It was a rare "Book to Film" transpostion that worked, 23 May 2000

Having read the book by Grass, I was concerned how it might translate to the screen. It actually works extremely well, capturing much of the claustrophobic/paranoid atmosphere of the book.

Obviously, things have had to go. Some of the ..ahem... sticky and descriptive bits have been left out - in the wrong hands it could have been verging on pornographic, which certainly isn't the tone of the book.

Also, much of Oskar's musing's have been curtailed - the film ends at a point where the book has still some time to cover. This could cause some confusion for anyone who has not read it as they would have no idea that Oskar is actually telling his story from a lunatic asylum.

Despite these shortcomings, though, one experiences a wealth of emotions during the showing. There is sorrow, laughter, (look out for the waltzing Hitler Youth) anguish (Charles Aznovour as the toyshop owner) and bewilderment to name a few.

The music at the beginning is heavy and plodding - one can imagine a heavy horse pulling a cart through muddy potato fields. The wailing of the Jew's Harp further intensifies the experience.

Oskar is faithfully represented by David Bennett -the boy who decides not to grow. The other members of the cast, though maybe not household names provide a rich mixture of characters who show a no-holds-barred-reality. Just look at the haircut of the Youth Leader! There is no prettyfication here.

It stands up as a film in its own right. It does have blemishes, but I don't feel that they detract from the the experience and certainly can assist the understanding of an often enigmatic book.

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Terrifying, Disturbing, Frightening. This film is brilliant, 11 Jan 2005

Oskar Matzerath (Bennent) is a three-year-old boy who carefully observes the behaviour of the adult world during the rise of the Nazis in 1920's Germany. Disgusted by what he sees, he throws himself down the cellar steps in order to stop himself growing, and he succeeds. Oskar continues his observations of adults as he ages like a normal human being, but he is still in the body of a three-year-old, which makes for something truly terrifying.

Oskar has a lot of emotional anger that he only lets out by beating his red and white toy drum that was given to him on his third birthday, and letting out a shrill, terrifying scream that can shatter glass. His (Oskar's) anger is only infused by the many grotesque, violent and perverted acts that occur around him, like the sex scenes between his mother and his uncle, or the rotting horse's head that his father, Alfred uses as bait for eels that he cooks for dinner. When his mother discovers that she is pregnant with another child, it becomes clear to Oskar that Alfred (Adorf), who he thought was his father might not be, but his Uncle Jan (Olbrychski) is. Oskar's mother is overcome with guilt, so she starts eating whole fish, uncooked. Eventually, the guilt overwhealms her and she kills herself in the bathroom. This is when Oskar sees that the world is not going to change, so he starts on his demented way towards living out the rest of his life.

Directed by Volker Schlondorff, THE TIN DRUM is a very powerful, but very disturbing translation from the book written by Gunther Grass, but what the film clevrly does is that it hooks you in to it's demented, but superior story, and when you want to get out, it refuses to let you go, but in the end, you will disapprove of trying to get out, because THE TIN DRUM is so different, so disturbing that you are shocked, appalled and saddened by little Oskar's trip through life as he discovers love, loss and life from his torturous start in life in Danzig to his years in the Nazi race that have overpowered Germany.
Don't expect to relive an experience like THE TIN DRUM because once you see this film, you won't want to revisit the world of a man like Oskar again.

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