Die Blechtrommel (1979)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Volker Schlöndorff

Writers:

Jean-Claude Carrière (writer)
Günter Grass (additional dialogue)
(more)

Release Date:

11 April 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Academy Award Winner Best Foreign Language Film 1979

Plot:

Danzig in the 1920s/1930s. Oskar Matzerath, son of a local dealer, is a most unusual boy. Equipped with...

Plot Keywords:

Germany | Drum | Nazi | Post Office | Flamethrower

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 12 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Mario Adorf	...	Alfred Matzerath
Angela Winkler	...	Agnes Matzerath
David Bennent	...	Oskar Matzerath
Katharina Thalbach	...	Maria Matzerath
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Jan Bronski
Tina Engel	...	Anna Koljaiczek (jung)
Berta Drews	...	Anna Koljaiczek
Roland Teubner	...	Joseph Koljaiczek
Tadeusz Kunikowski	...	Onkel Vinzenz
Andréa Ferréol	...	Lina Greff (as Andréa Ferreol)
Heinz Bennent	...	Greff
Ilse Pagé	...	Gretchen Scheffler
Werner Rehm	...	Scheffler
Käte Jaenicke	...	Mutter Truczinski
Helmut Brasch	...	Der Alte Heilandt (as Helmuth Brasch)
Otto Sander	...	Musiker Meyn
Wigand Witting	...	Herbert Truczinski
Mariella Oliveri	...	Roswitha
Fritz Hakl	...	Bebra
Emil Feist	...	1.Clown
Herbert Behrendt	...	2.Clown
Karl Heinz Tittelbach	...	Felix
Charles Aznavour	...	Sigismund Markus
Marek Walczewski	...	Schugger-Leo
Ernst Jacobi	...	Löbsack
Wojciech Pszoniak	...	Fajngold
Gerda Blisse	...	Frl. Spollenhauer
Joachim Hackethal	...	Hochwürden Wiehnke
Henning Schlüter	...	Dr. Hollatz
Zygmunt Hubner	...	Dr. Michon (as Zygmunt Huebner)
Mieczyslaw Czechowicz	...	Kobyella
Bruno Thost	...	Obergefreiter Lankes
Alexander von Richthofen	...	Pvt. Herzog
Lech Grzmocinski	...	Stauer (as L. Grzmocinski)
Stanislaw Michalski	...	1.Gendarme (as S. Michalski)
J. Kapinski	...	2.Gendarme
Dietrich Frauboes	...	Oberartz - Medical Chief
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Horst Gentzen	...	Felix (voice) (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	Eel Catcher (voice) (uncredited)
Beata Pozniak	...	Extra (uncredited)
Lutz Riedel	...	Soldier (voice) (uncredited)
Raphaël Vogt	...	Peter (uncredited)
Herbert Weissbach	...	Fajngold (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Volker Schlöndorff

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean-Claude Carrière		writer
Günter Grass		additional dialogue
Günter Grass		novel
Volker Schlöndorff		writer
Franz Seitz		writer

Produced by
Eberhard Junkersdorf	....	executive producer
Hans Prescher	....	producer: HR
Franz Seitz	....	producer
Anatole Dauman	....	producer (uncredited)
Volker Schlöndorff	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre

Cinematography by
Igor Luther

Film Editing by
Suzanne Baron

Production Design by
Piotr Dudzinski
Zeljko Senecic

Art Direction by
Nicos Perakis

Set Decoration by
Marijan Marcius		(as Marijan Marcijus)
Edouard Pezzoli
Paul Weber

Costume Design by
Inge Heer
Dagmar Niefind
Yoshio Yabara		(as Yoshy Yabara)

Makeup Department
Rino Carboni	....	makeup artist
Albina Mackic	....	makeup artist
Vitaliana Patacca	....	hair stylist (as Vitaliana Potacka)
Ingeborg Thiess	....	hair stylist
Alfredo Tiberi	....	makeup artist
Teresa Tomaszewska	....	makeup artist
Ruzica Vidmar	....	key makeup artist (as Ruza Vidmar)

Production Management
Dominik Baltic	....	unit manager
Donko Buljan	....	production manager
Emir Cejvan	....	production manager
André Heinrich	....	production manager
Siegfried Hofbauer	....	production manager
Herbert Kerz	....	production manager
Czeslaw Klak	....	unit manager
Urszula Orczykowska	....	production manager
Marko Vrdoljak	....	production manager
Emir Vrodoljak	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wolfgang Krake	....	assistant director
Branko Lustig	....	assistant director
Richard Malbequi	....	assistant director
Andrzej Reiter	....	assistant director
Alexander von Richthofen	....	assistant director

Art Department
Dominique Antony	....	set constructor
Pierre Audouard	....	props
Ivo Baltic	....	props
Franz Bauer	....	props
Ewa Kowalska	....	set constructor
Tadeusz Kunikowski	....	props
Christian Lenz	....	props
Bernd Lepel	....	set designer
Boleslaw Miziolek	....	props
Barbara Nowak	....	set designer
Stanislaw Nowak	....	painter
Tihomir Piletic	....	set designer
Thomas Schulz	....	props
Bogdan Serwa	....	painter
Ivo Stjejan	....	props

Sound Department
Peter Beil	....	sound
Walter Grundauer	....	sound
Peter Kellerhals	....	sound (as Walter Kellerhals)
Hans-Dieter Schwarz	....	sound mixer (as Hans Dieter Schwarz)

Special Effects by
Georges Iaconelli	....	pyrotechnician (as Georges Jaconelli)
Josif Karovski	....	weapons
Krzysztof Szwed	....	pyrotechnician
Nikola Vujasinovic	....	pyrotechnician

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Arnold	....	assistant camera
Slawomir Baranski	....	gaffer
Pero Bernakovic	....	electrician
Andrzej Biskupski	....	still photographer
Zvonko Blaskovic	....	gaffer
Karl Dillitzer	....	lighting technician
Antun Gorisek	....	grip
Ulla Hübner	....	still photographer
Stanislav Jesih	....	lighting technician
Eugeniusz Kapelak	....	electrician
Vlado Loncaric	....	gaffer
Stanislaw Piech	....	lighting technician
Drago Poldrugac	....	gaffer
Karl Reiter	....	still photographer
Peter Seitz	....	still photographer
Nikolaus Starkmeth	....	assistant camera
Paul Weber	....	lighting technician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Krystyna Bartosik	....	wardrobe
Anica Cerovac	....	wardrobe
Marko Cerovac	....	costumer
Zofia Jedrezejac	....	wardrobe
Renée Miquel	....	wardrobe
Elzbieta Radke	....	costumer
Franjo Simek	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Helga Kusterka	....	assistant editor
Agape von Dorstewitz	....	assistant editor (as Agape Dorstewitz)
Barbara von Weitershausen	....	assistant editor (as Barbara v. Weitershausen)

Music Department
Lothar Brühne	....	composer: song "Kann Denn Liebe Sünde Sein?" (uncredited)
Maurice Jarre	....	conductor (uncredited)
Jan Latham-Koenig	....	musician: piano (uncredited)
Carl Loubé	....	orchestra (uncredited)
Sidney Sax	....	orchestra contractor (uncredited)
Eric Tomlinson	....	music engineer (uncredited)

Other crew
Andrzej Dojnik	....	production assistant
Ute Ehmke	....	location manager
Ingrid Höller	....	production secretary
Paulette Hufnagel	....	production administrator
Louis Mayr	....	location manager
Jean Claude Mouliére	....	location manager
Franjo Proscan	....	production secretary
Lilo Schick	....	script supervisor
Gabriele Seitz	....	press relations
Amelia Statkiewicz	....	production administrator
Ivan Steiger	....	toys provided by
Günther M. Stocklöv	....	location manager (as Günter Stocklöv)
Zygmunt Wójcik	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Argos Films
• Artémis Productions
• Bioskop Film
• Film Polski Film Agency
• Franz Seitz Filmproduktion
• GGB-14
• Hallelujah Films
• Jadran Film

Distributors

• Argentina Video Home (198?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argos Films (1979) (France) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (DVD)
• New World Pictures (1980) (USA) (subtitled)
• Spectra Nova (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• United Artists (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1979) (Sweden) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• National Philharmonic Orchestra  orchestra

Also Known As:

The Tin Drum (UK) (USA)
Blaszany bebenek (Poland)
Le tambour (France)
Limeni dobos (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
O Tambor (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Bádogdob (Hungary) [hu]
Blecktrumman (Sweden) [sv]
Bliktrommen (Denmark) [da]
El tambor (Argentina) [es]
El tambor de hojalata (Spain) [es]
El timbal de llauna (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Il tamburo di latta (Italy) [it]
Peltirumpu (Finland) [fi]
Plechový bubínek (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Teneke trampet (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
To tambourlo (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

142 min

Country:

West Germany | France | Poland | Yugoslavia

Language:

Hebrew | Italian | German | Polish | Russian

Color:

Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Australia:R | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Australia:MA (re-rating: 2007) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (1994) (cut) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2003) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:16 (bw)

Filming Locations:

CCC-Atelier, Spandau, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Argos Films

Trivia:

Also banned in parts of Canada for its depiction of underage sexuality.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene where the German soldiers besiege the Polish post office near the end of the film, a German soldier is seen firing an MG42 machine gun from his shoulder. The weapon itself was not in use by the German army before 1942, while the scene in the film takes place in 1939.

Quotes:

Bebra: You must join us, you must!
Oskar Matzerath: You know, Mr. Bebra... to tell the truth, I prefer to be a member of the audience, and let my little art flower in secret.
Bebra: My dear Oskar, trust an experienced colleague. Our kind must never sit in the audience. Our kind must perform and run the show, or the others will run *us*. The others are coming. They will occupy the fairgrounds, they will stage torchlight parades, build rostrums, fill the rostrums, and from those rostrums preach our destruction.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinemania: I anodos kai i ptosi tou Nazismou" (2008)

A smart movie powered by David Bennent's performance

Oskar is a young man in World War II Germany who refuses to grow up when he was three years old. He deliberately let himself fall on a stair to injure himself and stop his growth. Oskar's refusal to grow and release his tin drum is an obvious metaphor about refusing the Nazi regime. This is made more obvious since he finally decided to grow and let go of his drum after the Nazi's defeat.

The Tin Drum is based on a celebrated novel by German author Gunter Grass. Director Volker Schlöndorff brings it to life with profound elegance and intellectual humor. Made in 1979, in the middle of the German film renaissance, The Tin Drum pokes fun at the Nazi regime and at the same time presents an unforgettable and often hilarious story.

The movie begins in the late 19th century when Oskar's grandmother helps his grandfather to escape German soldiers by letting him hide under her skirt. It is also where Oskar's mother Agnes (Angela Winkler) is conceived. Agnes grows up during the First World War and marries a man named Alfred Matzerath (Mario Adorf). She begins to have an affair with her cousin Jan Bronski, while Oskar slowly becomes aware of their relationship.

David Bennent's performance as Oskar is simply amazing. He was about 12 years old at the time, and he plays Oskar from childhood to his 20s. Although Oskar's physical appearance never changes. We can see his aging process through Bennent's performance. Oskar's movement changes; he begins to become more mature and discover the world around him. Bennent plays the character with an impressive level of believability and intellectual maturity.

The Tin Drum reminded me of one of my favorite movies-Forrest Gump. Both movies have central characters that are physically and mentally disabled, and both manage to have an interesting journey life. Both movies pass through an important historical event, with both heroes getting involved. The Tin Drum is not quite in the same league as Forrest Gump, but it still amazed and captivated me from beginning to end.

The Tin Drum contains some really grotesque scenes. One scene in particular is when they show a fisherman using a dead horse's head as bait for eels. The fisherman removes the eels one by one from the horse's head, while Agnes vomits in disgust. To balance it out, the movie also contains moments of pure joy. I love the sequence where Oskar's drumming influences a band to change their music form a German march to Strauss' The Blue Danube. A Nazi officer screams in disgust, while the crowd joins together and dances.

I enjoy watching intelligent satires. I laughed out loud a lot of times in this movie and I relished its lush story. The movie deals with many things, including warfare, adultery, and religion. It may be a little too long for some people at 140 minutes, but for me, no good movie is too long. The Tin Drum contains astonishing images powered by remarkable acting. It may be hard to find on video, but I'm sure it's worth the trouble.