...
The Director Mark Herman (Don't Blame It On The Bell Boy) (Brassed Off) (Little Voices) has been truly inspired in the making of this film. Herman has shot this film in Hungary and used James Horner to compose the music to this film (Available as a download only at itunes - see below). ... Read review
Based on the best selling novel by John Boyne. Berlin 1942 - Eight-year-old Bruno knows ... more
nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Nine year old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. All he knows is ... more
that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence.
Nine year old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious ... more
to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who like the other people there wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
It is Berlin year 1942. When Bruno returns home from school one day he discovers that ... more
his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
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The story of "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is very difficult to describe. Usually we ... more
give some clues about the book on the cover but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about. If you do start to read this book you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. We hope you never have to cross such a fence. The book is now a major motion picture in cinemas now.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution or the Holocaust. He is oblivious ... more
to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no one to play with
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:in stock
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Excellent film, great cinematography, great music track Disadvantages: No German accents, short film
...I was out shopping in the local supermarket and I happened to see it on the shelf, I read the back of the DVD and I decided that it was a worth a try.
I thought there was something about it that made me think that the film would be worth watching. I have always had a fascination for history and in particular the Holocaust and the War so I couldn't wait to watch it.
The Director Mark Herman (Don't Blame It On The Bell Boy) (Brassed ... ...used James Horner to compose the music to this film (Available as a download only at itunes - see below).
The film had a budget of $12,500,000 but grossed $35,580,849 so was a success as far as films go.
The Author John Boynes who wrote the novel (of the same title) which this film was based on, has received many acclaimed writing awards, and his talent shone through in this film.
The Story.....
========== more
This film was a complete mystery to me and I had heard absolutely nothing about it, so I when I was out shopping in the local supermarket and I happened to see it on the shelf, I read the back of the DVD and I decided that it was a worth a try. I thought there was something about it that made me think that the film would be worth watching. I have always had a fascination for history and in particular the Holocaust and the War so I couldn't wait to watch it.
The Director Mark Herman (Don't Blame It On The Bell Boy) (Brassed Off) (Little Voices) has been truly inspired in the making of this film. Herman has shot this film in Hungary and used James Horner to compose the music to this film (Available as a download only at itunes - see below). The film had a budget of $12,500,000 but grossed $35,580,849 so was a success as far as films go. The Author John Boynes who wrote the novel (of the same title) which this film was based on, has received many acclaimed writing awards, and his talent shone through in this film.
The Story..... ==========
A German family in the midst of the second World War living in Berlin, have their lives turned around by the promotion of the head of the family - Ralf an SS Officer (David Thewlis) to Obersturmbannführer and told to take his new command at a Concentration Camp as Commandant. The film does not say where or which camp, but I believe this was intentional. The family consisting of Elsa (Vera Farmiga) their son 8yr old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and their 12yr old daughter - Gretel (Amber Beattie), are relocated to their new house on the outskirts of the camp, which is partially hidden by a wood. At first Bruno finds the place boring and cannot understand why he is forbidden to go out of the grounds of the house or go into the back yard. He finds a window in his room and looks out to see the camp, where people wearing Striped Pyjamas but mistakenly believes this camp to be a farm. He asks his mother about this and the mother not realising how close they were to the camp has a word with her husband who promised that they wouldn't be placed so near. The window is soon boarded up.
Soon after Bruno notices a servant in the household called Pavel (David Hayman) wearing "Striped Pyjamas" and asks why. He is told that he is from the farm and they are "not really People" and are weird as demonstrated by their clothing, and forbidden to go to the farm. Surprisingly they strike up a small friendship and Pavel states that he was a Practicing Doctor before he went to the camp, Bruno’s reply to this is "you couldn't have been very good, if you have given it up to peel potatoes". Soon after this, after being bored for too long without children his own age to play with, he decides to escape from the house and go and explore the farm. He reaches the fencing of the camp and cannot see much as it is under construction but finds Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) a little Jewish 8yr old boy with a shaven head and wearing "Striped Pyjamas" sitting out of sight of the camp. Shmuel then ends up one day as a servant at the house and Bruno see's him and starts to talk to him and gives him food. A Subordinate of his father, Kotler (Rupert Friend) finds them together and believes that Shmuel has stolen and ate the food and Shmuel tells him that Bruno had given him the food to eat. He questions Bruno who denies it and Shmuel is punished.
They strike up a friendship and start to regularly meet. Still blissfully unaware of what the true nature of this "Farm" is, Bruno believes that he is missing out as they must be having fun "dressing up in Pyjamas with their own numbers on them" Shmuel tells him that he and the rest of the people are Jewish and that the soldiers brought them here to work, stripped them of their clothes Shaved their heads and they are left hungry. Bruno starts to question whether his father is good person, after being told this . His father and many high ranking SS Officers attend the house and keen to see what they are doing, Bruno sneaks a look at the film they are showing. It is a propaganda film showing healthy and happy Jews enjoying themselves at the camp. Describing things such a socialising at the Café and eating cakes etc. Bruno’s faith in his father is restored and is happy once more that the “Farm” is a happy place and Shmuel must have been wrong.
Their friendship continues until the strain of what is happening on Ralf's wife is too much and it is agreed that Elsa and the children should move away leaving Ralf to continue for the present. Bruno tells Shmuel and the two play checkers and speak as friends for the last time. I will not spoil the horrific twist at the end of the film, but all I can say is that it is deeply emotional and fills the viewer with guilt that such a human tragedy could be achieved by ones own species.
My Opinion =========
This is a brilliantly conceived film that I would heartily would recommend to family and friends alike. Deeply emotional with actors that are believable and sincere, put together with the simplicity and innocence of children, whilst the world around them has gone mad. The ending was the thing that put the whole film in to context for me, but as I can't tell you the end - I can't tell you what the most significant part of it was for me. I felt a strong feeling of shame that such a thing could happen in the modern world and by ones own kind, causing pain and anguish to countless millions, all in the name of "Religious Purity"
The only things that I feel I must point out that were a bit of a disappointment was the lack of any German accents, the length of the film (90mins), and the lack of seeing what the Commandant does on a day to day basis. He is either giving orders from his house or not at home, but the viewer doesn't get to see what he actually does. The other startling point was that children of 8yrs were killed immediately as the Rabbi Benjamin Blech, an outspoken critic, writes, "Note to the reader: There were no nine-year-old Jewish boys in Auschwitz -- the Nazis immediately gassed those not old enough to work." This was therefore unrealistic.
I believe this film is something that should be seen by everyone and as the Certificate is 12, there are no gruesome bits seen in the film. A completely compelling heart, wrenching story that will move you as it did for me. Well worth watching - a true find.
The Cast =======
Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, Richard Johnson, Jim Norton, Sheila Hancock, David Heyman, Asa Butterfield, Cara Horgan, Iván Verebély, Amber Beattie & Amber Beattie
Awards ======
Won
British Independent Film Award: Best Actress - Vera Farmiga Chicago International Film Festival Audience Choice Award - Mark Herman
Nominated
British Independent Film Award: Best Director - Mark Herman Most Promising Newcomer - Asa Butterfield Premio Goya: Best European Film
The Disc Features ===============
Friendship beyond the Fence (20 mins) Audio Commentary by Director Mark Herman and author John Boyne Deleted Scenes
Music Available For Download (Not an extra on the DVD) ============================================
Boys Playing Airplanes (4:13) Exploring The Forest (2:36) The Train Ride To A New Home (3:34) The Winds Gently Blow Through The Garden (5:57) An Odd Discovery Beyond The Trees (2:51) Dolls Aren't for Big Girls, Propaganda is... (3:43) Black Smoke (1:43) Evening Supper – A Family Slowly Crumbles (7:53) The Funeral (1:54) The Boys' Plans, From Night to Day (2:36) Strange New Clothes (9:53) Remembrance, Remembrance (5:31)
The Disc Specifications ===================
Region 2 Certificate 12 Colour Widescreen Format 1.85.1 1hr 34mins
For the first time ever, I have to say that that film is better than the book, shocking I know, but it’s true. == Synopsis == The story centres on Bruno, the son of a German Commandant, whose father has just been relocated to a concentration camp, but not just any camp, he’s the new commandant of Auschwitz. Bruno though is a very naive 8 year old, he believes the place he can see from his bedroom window is a farm, and that the people he sees there ... ...although is his mother any the wiser? She might know it’s not a farm, but does she actually know what her husband is doing? Bored of being stuck in his house with no friends, Bruno begins to explore, and eventually comes across the outer fencing for the camp. On the other side of the fence is a little boy hiding behind a pile of rocks. The boy is called Shmuel and is a Jew living in the camp, soon the boys strike up a friendship in secret. == My ...
Fiver29 05.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (DVD)
Advantages: makes you think Disadvantages: not light viewing
...in Berlin to move to the country where his father has been appointed to the role of commandant of a concentration camp. He misses his friends, his only companions are his older sister Gretel and the home tutor who teaches German history and how Jews have destroyed a nation which was once great.
Gretel soon loses her childish ways but Bruno and his mother are very much oblivious to the horrors which are going on around them. Bruno spies what he believes ... ...shaved heads. He wonders what the bad smell from a nearby chimney is and accepts the explanation of burning rubbish. While he is shielded from the truth because of his tender years, his mother is horrified as the awful truth of the attrocities being commited under her nose become apparent to her. Powerless to act to stop what is happening she does what any mother does and tries to protect her children.
Bruno is banned from exploring the land behind ...
wigglylittleworm 27.09.2008 (28.09.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (DVD)
Advantages: An incredible must see film ( don't forget the Kleenex) Disadvantages: Harrowing and upsetting
== THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PJYAMAS ==
I loved the book of this film, and the film adaptation did not disappoint. Irish children's writer John Boyne, penned the wonderful book - 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' upon which this film is based. Basically a children's book, for many young people who read it, it was possibly their first account of the Holocaust. The book, and now the film, offers us a terrifying tale, a moral lesson told through the eyes ... ...similar stories is that the child who's eyes and voice tell us the tale is not a victim. As with 'The Diary of Anne Frank', this book is the Holocaust viewed by children; like 'Life is Beautiful', the adults try to protect children from the details of the horridness of it. But unlike either of those stories, this film encapsulates both the adult denial and the bewilderment of a Nazi's 8-year old son. We see this nightmare unfold through the boy's ...
oldchem 31.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (DVD)
Films about the Second World War, and the events of the holocaust are by no means a rare thing . Many of them are touching and poignant, but none of them, so far as I know, have ever looked at the events throug the eyes of an 8 year old boy . 'The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas' however, based on the novel by Irish novelist John Boyne, presents the events to us from just that point of view . Now, I read the book before seeing the film - in fact, it was ... ...moving. So I went into the film with some idea of what to expect - and yet the film still managed to knock me on my arse emotionally . Bruno lives a life of relative luxury, in a big old house with his mother, father, sister, and assorted servants. His dad is a well paid SS officer, his mum a stay at home housewife, and he himself is popular, with plenty of friends . His world is disrupted when his dad gets a promotion - suddenly Bruno has to move ...
Thehonesttruth 27.07.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (DVD)
Advantages: Great film, amazing storyline Disadvantages: : The english accents on apparently German people.
== THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS ==.
=== Film only review ===
=== Details: ===
Directed By: Mark Herman Release Date: 12/09/08 Certification: 12A Genre: Drama Based on a book by John Boyne === Plot: ===
When a Nazi officer and his family are sent to live on a refugee camp during World War II, his family know nothing of the terrors which lie beyond the metal gates, all they know is the "jews are bad", and that they are been kept in the camps ... ...is the families 8yr old son, he doesn't want to leave his home, but he is forced to move to the country for his fathers promotion with the Nazi army, but he soon discovers he can explore much more here than in his old home of Berlin, and soon starts wandering around the grounds. Within a couple of days he finds a friend, Shmuel (pronounched Shmo), a Jew living beyond the elecrofied metal railings, wearing blue and white striped pyjamas, he too is ...
stephbond89 10.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (DVD)
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINM; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Audio commentary featuring novelist John Boyne and screenwriter, director Mark Herman, Deleted scenes
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
A brave and haunting family film that will lift the brutality of the Holocaust out of the history books. (Channel 4 Film, 18/12/2008)
A powerfully affecting and unusual view of the Holocaust (Empire, 01/09/2008)
[T]his is a hugely affecting film. Important, too. It engages with the complexity of the Holocaust in a language that can move children as profoundly as adults. (The Times, 18/12/2008)
DVD Description
Based upon the novel by John Boyne, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS is a heart-wrenching tale of an unlikely friendship that forms between the son of a concentration camp commander and a young Jewish boy during World War II. Directed by renowned British filmmaker Mark Hermon (LITTLE VOICE, BRASSED OFF) the film features a cast that includes Vera Farmiga (THE DEPARTED, BREAKING AND ENTERTING) and DAVID THEWLIS (Mike Leigh's NAKED, THE BIG LEBOWSKI).
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