User reviews

It's been a while since I've seen this German film but I am still struck by key images in the film and the overall tone set forth casually against a backdrop of the chaos of Nazi Germany's rise and fall.

I do wonder how much of my love for this film is owed to the Gunter Grass novel on which it's based It's a quirky slab of magic realism to be sure, like the film, but I have no idea how closely it hews to the original.

The performances are nuanced and striking in places. The cinematography is appropriately dreary and the editing crisp and unadorned. The centerpiece though, is the performance by the child actor at the core of the film. How much is owed to his voice-over narrative, I don't know, but the man growing inside of the still-grown little boy was handled just beautifully.

It's a disturbing and strangely uplifting movie at once. I recommend it -- especially for those who have seen only black and white view of World War II and the typically American view of our adversaries in German.

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.

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

Having read the greater-than-life novel by Günther Grass, this film is an interesting viewing for many reasons. Reason number 1: the most important reason is of course, how on earth did they manage to get anyone to play Oskar? The director has shown us a stroke of geniosity by casting a 12-year old boy as Oskar, who besides is a brilliant actor (I wonder whatever became of him). Reason number two: how could anyone ever visualize the grotesque and chaotic scenes in the book? Once again the director comes up with something brilliant, he makes the scenes as graphic as possible, he doesn't care about the MPAA, he doesn't care about movie-watchers with heart problems, and he's not afraid of overdoing anything. He puts as much force and effort in the scenes as possible, and they come out brilliantly. Reason number 3: How does he capture the moods of the multi-layered book? He simply stays very faithful to the books text and uses camera angles, lighting effects and music perfectly to accompany the visions of Günther Grass. Those are the most apparent reasons and because of those, the film is brilliant. The only flaw is leaving the story unfinished (although, the ones who never read the book, won't notice that). Altogether, an interesting, stylish and rewarding film experience.

"That day, thinking about the grown-up world and my own future, I decided to call a halt. To stop growing then and there and remain a three-year-old, a gnome, once and for all" - Oskar Metzertath

The Tin Drum is based on Gunter Grass's highly acclaimed novel which used magic realism to capture the madness of war, and the folly of the people who made it possible. This movie only tackles the first two sections of the novel, leaving out the post-war events. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign film in 1980, and the Palm d'Or at Cannes. It was also banned in Oklahoma as "child pornography". Despite moments of brilliance, The Tin Drum left me feeling incomplete and curiously unmoved.

It is a very different kind of film from the others I saw this week, using satire and surrealism to explore people's reactions during the period from 1939 to 1945. It seems to be saying that it is all right to stop growing (that is, participating in the world) as a protest against the cynicism and corruption of the adult world. The setting for the majority of the film, Danzig (now Gdansk) is a major northern port town in Poland. Danzig was a free and independent city until September 1, 1939, when it became the first region taken by Germany at the outset of WWII. After the war, Danzig became a part of Poland again.

The Tin Drum is the story of Oskar Matzerath, a boy who grows up in Eastern Germany before and during World War II. Oskar decides the only way to protest being part of the adult world is by banging on his drum and remaining a child forever. This is his rebuttal of society and his tin drum is his protest against the mentality of his family and neighborhood, or perhaps against all passive people in Nazi Germany at that time. Oskar tries to shock the world out of its inhumanity. His life reflects Germany's struggle to free itself from its own dream of Teutonic superiority and find peace in the national soul.

David Bennent as Oskar gives an outstanding performance, creating a character that is both haunting and frightening. He looks like a little man in a child's body but his eyes are deep and have a very knowing look that seemed to be looking right through me.

Oskar is not a cute little updated version of Peter Pan. Since age three (when he was given his first tin drum), Oskar can scream with such a high pitch that he can shatter any piece of glass. He even controls his scream to the point where he can break windows on the other side of the city, or etch writing into glass. Oskar uses his ability to manipulate and control the adult world, often using vicious and cynical snide comments about the insanity around him. At one point, he disrupts a Nazi rally by changing the beat of his tin drum to the Blue Danube which the band then follows. The ensuing scene where the crowd breaks into a dance and the rain comes down leaving the Nazi soldiers bewildered is one of the best in the film.

I found the scenes where Oskar joins a midget troupe and finds loving companions of his own kind to be very tender and moving. However, the film became morally ambiguous for me when Oskar and his troupe decide to entertain the Nazi soldiers at the front lines. Schlondorff never really makes it clear what his motivations are and Oskar's actions seems to contradict his essentially anarchist protest for most of the film. The Tin Drum also contains some objectionable scenes of childhood sexuality and grotesque depictions of slithering eels being caught using a severed horse head as bait. The result, needless to say, is stomach churning.

I found The Tin Drum to be absorbing and thought provoking yet, despite moments of brilliance, for me it did not add up to a totally satisfying experience.

... a boy decides to stop physically growing and remain three years old while his mind, already developed ahead of its time, continues to mature. His life continues, with his irritating drum and equally irritating scream that shatters glass (he can be adult but also revert to being a childish toddler). He has intimate relations with (much) older women! Lots of metaphor and messaging but is it or was it ever relevant? Art for arts sake and a hint of the emperors new clothes but a film you should definitely see for no other reason than to have an opinion.

"That day, thinking about the grown-up world and my own future, I decided to call a halt. To stop growing then and there and remain a three-year-old, a gnome, once and for all"

Goodness, what a marvel this film is! It is certainly the greatest film from Germany that I have seen yet. Winner of the 1979 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, "The Tin Drum" follows the life of a boy named Oskar. After seeing how ludicrous adults act, Oskar decides to stop his growth, and stay three years old forever by falling down the stairs. He succeeds, and the fall has stopped his growth. Aside from the hault of growth, the fall eqips him with two special powers that he regularly manifests. The lesser of these two powers, is repeatedly pounding his tin drum, which he absolutely refuses to let go of. Oskar's undeniable power is to let out a high pitched shriek that will shatter any glass he directs it at. Does it sound strange? Well, the film is much stranger, but also much more beautiful than my description.

The film follows our little Oscar over a period of around two decades, through World War II in Germany. We follow Oskar through his many sexual, emotional, tragic, funny, and beautiful exploits. An absolutely important credit must be given to actor David Bennett, who plays young Oskar. He portrays Oskar as an infant, as a three year-old, as a six year-old, as a twelve year-old, as a 16 year-old, as a 21 year-old...well, you get the picture. Bennett was only 11 at the time, and his performance is very impressive.

I haven't seen very many German films from the last thirty years, but most of the ones I have seen (the excellent "Vanishing," and the immensely mediocre "White Rose") haven't had very good scores. "The Tin Drum" has a very slight, but very servicable, score by the famous Maurice Jarre. The score has an emotional theme played in only a few scenes (notably, the ending), it also has an innocent little music box theme, and surprisingly a cool waltz for scenes involving members of the circus (a big part of the second-half of the film). A very good score. To my knowledge, it was released on LP when the film was released, and on a CD pressed in Japan sometime in the 90's. I read that the (sadly out of print) Kino DVD includes the isolated score as an extra.

It's an excellent film that I strongly connected with, but I can see many people not liking it, it is VERY strange, but I am somebody who has always found VERY strange things extremely beautiful, and "The Tin Drum" is no exception. Over-all, I consider this film a classic, and I'll once again state that it is certainly the greatest film from Germany that I have seen yet.

We were made to watch this in school when i was about 10. I Don't think the teacher understood how heavy this was.....

This is really not a kids movie. I found it very depressing at the time.

The Tin Drum is Extraordinary. It captures the perverse side of the individual and the whole. Oskar is conscious inside the womb. He is a product of kissing cousins. He is an inbred. He is a product of a secret love affair. Oskar's expressions capture the evil that would soon devour his home state. It is set in World War II, Poland, a town called Danzig. A town with billowing smoke and towering spiral steeples. A Grimm's Faerie Tale.

The film plays out like a fantasy. To never grow up. The Tin Drum contains some of the most fantastic images found in a feature film; The shattering of the jar with the fetus; The cracking of the teachers glasses ; The eels oozing out of the horses head as the seagulls scream and Oskar bangs his drum. It was an incredible scene to read on the pages of Gunter Grass' novel but to see a filmmaker capture the words and turned it into a real life experience was awe-inspiring. Directed so well.

It is an erotic film. Intense scenes of desire. Primal. It captures the dark side of us all. The scenes where Oskar and his first adolescent love exchange spit and fizz are very perverse and effective.

Oskar does grow up as a man but remains the size of a 3 year old. He bangs his Tin Drum to drown out the craziness around him. World war II must have been horribly felt by those so close. The Nazi regime seemed so frightening. As a three year old who was conscious in the womb, how would Oskar see this direction that man, who once was three years old, has taken. What is wrong with us?

Overall, it is about the next generation wanting the previous one to get over itself and enjoy this paradise called Earth.

The film is mesmerizing. It is a beautiful piece of celluloid art. The magical realism is captured very effectively. How about doing One Hundred Years of Solitude? Here's your director.

Victor Nunnally BFA Film Production and Dramatic Theory, AA in Performing Arts

In the beautiful town of Danzig we watch this strange story of a boy who, after a terrible accident that he himself provoked, decides not to grow up and remains like some tragic Peter Pan version. The story is developed between 1899 and the end of WWII. This is an adult world seen through the eyes of a child with all its dramatic events of several kinds including an amorous triangle formed by the boy's mother, her husband and a cousin of hers. This triangle is accepted by them and everybody around them. The ascent of Nazism and the war that follows shape and form the story background from a certain point on with all their tragic and dramatic events. The movie is well made and directed but its symbolism is not very clear I mean if there is a message involved it's not very well passed on to the viewers through images and dialogues.

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.

What a disturbing, unpleasant and often disgusting this Palm D' Or and Oscar Winner for the Best Foreign Language Film is. Perhaps it is appropriate given a bizarre look at the history of Germany from the World War 1 through the rise of the Nazis through the eyes of a weird child who refused to grow at his third Birthday. Little Oscar symbolized a conscience of the citizens of Danzig when the Nazis are in power and the war rages. I am expected to sympathize with Oscar because he supposedly understands better than any adult around him what the chaos of 1920s would bring to life to Germany and to the world in 1930s but I simply can't. For me, Oscar is the scariest and creepiest little creature with the empty and cold eyes of young Alex de Large whose expressing his outrage by constant pounding on his toy tin drum and screaming with window-shattering voice only annoyed me. As the years pass, Oscar turned into a teenager who became naturally interested in girls but was trapped in a little boy's body, which contributed to some of most disturbing and repulsing scenes in films that I've ever seen and I am a quite open-minded and tolerant moviegoer. The movie's imagery is powerful and I guess the filmmaker drove his point across but for me, "The Tin Drum" is too cold to genially touch me and too unpleasant to like it.

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")

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 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.

Danzig in the 1920s/1930s. Oskar Matzerath, son of a local dealer, is a most unusual boy. Equipped with full intellect right from his birth he decides at his third birthday not to grow up as he sees the crazy world around him at the eve of World War II.

This is very much a fantasy film. IMDb says it is a war drama, which is true enough, being set in the place and time that it is. But this is less about the war and more about Oskar, which I think makes it a fantasy film. His imagination is incredible, or perhaps more incredible is the idea that none of this is his imagination at all. His ability to alter the world around him is quite interesting.

The idea of a tin drum as a symbol of protest makes sense. It becomes even more interesting when put in the hands of a small child, protesting against life itself. Such an action is unheard of.

Do you dismiss a movie because it is strange? Some do, and rate this film as a story about an obnoxious little boy who goes around banging a drum and breaking glass.

Firstly, the performance of David Bennent as Oskar was phenomenal. As an 11 or 12 year old, he played a part from infancy to 21. Maybe he was obnoxious, but I choose to believe that he was making a powerful statement about the undesirability of growing up in a world where adults do not act very adult.

Set against the backdrop of WWII, it can also be viewed as rebellion against war and fascism.

Strange, sometimes evil, but nevertheless a powerful film that should be seen by all.

I've always had a weak spot for (anti-)war movies and original, often European, films. "Die Blechtrommel" (or "The Tin Drum" in English) combines all these things into one movie. And next to that it also has some kind of cult-status by many who consider themselves as intelligent people. I'm not saying that I'm smarter than the average person, but I do like more intelligent movies over the average box office hit with an enormous amount of explosions and unnecessary shooting.

"Die Blechtrommel" has a very original concept. It tells the story of Oskar, a very special boy in the 1920's/1930's in Danzig (then a German city, today known as Gdansk in Poland). He had his full intellect from the moment he was born and at the age of three he decides he'll not grow up. He'll remain a three year old kid for as long as he wants to... He always carries a tin drum with him and when someone tries to take it away from him, he'll scream so loud that all glass will shatter.

After reading this you might think this is more a kids movie than a movie for adults. And perhaps a bit older kids could watch it and enjoy it as well, but it is very clear that this movie also carries a more important message that will probably be better understood by adults. It gives a clear view on the mentality of the middle-class people in Germany and their racism before and during WWII. I say racism and not anti-Semitism, because it not only shows the Germans' hate against the Jews, but also against the Poles. Next to that it also shows how little people did to prevent it all, even though it was clear long before the war started, that what was happening would end in a catastrophe.

Even though this movie carries such a heavy message, I can't help thinking it would have had a lot more impact if it had been shown from a different perspective. The fact that you see it all happening trough the eyes of the little boy doesn't mean that the message isn't clear, but it just isn't as powerful as I would like to see it. Still, this movie is worth a watch, because it certainly is original. I give this movie a 7/10.

I'm reviewing the Criterion DVD restoration of 2013.

I was talking about this film this morning with a friend. It is one of his favorites; he said he could remember even small details like the heart-shaped crack in the wineglass that Oskar makes for Roswitha. Reading some of the reviews above, I'm astonished at the lack of empathy and imagination displayed by the reviewers. As a Christian--even a lax one--I find nothing depraved or obscene in this movie. It is something you have to watch with a historical perspective. Nazi youth rallies were exercises in mass hysteria, just as the one shown here. Oskar's parents had to be watchful in case the police caught him--as a dwarf, he was in danger of being euthanized. There are many instances of a police state that I could mention but will not.

The performances are marvelous. Angela Winker is great as the mother carrying on an affair with Bronski under the oblivious eyes of the family. Mario Adorf as Matzerath plays a warm, caring man who is caught up in the Nazi craziness. He understands that his wife is cheating on him but ignores it for the sake of the family. Daniel Olbrychski is the elegant and befuddled Bronski to a T. David Bennent's eyes sometimes remind me of the kids in Village of the Damned, but he's always convincing.

The question that comes to mind when viewing this film is whether the unusual imagery comes from the filmmaker or the novelist. The well known expression "A picture is worth a thousand words" might well be reversed in this case. Although other viewers have expressed how faithful the film is to the novel, we can all imagine how the scenes could have been portrayed.

Many ponder the meaning of this film and all cite the unusualness of this film. The truth is we need to go to the source. The novel of the same name is equally strange and has an equally obscure meaning. The conventional explanation is that it is "deep" (multi-layered meaning and import). So, my suggestion is - now that you've seen the film, try reading the book, or if you're not sure you want to see the film, try reading the book. If you can't trust the Nobel Prize Committee, who can you trust?

Günter Grass is the Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, 1999.

Unfortunately, great literature doesn't mean great film - not that I'm suggesting Die Blechtrommel is great literature. Also, for those who consider this a great film, they need to see a few more films. This said, Die B... is worth seeing.

One of the most unique, inventive and flawless films I've ever seen. The first half displays brilliant symbolisms scattered throughout. The most obvious are what the tin drum and Oskar's screech symbolize, anti-establishment and anti-culture. Oskar uses his drum as an act of rebellion against the establishment, a more public way than his early rebellion in deciding not to grow by breaking his spine. He bangs his drum constantly, rebelling against his teacher at school, his father and even the church. When people attempt to stop this rebellion, his symbolic anti-culture technique kicks in with his wailing screech. This screech smashes all of the valuable, material possessions that the vein culture covets so dearly.

One of my favorite, less obvious symbolisms comes when the family encounters the fisherman who uses the horse's head to catch eels. What comes across is how Oskar uses his drum to tone out the terror and tragedy of what occurs around him. Much like his refusal to grow physically, he uses his drum as a way to refuse to grow mentally and emotionally which is displayed later in the film in his relationship with Maria. After the first half though, the symbolisms really take a backseat and Oskar's transition from a young, immature teenager into a strong adult becomes the forefront of the film. This gives the spotlight to the remarkable performance from David Bennent. He shows maturity and range remarkably far beyond his age in one of the defining performances on all time, I think. He was only 13 when the film was released, yet he shows more strength and absorption into his character than a good majority of those three times his age. I was stunned by how magnificent he was.

Here we go again in covering my long-awaited list of the classics! This is the startling tale of a most unusual German-Polish boy growing up in 1920s- & '30s Danzig, with three major traits: He has stopped growing physically at the age of three by throwing himself down a staircase, he is obsessed with his toy tin drum... and his voice can shatter glass! Adapted from the Günter Grass novel, the rise of Nazi Germany and subsequent WW2 eruption serves as a great, captivating backdrop to a highly memorable (if not sympathetic or understandable) protagonist's fate in this splendidly produced drama.

What it does do, however, is waver unevenly between being brilliantly surreal (with show-stopping scenes), off-puttingly unpleasant and visually hypnotic. Also, the wallowing in the bizarre and grotesque is sure to divide its critic fronts, but to me, the inexplicable long lulls in the middle and VERY cold characters (is ANY to care for, really?) most unfortunately hamper the much-acclaimed masterpiece potential. But in retrospect, its influence is clear to see on many film-makers to have come along, such as Tom Tykwer & Lars Von Trier.

6 out of 10 from Ozjeppe

The imagery in this film is certainly vivid: eels slithering through the orifices of dead horses, frogs being boiled alive, children being forced to drink urine. Then there's the douching episode, and the notorious kiddie porn scenes. Yep, it's gross.

And all in the service of what? Why, those big themes of course:

1) Nazis aren't nice.

2) See 1).

When you are sticking your neck out with daring themes like those, then I guess it's all right if you overdo things a little bit.

I last saw this film 20 years ago when it was new. It was just as offensive then as it is now, and just as pointless.

There is one reason to see this "classic". The great Polish leading man, Daniel Olbrychski, makes one of his first non-Polish appearances, although he has virtually nothing to do, except expose his bare bum. This film just can't get anything right.

Watch for the scene where cute little Oskar blinds his teacher. What a joker! What a hero! And what a performance from little Oskar. Sometimes he stares straight ahead! Sometimes he beats his little drum! Sometimes he does both at the same time!! You'd think talent like that could stop a measly world war.

This film is only two hours twenty minutes but feels much, much longer. That unfortunately hasn't changed since the '70's either -- the interminability of unadulterated pretentiousness. Bring extra pillows to sit on if you feel up to the challenge of taking a dip in this sty.