Swing Kids [DVD] [1993]

Seeing as this was a disney movie I figured when I bought it it would be a light hearted drama about friends who were swing kids during World war II. Obviously I realise that any tale of the war and Nazi germany would have to be slightly dramatic but I though it would focus on the music and the swing dancing.

Oh how wrong could I be!!This film is a very moving and very well acted piece about Nazi supresion and their vile teaching and hatred about all things Jewish. The swing is mearly a subplot ,put in to make the trailer look like children could watch it, and serves to offer the only light hearted 10 mins in the film! The story revolves around Peter (a character that could have been way to sappy and disney to handle himself in reality and baked in self pity if it wasn't for the stunning acting by Robert Sean Leonard)who faces a battle between joing the HJ like everyone else and dying for the cause of what he believes in. For a disney movie there is alot of death and mysery but don't let that stop you watching it!
Although this film is nothing like I expected I loved it because of the brilliant acting and sometime quite gritty portrayl of Nazi Germany,its not the kind of film it says on the box but what emerges is an altogether more interesting piece on the struggle through the war and through history of human hatred and love, the changes in friendship and family and the ultimate betryal that is caused by the madness of war.
Special mention has to go to RSL and Christian Bale for not only acting so well as to turn a mussy script into a moving one but for being able to sing and dance so perfectly too. The acting all round (apart from a terrible performance by a young noah wyle!!!) makes this a emotional and believable film I would definitly recommend if you want to explore History and the human mind some more but not if you thought this was Disney, about dancing and like happy endings!!

Swing Kids isn't as bad as its reputation implies by a long shot, but it's too riddled with compromise to really work. The Nazis' vicious repression of jazz and swing music is a great story crying out to be told, but Disney really wasn't the studio to tell it. Hints of a better film abound and it does edge into some dark corners, but the need for an upbeat ending to a downbeat story does the film few favors, and nor does the fact that the period jive and dancing tend to sound and look very silly indeed far too often - certainly Robert Sean Leonard's angst-ridden solo dance of rebellion at the end is an unintentional comic highlight.

No extras but a decent 1.85:1 widescreen transfer.

Swing Kinds provides an insightful portrayal to some of the brave few who were willing to stand up against the terror of Nazi Germany. Amidst the sterile uniformed mass of Nazis the movie is bought to light by a paraphernalia of style and a welcome mix of black Jazz and white dance band music that makes up swing. The movie is well acted and provides an understanding of many of the cruel aspects of life in Nazi Germany. Overall, a good movie and a handy resource for History teachers and students studying the period.