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The Tin Drum

Original title: Die Blechtrommel
  • 19791979
  • RR
  • 2h 22m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
24K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,561
1,076
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Die Blechtrommel (1979)
Three Reasons Criterion Trailer for The Tin Drum
Play trailer1:29
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • War

In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.

IMDb RATING
7.5/10
24K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,561
1,076
  • Director
    • Volker Schlöndorff
  • Writers
    • Günter Grass(novel)
    • Jean-Claude Carrière
    • Volker Schlöndorff
  • Stars
    • David Bennent
    • Mario Adorf
    • Angela Winkler
Top credits
  • Director
    • Volker Schlöndorff
  • Writers
    • Günter Grass(novel)
    • Jean-Claude Carrière
    • Volker Schlöndorff
  • Stars
    • David Bennent
    • Mario Adorf
    • Angela Winkler
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 92User reviews
    • 93Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 18 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Tin Drum: The Criterion Collection
    Trailer 1:29
    The Tin Drum: The Criterion Collection

    Photos141

    1 sheet
    Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    Mario Adorf, David Bennent, Katharina Thalbach, and Angela Winkler in Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    David Bennent and Daniel Olbrychski in Die Blechtrommel (1979)
    David Bennent in Die Blechtrommel (1979)

    Top cast

    Edit
    David Bennent
    David Bennent
    • Oskar Matzerathas Oskar Matzerath
    Mario Adorf
    Mario Adorf
    • Alfred Matzerathas Alfred Matzerath
    Angela Winkler
    Angela Winkler
    • Agnes Matzerathas Agnes Matzerath
    Katharina Thalbach
    Katharina Thalbach
    • Maria Matzerathas Maria Matzerath
    Daniel Olbrychski
    Daniel Olbrychski
    • Jan Bronskias Jan Bronski
    Tina Engel
    • Anna Koljaiczek (jung)as Anna Koljaiczek (jung)
    Berta Drews
    • Anna Koljaiczekas Anna Koljaiczek
    Roland Teubner
    • Joseph Koljaiczekas Joseph Koljaiczek
    Tadeusz Kunikowski
    • Onkel Vinzenzas Onkel Vinzenz
    Andréa Ferréol
    Andréa Ferréol
    • Lina Greffas Lina Greff
    • (as Andréa Ferreol)
    Heinz Bennent
    Heinz Bennent
    • Greffas Greff
    Ilse Pagé
    Ilse Pagé
    • Gretchen Scheffleras Gretchen Scheffler
    Werner Rehm
    • Scheffleras Scheffler
    Käte Jaenicke
    • Mutter Truczinskias Mutter Truczinski
    Helmut Brasch
    • Der Alte Heilandtas Der Alte Heilandt
    • (as Helmuth Brasch)
    Otto Sander
    Otto Sander
    • Musiker Meynas Musiker Meyn
    Wigand Witting
    • Herbert Truczinskias Herbert Truczinski
    Mariella Oliveri
    • Roswithaas Roswitha
    • Director
      • Volker Schlöndorff
    • Writers
      • Günter Grass(novel) (additional dialogue)
      • Jean-Claude Carrière
      • Volker Schlöndorff
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Danzig in the 1920s-1930s. Oskar Matzerath, son of a local dealer, is a most unusual boy. Equipped with full intellect right from birth, he decides on his third birthday not to grow up as he sees the crazy world around him on the eve of World War II. He refuses to join society and his tin drum symbolizes his protest against the middle-class mentality of his family and neighbourhood, which stand for all passive people in Nazi Germany at the time. But (almost) nobody listens to him, so the catastrophe continues. —Anonymous
    • gnome
    • nazi
    • subjective camera
    • murder
    • murder of father
    • 272 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Academy Award Winner Best Foreign Language Film 1979
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • War
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In June 1997, at the urging of a Christian fundamentalist group, and after viewing a few isolated scenes, an Oklahoma County District Court judge ruled that the film contained child pornography, as defined by Oklahoma's obscenity laws, and was therefore illegal. Oklahoma City police confiscated all copies of the film from libraries and rental outlets, without obtaining the necessary search warrants or court orders. They intimidated video store managers into giving them the addresses of customers with rental copies, went to those homes, and confiscated the movies. The local District Attorney announced that anyone possessing a copy of the movie would be arrested. The D.A. was forced to back down within weeks, and most of the seized videos had been returned by December. By October 1998, after several related lawsuits, U.S. federal courts ruled that the movie did not violate Oklahoma obscenity laws, and the seizure of the videotapes had been unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals closed the final case in May 2001, and the movie is once again available in Oklahoma County.
    • Goofs
      While the German soldiers attack the Polish post office, one fires an MG42 machine gun from his shoulder. The German army didn't use that weapon before 1942. It's also not supposed to be fired while standing.
    • 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.

    • Alternate versions
      Although reluctant to do so the BBFC were forced to remove 19 secs from UK cinema and video versions under the Protection of Children Act to remove a scene showing Oskar pressing his face against Maria's pubic region. The cuts were waived in 2003 when it was decided that the scene did not constitute an indecent image.
    • Connections
      Featured in Pieces of Silver (1989)

    User reviews92

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Grotesque yet beautiful
    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.
    helpful•101
    16
    • Oliver1984
    • Jan 21, 1999

    FAQ2

    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the German TV Version?
    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 11, 1980 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • France
      • Poland
    • Languages
      • German
      • Italian
      • Hebrew
      • Polish
      • Russian
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Limeni dobos
    • Filming locations
      • Wedding, Berlin, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Franz Seitz Filmproduktion
      • Bioskop Film
      • Artemis Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,881
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White

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