The Tin Drum
A savage, sweeping epic of society in chaos.
1979 | R | Croatia, France, Germany, Poland | Volker Schlöndorff | German, Hebrew (modern), Italian, Polish, Russian
Based on Nobel Prize-winning author Gunter Grass‘ allegorical work of magic realism about the rise of Nazi Germany in the 20th century, director Volker Schlöndorff ‘s notorious film THE TIN DRUM took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Picture in 1979.
In the free city of Danzig, young Oskar Matzerath, son of a local dealer, is a most unusual boy. Equipped with full intellect right from his birth he decides at his third birthday not to grow up as he sees the crazy world around him at the eve of World War II. So he refuses the society and his tin drum symbolizes his protest against the middle-class mentality of his family and neighborhood, which stand for all passive people in Nazi Germany at that time. However, (almost) nobody listens to him, so the catastrophe goes on…
“In Volker Schlöndorff‘s restored version of his 1979 classic, Oskar Matzerath emerges as a tragic anti-hero, whose lustful imagination and prodigious magical gifts can’t shield him from the juggernaut of war.” (Slant Magazine)
“The story it tells is so outsized, bizarre, funny, and eccentric, the movie compels attention.” (The New York Times)
Sunday, September 10
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm
Tickets $10 advance HERE | $12 at the door
*Groupons and passes OK! Please redeem at the door.
*Minors OK in the balcony; please note this film is rated 18A. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
THE TIN DRUM (Volker Schlöndorff, 1979 / 142 mins / 18A / German with English subs) Oskar Matzerath (David Bennent) is a very unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, Agnes (Angela Winkler), Oskar is reluctant to enter a world he sees as filled with hypocrisy and injustice, and vows on his third birthday to never grow up. Miraculously, he gets his wish. As the Nazis rise to power in Danzig, Oskar wills himself to remain a child, beating his tin drum incessantly and screaming in protest at the chaos surrounding him.
- IMDB