The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

sleepyescapade

Trailer http://www.filmeducation.org/theboyinthestripedpyjamas/clips/striped_pyjamas_trailer.swf

It's out Sept 12th over here, read the book so looking forward to seeing film adaptation.

Conor108

hmm trailer looks good. Been meaning to read the book

monkeyfudge

Everyone is way too British in it... Looks really silly with them walking about in Nazi uniforms talking in clipped English accents.

sleepyescapade

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Everyone is way too British in it... Looks really silly with them walking about in Nazi uniforms talking in clipped English accents.

Found that odd myself

johnny_ultimate

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Everyone is way too British in it... Looks really silly with them walking about in Nazi uniforms talking in clipped English accents.

Yep, peculiar...

Never read the book myself but the trailer didn't seem all that appealing. I'm fairly cynical when it comes to war films anyway, but isn't top of my to watch list anyway.

lostexpectation

havn't read the book but it seems at first they try to not to reveal that the family are on 'the wrong side'

nice1franko

Read the book and thought it was poor. Stuck me as an easy shot at a novel. It's written from the childs point of view (how convenient) and the subject matter is poweful all on it's own. The book in one (bad) sentence: the child can't understand why he's not allowed play with Jewish friend or understand his circumstances in nazi Germany, reader despairs and thinks why can't we all just get along, why are we so cruel, etc. etc.

DublinWriter

nice1franko wrote: »

Read the book and thought it was poor...the child can't understand why he's not allowed play with Jewish friend or understand his circumstances in nazi Germany, reader despairs and thinks why can't we all just get along, why are we so cruel, etc. etc.

I agree. The book is fundamentally flawed in that characters of the age of the two boys historically would have been fully aware of who Hitler was thanks to the Deutsches Jungvolk movement, which was the junior branch of the Hitler youth for those aged from 10 to 14 years.

This and other numerous historical inaccuracies make the plot highly improbable.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Its a childs book (pretty much the same as The Swiss Family Robinson etc are ) and shouldn't be read like a war book or an historical document.

In fact my 12 yr old daughter's class read the book in first year!.

I read the book, and found as an adult that it wasn't for me. We also went to see the movie today, and its bloody fantastic. Although (and I'm not giving the end away for those of you who haven't read the book) I found the end heavy viewing and almost walked out, instead I tried focusing on an upcoming Judo competition otherwise I feared I'd be in sobs of tear's like everyone else there.

Book, worth while reading for a child or for those who understand a childs outlook on things - Movie, I'd highly recommend it.

At the start I thought the movie would be better with German accents, but then thought that would distance the viewer from the charactors, esp. the younger viewers who haven't been exposed to this type of movie before.

kraggy

I'd agree with Máirt in that it's a good film and usually I'd have a problem with German characters speaking in English but it does actually work.

However, where I would disagree with Máirt is that I was disappointed with the ending. Felt it was too abrupt and not as traumatic as it should have been made out to be.

Worth going to see though. 3/5.

DublinWriter

Mairt wrote: »

Its a childs book (pretty much the same as The Swiss Family Robinson etc are ) and shouldn't be read like a war book or an historical document.

True, but I do take exception when writers/directors refuse to let little things such as historical fact and accuracy get in the way of plot narrative.

Still, I'm sure it's one of those films where you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll eat your popcorn then get on about your day.

Posy

DublinWriter wrote: »

I agree. The book is fundamentally flawed in that characters of the age of the two boys historically would have been fully aware of who Hitler was thanks to the Deutsches Jungvolk movement, which was the junior branch of the Hitler youth for those aged from 10 to 14 years.

But the boy in the book is nine and age eight in the film, and he's very innocent and sheltered about the events unfolding. His sister who's twelve knows what's going on and is often exasperated with her little brother for such naivety. Haven't seen the film, but I like the book.

zAbbo

To be historically accurate (which the book/film doesn't propose to be), those two boys would be long dead.

I'm going to watch it tomorrow (details in sig)

Actually looking forward to it. (if you know what I mean)

lostexpectation

DublinWriter wrote: »

True, but I do take exception when writers/directors refuse to let little things such as historical fact and accuracy get in the way of plot narrative.

its a fable, its a story, its not the actual occurences.

kermode gave i a glowing review on that basis

Dudess

Yep.

Look: it's unlikely the main little guy would have been able to go anywhere near the fence - even if he did manage to find a secret passage to it. There would have been guards and dogs lining the length of it and the fence itself would have been impenetrable anyway, even for a tiny child.
I also doubt the little Jewish dude would have been left unsupervised so often to just wander off by himself.
In fact, as far as I know, children under, I think 12, were killed on arrival as they were too small and lacking in strength for work.

I saw it tonight. The main thing for me is the horror was well conveyed. I found certain moments in both the book and film absolutely chilling. I thought the fair-haired guy who played Lieutenant Kotler was superb - frightened the **** out of me. The poor old guy who peeled the vegetables and waited the table broke my heart.

The ending was so intense - moreso than the book. The general consensus is that a book is always gonna be better than the film but I find this notion a bit elitist at times - as in, it's more "intelligent" to read than to watch a movie. There is stuff possible in a film which isn't possible in a book... and vice versa.

unreggd

So its not the new Bananaman film so??

Dudess

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Everyone is way too British in it... Looks really silly with them walking about in Nazi uniforms talking in clipped English accents.

megcork wrote: »

Found that odd myself

But that's regularly the case with English language films set during the Holocaust. It doesn't really matter what the accent is as they're speaking English anyway. If they put on a German accent it's kinda sillier really, considering it's pointless. The nazis didn't speak in English all the time in their German accents!

kraggy wrote: »

usually I'd have a problem with German characters speaking in English but it does actually work.

But nearly all the characters are German, the rest being Polish, so I don't really know what you mean. It's an English language film so there wouldn't have been any opportunity for German to be spoken...

JWAD

The book read like it was written by an obvious gentile who maybe one of those day trips to Auschwitz, watched 'Life Is Beautiful' and then decided to write a book about the Holocaust.
I'm not even slightly curious how the movie is. I might just be sick to the teeth of John Boyne who has been splashed on both main domestic sunday papers non-stop ever since this effort of his was published.
Contrived, trite and hardly original.
Read real life accounts instead, check out stock footage at Yad Vashem or else watch Claude Lanzmann's 10-hr documentary 'Shoah'.

Dudess

Probably not a good idea if you're a 10-year-old child...

zAbbo

It's not historically accurate, obviously - doesn't mean it's not an interesting story.

kraggy

Dudess wrote: »

But that's regularly the case with English language films set during the Holocaust. It doesn't really matter what the accent is as they're speaking English anyway. If they put on a German accent it's kinda sillier really, considering it's pointless. The nazis didn't speak in English all the time in their German accents!

But nearly all the characters are German, the rest being Polish, so I don't really know what you mean. It's an English language film so there wouldn't have been any opportunity for German to be spoken...

I don't understand what you mean either.

The characters are German and German people speak German, Polish people speak Polish etc.

Therefore, I would prefer if the film had been made in German (and Polish if applicable), with English subtitles.

But as it is, i.e. in English, it's fine. That's what I meant.

zAbbo

The film is aimed at 12 year olds, and is told through the eyes of two boys.

If it was subtitled, I can't imagine the target market would have got a chance to see it.

kraggy

zAbbo wrote: »

The film is aimed at 12 year olds, and is told through the eyes of two boys.

If it was subtitled, I can't imagine the target market would have got a chance to see it.

Just as well I'm not a 10 year old then isn't it.

I said I would prefer it in German, not 10 year olds.

It was in English precisely because of the market it was aimed at, as you said, and it worked. But I would have preferred the story to have been told by German actors and a script in German. That's all.

Dudess

zAbbo wrote: »

The film is aimed at 12 year olds, and is told through the eyes of two boys.

If it was subtitled, I can't imagine the target market would have got a chance to see it.

Well... aimed at English-speaking 12-year-olds. German 12-year-olds would have understood it if it was made in German.

I see what you're saying kraggy, there's unnoticed and unquestioned anglocentricity when it comes to film - however, the book was written in English.
I prefer English actors/actresses not to use German accents when depicting nazis as it can sound rather "ve haf vays of making you talk"...

zAbbo

kraggy wrote: »

Just as well I'm not a 10 year old then isn't it.

Yeah, because you'd have to wait another 2 years to watch it

It would never have been made as a foreign language film, as the market for subtitled films to 12 year olds isn't very high, and aiming this at anyone older would be criticised for the simplicity and inaccuracy of the subject matter. (and rightly so).

I get what you're saying kraggy, I just don't the story would work subtitled with native speakers.

David Thewlis is brilliant in it, he's not doing a German accent, but does have that faint European tone in his accident.

kraggy

zAbbo wrote: »

Yeah, because you'd have to wait another 2 years to watch it

It would never have been made as a foreign language film, as the market for subtitled films to 12 year olds isn't very high, and aiming this at anyone older would be criticised for the simplicity and inaccuracy of the subject matter. (and rightly so).

I get what you're saying kraggy, I just don't the story would work subtitled with native speakers.

David Thewlis is brilliant in it, he's not doing a German accent, but does have that faint European tone in his accident.

David Thewliss is indeed a brilliant actor.

If you haven't already, check out Naked by Mike Leigh.

The best piece of acting I've ever seen.

DublinWriter

JWAD wrote: »

The book read like it was written by an obvious gentile who maybe one of those day trips to Auschwitz, watched 'Life Is Beautiful' and then decided to write a book about the Holocaust.
I'm not even slightly curious how the movie is. I might just be sick to the teeth of John Boyne who has been splashed on both main domestic sunday papers non-stop ever since this effort of his was published.
Contrived, trite and hardly original.
Read real life accounts instead, check out stock footage at Yad Vashem or else watch Claude Lanzmann's 10-hr documentary 'Shoah'.

I really take exception with the numerous gross historical and contextual inaccuracies in this book.

I know people say "well, it's the story that matters", but the fact that the author utilises and misrepresents one of the most tragic episodes in the history of mankind as mere stage-scenery for this over sentimental story to me is a couple of clicks below Holocaust Denial.

Dudess

But the book is for kids, and the friendship between the two boys is something kids could relate to - it was an effective tool to use to convey the horror to kids reading it. I think there is a bit too much cynicism here.

JWAD

DublinWriter wrote: »

the fact that the author utilises and misrepresents one of the most tragic episodes in the history of mankind as mere stage-scenery for this over sentimental story to me is a couple of clicks below Holocaust Denial.

A tad over-the-top there, methinks.