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The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum
7.9
/10
3,057 Ratings

THE TIN DRUM

Die Blechtrommel

Directed by Volker Schlöndorff
West Germany, France, 1979
Drama, History, War

Synopsis

Oskar is an unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, he vows on his third birthday to never grow up. Miraculously, he gets his wish. As the Nazis rise to power, Oskar wills himself to remain a child, screaming in protest at the chaos surrounding him.

Synopsis

Oskar is an unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, he vows on his third birthday to never grow up. Miraculously, he gets his wish. As the Nazis rise to power, Oskar wills himself to remain a child, screaming in protest at the chaos surrounding him.

Our take

Famously sharing the Palme d’Or with Apocalypse Now, Schlöndorff’s scandalous adaptation of Günter Grass’ novel wound up as one of the highest-grossing German films of the decade. A new generation acutely examines the one that came before it: just like a child, now grown up, looks at their parents.