The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a German concentration camp, a forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.

Director:

Mark Herman

Writers:

John Boyne (novel), Mark Herman (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend

7 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Bruno an eight-year-old boy from Berlin, Germany is moved with his mother, Elder sister, SS Commander father to a countryside in Europe where his father powers over a concentration camp for Jews. Bruno went "exploring" one day and befriended a child his age named Shmuel. Shmuel was a Jew. The boy became good friends until Bruno was scheduled to move to a new location.

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Plot Keywords:

jew | boy | poison gas | fence | jewish | 

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Taglines:

Lines may divide us, but hope will unite us...

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bruno's hairstyle closely resembles that of Adolf Hitler who, of course, was leader of the Nazi party from 1933 to his death in 1945.

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Goofs

Gretel, who gets brainwashed to supporting the Third Reich, throws away her dolls to act more 'mature': but if you look carefully when she gets a present from Elsa, a doll is seen near her bedside.

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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?
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Quotation displayed before the opening titles: "Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows - John Betjeman"

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojoUK: Top 10 British Movies You Can Only Watch Once (2018)

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Soundtracks

Smile When You Say Goodbye
Written by Harry Parr Davies (as Harry Parr-Davies)

User Reviews

A movie that everyone must watch

I was sitting at the very back row of Cineworld, Dublin screen nine and struggling with my tears. I thought it would be extremely embarrassing if people see tears in my eyes. But I was so wrong! The lady sitting beside me was crying like anything. Finally we ended up with the move and it started showing casts on its black screen. But, not a single person moved from his seat or probably lost their (including myself) power to move. The only sound I heard was the sound of people's emotion. Guy sitting one row before me hugged his girlfriend who were crying like a little kid. The guy himself was also in tear. I saw a girl from Cineworld cleaning staff with horrifying red eyes. Everyone was spellbound there!

I am talking about the movie THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, unexpectedly a too good movie. I didn't have a single clue about the movie itself and just tried to explore something new. Fortunately or unfortunately, Bruno (main cast of the movie), a young 8-years old kid who love to explore new world explored too much for us that made us all cry while leaving the cinema. I just don't want to spoil your entertainment by giving hints about the story. Rather, I would suggest you to watch the movie and discover some critical facts that sometime we forget in this heartless world.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, a movie from an Irish writer and an English director; everyone must watch. If you tell me to rate, I would say, 1 to 10 scale is not enough to rate this movie. We better keep it above rating!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$12,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$253,085, 9 November 2008

Gross USA:

$9,046,156

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,416,563

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, BBC Films, Heyday Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color Black and White (propaganda film - final scene)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1