The
Tin Drum (1979)
(aka
Die Blechtrommel)
Surely one
of the most unusual narrative films ever made, "The
Tin Drum" seems much like a John Irving novel. It spans
several decades and tells a story that exists on many
different levels. The film reminded me of Irving's wondrous
novel, "A Prayer for Owen Meany," in that it seemed
an odd and strikingly original epic of mammoth proportions.
One that, it would seem, would be impossible to film.
The film
is in fact based on a novel by Gunter Grass. It must
be quite an interesting book to read. Director Volker
Schlondorff should be heartily congratulated for bringing
such a colossal work to th screen so perfectly.
It is no small feat that Schlondorff has been able to
translate such a literary story to the wide screen so
fully.
The film centers around an unusual child named Oskar
who acts as our tour-guide through his strange world.
Oskar ages to 20 during the film but is played consistently
by the perfectly cast 12 year old actor David Bennent.
Oskar, you see, decided to stop growing at the age of
3 and although Bennent looks about 6 he performs admirably
here moving through this gargantuan epic gracefully
and magically. Always, it seems, understanding the complex
material.
Bennent is asked to perform several odd feats here.
One of the most unusual is performing sex scenes which
the child does with the audacity and adeptness of a
child thrice his supposed age. He is as comfortable
being the seduced as he is being the seducer. It is
quite a remarkable performance for such a young actor.
One that consistently rings honest and truthful. Oskar
also rambles throughout Nazi Germany circa 1930-40 with
the wide-eyed innocence of a child. Yet, of course,
Oskar is an adolescent. Although he stops growing physically
at age 3, he seems to continue to mature emotionally.
He sees the hypocrisy and ugliness, the lies and the
secrets of the adult world and exposes them as the untruths
that they are. Again, Bennent's performance here is
remarkable. He may truly be the finest child performer
to ever appear in such an adult film. What is most striking
is his ability to make us believe he is experiencing
the things Oskar is experiencing and his ability to
make us believe he is an adolescent in a child's body.
His performance is, simply put, remarkably honest.
Oskar's world is inhabited by his adulterous, incestuous
mother Agnes (Angela Winkler). Although married, Agnes
continues an affair with her cousin Jan (Daniel Olbcychski).
In fact, it is the uncertaint of Oskar's parentage
that may be responsible for his unique ability to stop
growing, although this is only hinted at. His mother
is truly the biggest liar that Oskar knows although
he loves her dearly. But, it may, in fact, be
his forceful insistence on honesty that finally puts
his mother in her grave.
Meanwhile, Oskar's father and uncle deal with the emerging
Nazi regime and this provides the crux of the plot here.
The hypocrisy of Germany, where the film is set, during
this time seems to be central to the theme of the work.
In fact, it may be exactly what the film is about. The
Nazi regime acts as a propellant to expose the hypocrisy
and dishonesty of the human race in general. Again,
let me say, the plot revolves on several levels here,
this being the most apparent.
On this same theme, one of the most interesting scenes
in the film revolves around a Nazi gathering that is
broken by Oskar's drumming ability. Oskar continually
carries a tin drum which he pounds mercilessly throughout
the film to expose hypocrisy and deceit. In this scene,
he hides under some bleachers and bangs his drum as
the Nazi band plays to the arrival of an important officer
in the 3rd Reich. Oskar's drumming soon changes the
rhythm as well as the tune of the Nazi band until the
crowd breaks from it's rigid stance and transforms into
a marvelous dance. This break from rigidity also produces
a rain storm which further defeats the staunchness of
the Nazis. It is truly a mystical moment.
Oskar also posses another unique talent in addition
to his drumming: he is able to shatter glass with a
high pitched scream. This talent is used whenever the
drum is silenced from it's rhythmic, thrusting beat.
Oskar later uses this talent to show his love as well,
by engraving a glass with a heart for a girlfriend.
However, throughout the story, it is a gift he mainly
uses, in addition to his drum, to uncover hypocrisy
and lies.
Director Schlondorff magically brings this epic story
to life aided mainly by Oskar's vibrant narration. Normally,
I find narration a cheap expositional tool, but here
it is magical. I'm not sure if it is actually Bennent
doing the narration, but whoever it is performs brilliantly.
The narrator screams and whispers equally effectively,
much like a small child. The narration draws us deep
into the story and punctuates the action we are shown.
Here, it is a perfect tool to aid in telling the story.
Schlondorff also films this epic interestingly. The
film opens with Oskar's narration telling us the story
of his grandmother. Schlondorff films this scene much
like a silent movie. The actors move oddly and the film
seems to be slightly sped up. He, wisely, abandons this
device as the story progresses and instead gives us
dark visuals which accent the hypocrisy and shame we
see in the story. The film is dark, sad and antiquated,
much like the feeling we are experiencing at the same
time as the growing Oskar.
"The Tin Drum" was awarded the Best Foreign Film Oscar
of 1979 with just reason. It is truly a remarkable film.
An epic on the theme of the hypocrisy of the human race.
Schlondorff's film surely brings Grass' story to the
screen more adeptly than any other director could ever
accomplish. This is a remarkable film and one that all
true film lovers should cherish. Rarely is such
an epic story brought to the screen so successfully.
Note: Music by Maurice Jarre. In German with subtitles.
Won the Best Foriegn Film Academy Award in 1979
The film was banned in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
in 1998 as child pornography. The ban was later lifted
on appeal.
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