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IMDb > Die Blechtrommel (1979)
Die Blechtrommel
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Die Blechtrommel (1979) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   7,007 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Jean-Claude Carrière (writer)
Günter Grass (additional dialogue)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Tin Drum on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 April 1980 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | History | War more
Tagline:
Academy Award Winner Best Foreign Language Film 1979 more
Plot:
Danzig in the 1920s/1930s. Oskar Matzerath, son of a local dealer, is a most unusual boy. Equipped with... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 12 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Prolific Film Composer Jarre Dead At 84
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 30 March 2009, 2:34 AM, PDT)

Potente is the 'Pope'
 (From ioncinema. 6 October 2006)

User Comments:
Grotesque yet beautiful more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Tin Drum (UK) (USA)
Blaszany bebenek (Poland)
Le tambour (France)
Limeni dobos (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
more
Runtime:
142 min
Color:
Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
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)
Company:
Argos Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Acclaimed Polish-British actress Beata Pozniak made her movie debut as an extra when scenes were shot right outside her home. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Oskar breaks the teacher's glasses, the pattern of spots on his face change. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Zomergasten: (#10.3)" (1997) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
44 out of 47 people found the following comment useful:-
Grotesque yet beautiful, 21 January 1999
9/10
Author: Oliver Blomqvist (oblomqvist@hotmail.com) from Helsinki, Finland

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.

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