Released in: 1979 Length: 142 minutes Warning: Rated NR: adult themes; brief nudity; sexual themes; sexual scenes; brief/mild profanity Language: German (with English subtitles) Categories: Boy Films, Little to Preteen, Dark Comedy, Drama, First Love

$39.99

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Description

At the age of three, Oskar (David Bennent) has already grown tired of the hypocrisy of the adult world, tosses himself down a flight of stairs to stunt his growth, remain a child forever. For the next twenty or so years, we follow him as he observes and reacts to a variety of situations, including family life and the uprising of the Nazi movement; romance is also an important issue for Oskar once he reaches sixteen. Throughout, those more physically mature never see our hero as anything but a little boy, which allows him to manipulate the grownups around him as well as avoid grownup responsibility..., or is it stupidity? Full of sorrow, tragedy, some awfully funny scenes and much dark humor, this Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival winner is nothing but brilliant. Volker Schlondorff's direction is superb, and Bennent is amazing in the lead (Bennent, by the way, was actually twelve during the filming but suffered from a disease which did indeed stunt his growth, left him here looking about six or seven years old). Some don't seem to appreciate this film, however, for as you have perhaps heard, it has recently been banned in Oklahoma for being "obscene." How one can conclude this is truly beyond me, but more likely than not, and not so ironically, the push to label this work of art as such came from people comparable to those who inspired little Oskar to steer clear of the adult world. For those of us more inclined to think than judge, this one is a real winner. Based on the novel by Gunter Grass. Highly recommended!

Notes

2- DVD set includes the following - Audio Commentary by Volker Schloendorff, Islotaed Score, New and improved English translation, Rare deleted scenes with commentary, Tin Drum Montage featuring Schloendorff's thoughts and recollections about the film, Video interviews with Schloendorff and actor Davod Bennent at the 1979 Cannes Festival, "Banned in Oklahoma" a documentary following the child pornography lawsuit involving the film and much more than what is listed here.

Cast & Crew

David Bennent	. . . . .	Oskar Matzerath
Mario Adorf	. . . . .	Alfred Matzerath
Angela Winkler	. . . . .	Agnes Matzerath
Katharina Thalbach	. . . . .	Maria Matzerath
Daniel Olbrychski	. . . . .	Jan Bronski
Academy Award	. . . . .	Best Foreign Language Film