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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) More at IMDbPro »The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (original title)

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas -- This is the theatrical trailer for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, directed by Mark Herman.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas -- The forbidden friendship between an eight-year-old German boy and a young Jewish concentration camp prisoner in World War II-era Germany.

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   68,867 votes »
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Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Mark Herman
Writers:
John Boyne (novel)
Mark Herman (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 November 2008 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Drama | History | War See more »
Tagline:
A timeless story of innocence lost and humanity found. See more »
Plot:
Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
2 wins & 5 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(137 articles)
'Celebrity Juice' back on ITV2 with 1.6 million
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User Reviews:
Stunning! Simply Stunning!!! See more (339 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Asa Butterfield ... Bruno
Zac Mattoon O'Brien ... Leon (as Zac Mattoon-O'Brien)
Domonkos Németh ... Martin
Henry Kingsmill ... Karl

Vera Farmiga ... Mother

Cara Horgan ... Maria
Zsuzsa Holl ... Berlin Cook

Amber Beattie ... Gretel
László Áron ... Lars

David Thewlis ... Father

Richard Johnson ... Grandpa

Sheila Hancock ... Grandma

Charlie Baker ... Palm Court Singer
Iván Verebély ... Meinberg
Béla Fesztbaum ... Schultz
Attila Egyed ... Heinz

Rupert Friend ... Lieutenant Kotler

David Hayman ... Pavel

Jim Norton ... Herr Liszt

Jack Scanlon ... Shmuel
László Nádasi ... Isaak
László Quitt ... Kapo 1

Mihály Szabados ... Kapo 2
Zsolt Sáfár Kovács ... Kapo 3 Sonderkommando
Gábor Harsai ... Elderly Jewish Man (as Gábor Harsay)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Julia Papp ... Dancer (uncredited)
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Directed by
Mark Herman 
 
Writing credits
John Boyne (novel)

Mark Herman (screenplay)

Produced by
Rosie Alison .... co-producer
Mark Herman .... executive producer
David Heyman .... producer
Christine Langan .... executive producer
Mary Richards .... line producer
 
Original Music by
James Horner 
 
Cinematography by
Benoît Delhomme (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Michael Ellis 
 
Casting by
Leo Davis 
Pippa Hall 
 
Production Design by
Martin Childs 
 
Art Direction by
Rod McLean (supervising art director)
Razvan Radu  (as Rázvan Radu)
Szilvia Ritter 
Mónika Esztán (uncredited)
 
Set Decoration by
Gábor Nagy 
 
Costume Design by
Natalie Ward 
 
Makeup Department
Jacqueline Bhavnani .... hair stylist
Jacqueline Bhavnani .... makeup artist
Hildegard Haide .... makeup artist
Marese Langan .... hair designer
Marese Langan .... makeup designer
Alex Rouse .... wigmaker
Erzsébet Rácz .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Tania Blunden .... post-production supervisor
István Király .... unit manager
Gyorgy Kuntner .... production manager (as Gyõrgy Kuntner)
Mary Richards .... unit production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Monika Bota .... additional assistant director: crowd (as Mónika Bóta)
Heidi Gower .... third assistant director
Zsuzsa Gurban .... co-first assistant director (as Zsuzsa Gurbán)
Martin Harrison .... first assistant director
Bernadett Lõvey .... third assistant director
István Pocsai .... third assistant director
Chris Stoaling .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Sándor Bognár .... stand-by construction
Barna Brill .... construction manager
Péter Brill .... construction manager
István Busa .... swing gang
Bálint Diószegi .... property buyer
Peter Gantner .... assistant set decorator (as Péter Gantner)
Attila Horváth .... stand-by construction
Gábor Hutter .... swing gang
János Jován .... set builder
Gábor Kiss .... set builder
Géza Kotán .... painter
Balázs Kovács .... stand-by propman
Balázs Kovács .... swing gang
István Kovács .... swing gang
Tibor Lucza .... painter
László Mohovics .... swing gang
Sándor Nagy .... stand-by property master
László Németh .... painter
David Packard .... scenic artist
Zoltán Pamuk .... painter
Gábor Posevitz .... property master
Sándor Rád .... set builder
Ferenc Simiglai .... painter
István Szabó .... set builder
Kinga Szabó .... art department coordinator
Károly Turzai .... painter
Zoltán Varga .... swing gang
István Zsolnai .... painter
Catherine Byrne .... art department researcher (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Peter Burgis .... foley artist (as Pete Burgis)
John Casali .... sound mixer
Andie Derrick .... foley artist (as Andi Derrick)
Joe Gallagher .... dialogue editor
Rodney Glenn .... supervising sound editor
Attila Kohári .... cable man
Jerome McCann .... sound playback operator
Mark Paterson .... sound re-recording mixer
György Rajna .... boom operator
Adrian Rhodes .... sound re-recording mixer
James Seddon .... dolby consultant
Ed Colyer .... foley mixer (uncredited)
Glen Gathard .... assistant foley mixer (uncredited)
Peter Gleaves .... adr mixer (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Gábor Balog .... standby special effects technician
János Berki .... standby special effects technician
Ferenc Kardos .... special effects supervisor
Gyula Krasnyánszky .... pyrotechnician
Ferenc Ormos .... special effects supervisor
György Solymosi .... standby special effects technician
 
Visual Effects by
Louie Alexander .... retouch and restoration: Framestore-CFC
Simon Allmark .... visual effects editorial: Double Negative
Ben Baker .... head of digital lab: Framestore-CFC
Adrian Banton .... 2d supervisor: Double Negative
Turea Blyth .... visual effects editorial
Jerome Dewhurst .... di engineer
Miles Drake .... visual effects editorial: Double Negative
Mohamed Effandi .... visual effects artist: Double Negative (as Effandi Bin Mohamed)
Michael Bruce Ellis .... visual effects supervisor: Double Negative (as Mike Ellis)
Adam Glasman .... digital intermediate colourist
Gavin Gregory .... visual effects coordinator: Double Negative
Edwina Jamieson .... retouch and restoration: Framestore-CFC (as Edwin Jamieson)
David Johnston .... data operator: Framestore-CFC
Serena Lam .... visual effects artist: Double Negative
Matthew Leach .... studio assistant
Tracey Leadbetter .... visual effects producer: Double Negative
Edwin Metternich .... retouch and restoration: Framestore
Stuart Nippard .... conform editor: Framestore-CFC
Zelda Tinska .... visual effects editorial: Double Negative
Jon Veal .... visual effects artist: Double Negative
Szvák Antal .... visual effects coordinator: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Matthew Baker .... retouch and restoration: Framestore-CFC (uncredited)
Zoltán Benyó .... visual effects producer: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Zachary Bloom .... scanning and recording: Framestore CFC (uncredited)
Clare Brody .... data operator: Framestore (uncredited)
Péter Bujdosó .... matte painting supervisor: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Paul Burke .... scanning and recording: Framestore (uncredited)
Andy Burrow .... scanning & recording manager (uncredited)
Dave Calub .... retouch and restoration: Framestore (uncredited)
Francesca Canducci .... retouch and restoration: Framestore (uncredited)
Ronan Carr .... restoration artist: digital restoration (uncredited)
Zoe Cousins .... scanning and recording (uncredited)
Liana Dunleavy .... retouch and restoration (uncredited)
Laboncz Edina .... digital paint and rotoscope artist: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Richard Edwards .... data operator: Framestore CFC (uncredited)
André Gabriella .... digital paint and rotoscope artist: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Mai Gray .... retouch and restoration: Framestore (uncredited)
Alistair Hamer .... film mastering engineer (uncredited)
Pete Hanson .... studio manager: double negative (uncredited)
Adam Hawkes .... digital compositor (uncredited)
Karsten Hecker .... film mastering engineer: Framestore CFC (uncredited)
Jan Hogevold .... executive producer: framestore di (uncredited)
John Inch .... retouch and restoration (uncredited)
Horváth Gál István .... rotoscope artist: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Éva Korda .... rotoscope artist: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Károly Körmöczi .... rotoscope artist: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Taz Lodder .... technical support: Double Negative (uncredited)
Esme Long .... production manager (uncredited)
James Long .... data operator: Framestore CFC (uncredited)
Kevin Lowery .... film mastering engineer (uncredited)
Veronica Marcano .... scanning & recording operator: Framestore (uncredited)
Peregrine McCafferty .... matchmove artist: Double Negative (uncredited)
Gurel Mehmet .... concept artist: Double Negative (uncredited)
Adam Parker .... retouch and restoration: Framestore (uncredited)
Lee Rankin .... scanning and recording: Framestore (uncredited)
James Reed .... scanning and recording (uncredited)
Jimmy Saul .... scanning and recording (uncredited)
Noémi Somoskövy .... visual effects coordinator: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Nick Stanley .... retouch and restoration: Framestore (uncredited)
Maria Stroka .... senior digital intermediate producer (uncredited)
Mátyás Szabó .... senior digital artist: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Gábor Székely .... technical director: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Pál Tauszig .... digital compositor: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Odean Thompson .... digital paint and restoration: Framestore (uncredited)
Gábor Tóth .... lead digital compositor: Cube Effects (uncredited)
Péter Závorszky .... visual effects production manager: Cube Effects (uncredited)
 
Stunts
György Kivés .... stunt coordinator
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Ernõ Bacsics .... rigging electrician
Gyula Balogh .... rigging electrician
András Bozsár .... rigging electrician
Zsolt Büti .... gaffer
István Csehy .... rigging electrician
Gergely Csepregi .... focus puller: "b" camera
Zoltán Dzsupin .... clapper loader: "b" camera
Tibor Gazdig .... electrician
Márton Gregus .... electrician
István Gyura .... crane operator
Károly Gál .... best boy (as Károly Gaál)
Gábor Inczédy .... electrician
Tibor Kecskeméti .... grip
Andy Long .... gaffer
Dávid Lukács .... still photographer
László Major .... electrician
Sándor Major .... generator operator
Mark Milsome .... focus puller: "a" camera
Nikolaos Papanikolaou .... remote head technician
Pal Perlaki .... grip (as Pál Perlaki)
Alastair Rae .... Steadicam operator (as Alistair Rae)
György Réder .... camera operator: "b" camera
Imre Sisa .... dolly grip
Imre Sisa .... key grip
Richárd Szeidermann .... electrician
András Szöke .... clapper loader: "a" camera (as András Szõke)
Tamás Takács .... video assistant
Ádám Turbuk .... camera trainee
András Tóth .... best boy
András Tóth .... dolly grip: second camera
László Tóth .... rigging electrician
Norbert Kroó .... camera car assistant (uncredited)
Attila Pfeffer .... steadicam operator (uncredited)
Lengyel Péter .... light board operator (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Éva Bajusz .... casting assistant
Vanessa Baker .... adr voice casting
Brendan Donnison .... adr voice casting
Sándor Dénes .... casting: c rowd
Mariann Kuzmanné Rónay .... casting: children, Hungary (as Marianne Kuzman)
Veronika Varjasi .... casting director: Hungary (as Vera Varjasi)
Donna Morong .... executive in charge of casting (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Liza Bracey .... assistant costume designer
Agnes Forgacs .... dresser: crowd (as Agnes Forgács)
Enikö Karádi .... dresser: crowd
Anikó Nagy .... costume interpreter
Imre Orosz .... costume supervisor
Péter Palotás .... dresser: crowd
Orsolya Sallai .... dresser
Gábor Simkó .... dresser
Nat Turner .... costume assistant
 
Editorial Department
Turea Blyth .... digital intermediate editorial
Janó Fekete .... colorist: dailies
Adam Glasman .... colorist
Jan Hogevold .... digital intermediate executive producer
Paul Hyman .... first assistant editor
Faye Morgan .... post-production coordinator (as Faye Stevens)
Karenjit Sahota .... trainee assistant editor
Maria Stroka .... digital intermediate senior producer
Sean Cooney .... post-production executive (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Dick Bernstein .... music editor
Bob Bornstein .... music preparation
Sandy DeCrescent .... music contractor (as Sandy DeCresent)
Jim Henrikson .... music scoring supervisor
James Horner .... musician: piano
Aaron Martin .... synthesizer programmer
Simon Rhodes .... music mixer
Simon Rhodes .... music recordist
Peter Rotter .... music contractor
Nigel Stone .... music editor: temp score
Ian Underwood .... synthesizer programmer
Isobel Griffiths .... orchestra contractor (uncredited)
James Horner .... conductor (uncredited)
James Horner .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Richard Wheeler Jr. .... scoring crew (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Zoltán Bai .... driver: producer
István Bodor .... driver
Edit Boroznaki .... driver
Pál Boroznaki .... driver
Dani Bozsik .... driver
Feri Farkas .... driver
Viktor Fülöp .... driver
András Grúz .... driver
Sándor Horváth .... driver
Dani Király .... driver
Tamás Nagy .... transportation coordinator
Jozsef Nyiri .... driver (as Jósef Nyíri)
Tibor Nyári .... driver: props
Imre Solti .... driver
Antal Szbára .... driver
László Szücs .... driver
Hajnalka Tarján .... driver
Sándor Vercz .... driver: director
János Zeve .... driver: props
 
Other crew
Gyorgy Bacsatyai .... legal services: Hungary, Kovari Tercsak Salans Attorneys
Zsolt Bajczar .... catering crew (as Zsolt Bajczár)
Gyõrgy Bajczár .... catering crew
Alex Balogh .... stand-in: Asa Butterfield
Richárd Balogh .... stand-in: Asa Butterfield
Celia Bannerman .... acting coach
Libbie Barr .... script supervisor
Michael Bartol .... staff production coordinator: Miramax Films
Daisy Beattie .... chaperone
Susan Beattie .... chaperone
Márk Bedó .... stand-in: Zac Mattoon-O'Brien
Samantha Black .... production coordinator
Imre Bodo .... assistant location manager
Márk Bogan .... stand-in: Jack Mattoon-O'Brien
Kristóf Brabanti .... stand-in: Jack Scanlon
Sam Butterfield .... chaperone
Márk Csutár .... double: Henry Kingsmall
Noel Donnellon .... title sequence producer
Béla Dévényi .... catering crew
Renáta Dévényi .... catering crew
Márk Elliott .... double: Zac Mattoon-O'Brien
Jake Farr .... chaperone
Mercedesz Forrai .... stand-in: Amber Beattie
Olivia Fridez .... stand-in: Amber Beattie
Béla Gajdos .... armorer
Krisztián Haraszti .... stand-in: Asa Butterfield
Tarn Harper .... accountant: post-production
Csaba Harsányi .... armorer
Ágota Horváth .... cashier
Márton Ivanov .... location assistant
Vera Janisch .... floor production assistant
Barbara Kaltner .... catering crew
Adrienn Kamarás .... production secretary
Gabriella Kardos .... stand-in: Amber Beattie
András Kassai .... location maintenance (as Andrán Kásai)
John Kaylin .... dubbing producer
Deepti Khurana .... legal services: UK, Wiggin LLP
Mandy Kingsmill .... chaperone
Martin Pályi Kiss .... double: Domonkos Németh
Csilla Koráng .... location security supervisor
Kinga Kovacs .... production accountant: Hungary (as Kinga Trimmel-Kovács)
Balázs Kovács .... crowd marshall
György Kristóf .... floor production assistant
Zsuzsanna Kõhegyi .... assistant: Eurofilm Studió
Levente Lórincz .... stand-in: Domonkos Németh
Marcell Magyar .... double: Jack Scanlon
Hajnalka Makk .... assistant: Mark Herman
Péter Mendel .... double: Asa Butterfield
Sharon Milton .... tutor
Péter Miskolczi .... production services: Hungary, Eurofilm Studió
Valéria Molnár .... stand-in: Amber Beattie
Charles Moore .... legal services: UK, Wiggin LLP
Julian Murray .... first assistant accountant
Lajos Nagy .... assistant accountant
Till Neumann .... legal services: Germany, Brehm & von Moers
Mihály Nyíri .... fire safety
David Z. Obadiah .... titles sequence producer
Katharine Otway .... legal services: UK, Wiggin LLP (as Katherine Otway)
Justin Pollard .... researcher
Stephanie G. Pollard .... researcher (as Stephanie Pollard)
Martin F. Polyák .... stand-in: Jack Scanlon
Mark Preston .... assistant: Mark Herman
Fiona Scanlon .... chaperone
Peter J. Silbermann .... unit publicist
Marianna Strommer .... assistant production coordinator
Richard Szabó .... facilities manager
Laura Teleki .... double: Amber Beattie
Tamas Tercsak .... legal services: Hungary, Kovari Tercsak Salans Attorneys
András Tóth .... location manager
Patrik Vadai .... stand-in: Jack Scanlon
Zsuzsa Varadi .... production coordinator (as Zsuzsa Váradi)
Krisztián Varga .... stand-in: Henry Kingsmill
Gábor Váradi .... production services: Hungary, Eurofilm Studió
Joanna Warner .... chaperone
Evelyn Wenzel .... researcher: German
Polly Wilby .... assistant accountant: post-production
Betty Williams .... financial controller
Oliver Wiseman .... assistant: Mr Heyman
Nandi Kiss .... set runner (uncredited)
Gergö Marton .... set production assistant (uncredited)
János Papp .... health and safety advisor (uncredited)
Roger Phillips .... title designer (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Tim Corrie .... special thanks
Harvey Herman .... special thanks
Joy Herman .... special thanks
Laura Herman .... special thanks
David Nochimson .... special thanks
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" - UK (original title)
See more »
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
94 min | Israel:93 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
USA:PG-13 (certificate #44276) | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | Norway:11 | Argentina:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Brazil:12 | Chile:14 | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Germany:12 (f) | Hong Kong:IIA | Mexico:B | Japan:PG-12 | New Zealand:M | Peru:14 | Denmark:11 | Austria:12
Filming Locations:
Budapest, HungarySee more »
Company:
Miramax FilmsSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The character name "Meinberg" translates into English as "My Hill" or "My Mountain". Director Mark Herman is a Hull City supporter and at the time the Hull goalkeeper was Boaz Myhill.See more »
Goofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The dedication document shown at Bruno's grandmother's funeral is titled "von dem Führer" (by the Führer). It has been claimed even though the grammatically correct German would be "vom Führer", the text would still be too sparse and informal for such an occasion as a funeral. However, "Vom" is just a contraction of "von dem" but "vom" is more colloquial in German. An official piece of writing like shown in the movie would state "von dem", that is, if such a dedication is actually based on an original anyway.See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
Mother:Hello, sweetheart.
Bruno:Mum, what's going on?
Mother:We're celebrating.
Bruno:Celebrating?
Mother:Mm, your father's been given a promotion.
Gretel:That means a better job.
Bruno:I know what promotion is.
Mother:So we're having a little party to celebrate.
Bruno:He's still going to be a soldier though, isn't he?
[...]
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Friendship Beyond the Fence (2009) (V)See more »
Soundtrack:
Ich liebe das LebenSee more »

FAQ

How does the movie end?
Is "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" based on a book?
How do Bruno and Shmuel meet?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
181 out of 223 people found the following review useful.
Stunning! Simply Stunning!!!, 13 September 2008
Author: TheEdge-4 from Rochford, Essex

There have been more than a few films on the subject of the Holocaust, possibly the daddy of them all being Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List" based on the book "Schindler's Ark" by Thomas Keneally. Much better, however, in my mind is Costa-Gavras' "Amen" based on Rolf Hochhuth's play "Le Vicaire". Now Mark Herman's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", itself based on John Boyne's novel, is fit to mentioned alongside these two great films.

I was initially doubtful at the premise of this film since my knowledge of Holocaust history suggested that 8 year old boys would have been sent straight to the gas chambers on arrival rather than set to work in a camp (obviously I am happy to be set straight on this point if I am wrong). And having seen the film, I also doubt that the boy in the camp (Shmuel, well played by Jack Scanlon) would be able to sit at the camp fence undetected long enough to meet and talk to Bruno, the camp Commandant's son (an astonishingly assured performance by newcomer Asa Butterfield).

There has also been some criticism of the fact that all the actors speak in Received Pronounciation English accents (even American actress Vera Farmiga, whose English accent is completely faultless). This is true, although to be completely accurate, all the actors would have to speak in German and the film would have had to be subtitled as a result.

In truth, however, none of these criticisms actually matters a damn. For even though all of the above is undeniably true, the film still works. And my, how it works. When it finished, I sat in my seat stunned (I had the same reaction after watching "Disaster Movie" last week, but most definitely not for the same reason, I assure you).

The Holocaust as seen through the prism of 8 year old German boy is a novel approach and although we all know what is happening at the camp nearby, at the beginning, he does not. And every step he takes, he gets closer to discovering the truth, losing his childhood innocence in the process.

What I liked about this film is the sophisticated and multi-layered portrayal of the German characters. None of them are one dimensional wholly evil characters but nor are they wholly good either (not even Bruno who tells lies on several occasions, one occasion which results in brutal punishment for one of the prisoners as a consequence).

With good performances from Asa Butterfield as Bruno, Amber Beattie as his sister, David Thewlis as his father, Vera Farmiga as his mother and Jack Scanlon as Shmuel, this may not be the first film about the loss of childhood innocence in the Holocaust (Roberto Benigni beat Herman to it with "Life is Beautiful" and whilst Benigni's film has a powerful end of its own, even that does not compare to the powerful shattering ending which this film possesses) but it is the best and most effective to date.

With restrained direction by Mark Herman and a similarly restrained score from James Horner, if this film does not win the hat full of Oscars next year that it surely deserves, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will have shown itself to be completely irrelevant.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (339 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why germans speaking in english? fabio-1
Auschwitz or Unit 731 [WORST?] tomasse100
One thing I didn't understand scubadivergeek
Anyone else annoyed at the abrupt ending? kawaii_korn
British Accents reece_hanrahan
Saw this movie and read the book when I was 12. azkemper
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