German boy who refuses to stop playing the tin drum that he received for his birthday. After viewing how ludicrous adults act, Oskar decides to stop his growth, and stay three years old forever.

The Tin Drum has been banned in Oklahoma, and was the feature of some programs on censored films. The cause of this controversy is the fact that Oskar grows old, but never changes his toddler appearance. This plot line troubles some, especially when Oskar reaches puberty and becomes interested in the fairer sex.

Despite the controversies, The Tin Drum is a film that should not be missed. It is definetely one of the best films to come out of Germany in the past 20 years.

The Tin Drum fmovies. For me, this was definitely a hit-and-miss film, but luckily, most of the good things about this movie are also quite memorable. This is a weird movie, for better or for worse, but because it is so strange, there is absolutely no way that you will find this predictable. In fact, if you know little or nothing about this movie, keep it that way so that you can appreciate each odd twist when you watch it for the first time. I found the movie to be somewhat overlong, and the best parts of the story tended to be earlier in the film, but much of this picture is top-notch. I think most people would agree that love it or hate it, this is certainly a film that you won't soon forget.

I saw this flick many years ago, and there are images from this movie I shall probably take with me to the grave.

Things I saw in this movie that vividly stuck in my brain are such things as a huge eel being pulled out of a severed horses head that was just dragged from the sea on a rope, a soldier having carnal knowledge with a lady in the middle of a field while being hunted by another soldier, a young boy spitting into a hand of a young girl ...

And I could go on. This movie I found to be extremely unique and varied in many ways. I don't know that I can really recommend this movie all in all, but if you do watch it, be prepared for a very unique experience film wise.

Beamer

Die Blechtrommel, based on the highly acclaimed German novel by the same name. Oscar is 3 years old. For his birthday he gets a tin drum. He sees how grown ups act, (this is during the rise of the Nazi Party) and he decides to stop growing.

The film is filled with moral ethics and symbolism. The tin drum Oscar always drums on is a symbol of his protest against the cruelty that grown ups create, not to mention the rise of Nazism. Die Blechtrommel even has large scenes that are only for symbolism. It is probably one of the most important German films since WW2. Somehow, the German make the best films that decipher Nazism and WW2 (like Stalingrad and the new Der Untergang) which very clearly shows their self awareness. I think Die Blechtrommel is one of the finest examples of this.

It is often quite absurd this film, one of the most memorable scenes is when Oscar watches a Nazi rally. As an officer is marching through the crowd, the orchestra is playing a march. Oscar starts playing his drum, and make all the musicians play false, and after a while they all start to play "An der Schönen blauen Donau" and the crowd starts to dance.

Die Blechtrommel is one of the most memorable films ever, whet ever you liked it or not. Some scenes are very sick, and i do not encourage people who don't have a stomach for strong films to see this. For other film lovers though, this is one of the greatest films ever.