The Tin Drum (1979)

Based on one of the most important fiction works of the 20th Century, the Tin Drum follows the fortunes of Oskar Matzerath a gifted introvert who on his 3rd birthday (after receiving a tin drum as a present) decides to stop growing and refuses to join the adult society that he holds in contempt.Matzerath lives through one of the most turbulent periods of European history as he sees the rise of the Nazi regime, the fall of Danzig to the German Army,the Second World War and the fall again of Danzig this time to the Russians.

Oskar falls in love and discovers the heartbreak of the sudden death of his mother, all the while he continues to play his Tin Drum.

Although the movie only covers around two thirds of the books content, it is as mesmerising and as surreal as the novel.

David Bennent is extraordinary as young Oskar literally playing him from birth until his early twenties, he makes him a rather unsympathetic character undeserving of love but he also portrays him as an intelligent and manipulative child who contrives (knowingly or not) to cause the death of those close to him.

The Tin Drum is an infamous (for all the wrong reasons) movie that fails to follow any formula and scene after scene become unforgettable and slightly disturbing. The novel could (quite rightly) be described as unfilmable but the director refuses to accept this and attacks the editing and cinematography with gusto and cajoles a sustained enthusiasm from the actors(special credit must go to Angela Winkler as Oskars mother).

The Tin Drum is a true cinematic masterpiece and one of the finest German films of all time. It is movie that deals with the rise of Nazism and the failings of the German (and European) people to see the unimaginable horrors that where happening at this time in history and portrays this through the eyes of a fantastical child.