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The Tin Drum
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (9th March 2022). |
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The Film
 “The Tin Drum” (“Die Blechtrommel”) (1979) Oskar Matzerath (played by David Bennent) is a young boy growing up in Danzig - or should we rather say not growing up, as he decided on his third birthday that he would no longer grow and stay a 3-year-old boy. The one thing that Oskar treasures most in his life is the gift that he received on his third birthday from his mother - a tin drum. There was also an incredibly ability that Oskar discovers at the time and that was his ability to shatter glass with a high pitched scream. Whether it was lamp posts in the street, a teacher’s glasses, windows, or medical jars on shelves he would hit the precise tone to make glass shatter to pieces. While Oskar’s life is strange and fantastic, the events surrounding him were not. The independent city of Danzig was located between Germany and Poland on the coast of the Baltic Sea. With a mixed population of Germans, Poles, and Kashubians, the seemingly peaceful city post WWI was seeing tension with the rise of Nazism and the invading Nazi forces throughout Europe. Oskar’s mother Agnes (played by Angela Winkler) was leading a semi-promiscuous life. Before Oskar was born she had a relationship with Jan (played by Daniel Olbrychski) the postal worker and also with Alfred (played by Mario Adorf). Although she marries Alfred, there is speculation whether Oskar is the son of Jan or the son of Alfred, and even Oskar believes he is Jan’s son. Agnes at times takes romantic visits to Jan’s place even during her married years. The story seen through Oskar's eyes is one of wonder and tragedy through friendship, love, betrayal, and war. The original 3-part novel was written by Günter Grass who was born in Danzig in 1927, similarly paralleling the life of Oskar. Published in 1959, it relied on Oskar’s narration on his life during the time. There was criticism for the strongly political overtones, the sexual, and religious nature, but years later was reevaluated as a classic of modern German literature. German new wave director Volker Schlöndorff had a major success both nationally and internationally with the 1975 film “The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum” and the 1976 film “Coup de Grâce”, and his next project was adapting “The Tin Drum” as a feature film. The story of “The Tin Drum” takes place over the course of more than 50 years, with Oskar narrating the events of his grandparents’ first encounter in 1899 all the way to postwar life in the early 1950s. Rather than adapting the full 3 novels into a single film, the screenplay would have everything from the 1899 encounter all the way to the events of WWII - and excising all the events of postwar. Even though by the end he is technically a teenager he is by appearance identical throughout the years with his physical presence staying the same as his 3 year old self. Like a “Peter Pan” story of not growing up, it is not in his mind but in an alternate reality where his parents and others comprehend the strange fact that he doesn’t grow because he stunted his own growth. The fantastical elements are like a cross between “Peter Pan”, “Amelie”, and “Dodes Kaden”, but taking place during Hitler’s rise to power. There are moments that will make audiences laugh hysterically. Others will gasp in horror due to the war violence. But some of the more controversial moments came from the sexuality. As the main character of Oskar was played by the actor David Bennent who was a pre-teen at the time, there were scenes in which he sexually licks sugar off the fingers and later navel off of the 16-year old Maria character (played by Katharina Thalbach). There were also instances where it was implied that he had sexual relations with some of the characters including Maria in bed and this led to controversy for both the book and for the film. The film was banned in certain parts of the world including certain Canadian provinces and a high profile case in 1997 in the US state of Oklahoma, when a district court judge ruled that the film was child pornography and all tapes were seized. It wasn’t until 2004 the court’s decision was overturned and the film became available in Oklahoma again - the same year The Criterion Collection released a 2-disc DVD special edition and included a documentary about the banning in the state. (More on the documentary in the Extras section below.) While the film takes place over the course of many years in the early twentieth century, the style of silent cinema played a major role in many of the scenes. Irises opening and closing for certain shots, hand cranked images, and a visual sense even though in color was a tribute to the silent era. Famed composer Maurice Jarre’s great score elevates the film as do the performances by the actors. It’s not only David Bennent’s unforgettable face but of the many supporting roles and minor roles that help bring the characters to full life. And make no mistake that “The Tin Drum” is not a film for children despite having a main character that is a child. The war violence is shocking and the sexual scenes can be uncomfortable. Despite the controversy, the film was a massive success in its first run in 1979. It was a big success theatrically in West Germany, won the Cannes Palme d'Or in 1979, sharing honors with “Apocalypse Now”, won the Best Foreign Language Film of the year by the US National Board of Review, and won the 1979 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It’s still the most well known of director Volker Schlöndorff’s filmography and one of the most memorable coming of age adaptations ever made. Thirty years after the film's theatrical release, Argos Films and Schlöndorff worked on an updated director's cut of the film with unearthed deleted scenes and original notes on the editing. While the film and the deleted scenes elements were fortunately kept in great condition, there was an unfortunate happening with the sound elements gone missing. The visuals were there but there was no synchronized sound for those scenes. In a painstaking process, the sound was re-recorded with many of the actors returning to ADR their lines decades later including Mario Adorf and Angela Winkles. Katharina Thalbach's voice had turned a bit too husky to play her teenage self, so her daughter Anna Thalbach dubbed the appropriate scenes. Although auditions were held to try and find and actor to replicate David Bennent's voice, Schlöndorff was unsatisfied with the results. Interestingly, the voice was performed by the aged David Bennent himself, with pitch control and the vocals manipulated electronically to recreate the exact tone of the 11 year old David. The restoration and expansion of the film as a "director's cut" reinstated a number of character scenes as well as some inserts of stock footage while also removing a small amount of shots in the process, bringing the new cut to a runtime of 163 minutes - 12 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. (A full list of differences between the two versions can be found at Movie-Censorship.) The director's cut premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010, then playing at various festivals worldwide with DVDs and Blu-rays that followed - some offering the director's cut only, some offering both cuts. This new Blu-ray release from Umbrella Entertainment presents the film's Blu-ray debut in Australia with the director's cut, and an upgrade from the previous theatrical version DVD edition from years back. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The HD transfer comes from Argos Films. The director's cut of the film was created with the combination of the original theatrical version and the long untouched deleted scenes. The restoration and creation of the director's cut from 2010 is remarkable as the colors and definition of the materials are evenly matched for a smooth viewing experience. Colors are well reproduced from bright white and red of Oskar's drum, the browns of clothing and buildings as well as skin tones. Detail is crisp in each scene, damage is very minimal if any throughout the film, though some of the inserted stock footage does feature some wear and tear which is expected. Some telecine wobble is visible at times, but overall a very good HD transfer of the classic film. The runtime for the director's cut presented here is 163:09.
Audio
German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo The original German language (with some minor portions in Polish and Italian) is offered in lossless form in both 5.1 and 2.0 stereo options. Dialogue is always centered in the mixes while the directional speakers get more workout with the music and effects, from the glass shattering from Oskar's screams or bombing and gunfire in the wartime sequences. The score by the legendary Maurice Jarre sounds excellent throughout, and thankfully there are no "new" sound effects added, keeping with an original sound that is well balanced. For the new sequences as stated had to be re-recorded entirely with many actors having to reprise their roles. Like the image, these portions have been seamlessly reintegrated so it will be hard to find where the transitions took place for people who are not familiar with the theatrical cut. A great job with the audio engineers on the director's cut version. There are optional English subtitles for the feature in white font. They are easy to read, well timed, and without errors.
Extras
"Banned in Oklahoma" 2004 documentary (55:17) In 1997, Oklahomans for Children and Families (OCAF), a conservative organization lobbied to ban "The Tin Drum" from Oklahoma County as the film was deemed by them as "child pornography". On June 25, 1997, a court ruling took the ban in effect, resulting of video tapes being confiscated from video stores, people who had rented the tapes to be raided by the police, and as a result leading to a major case in censorship injustice almost two decades after the film was made. "Banned in Oklahoma" was directed by Gary D. Rhodes, an Oklahoma native that does a balanced job of showing the absurdities of the case as well as a tribute to his home state and the difficulties the story had, taking over six years until the cases were all closed. The story also follows Michael "Sky" Camfield, a local musician, artist and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) member who happened to be renting a copy of the film when the police raided his home, and his journey raising awareness of political and conservative wrongdoing, and his long lawsuit to having the decision overturned. In addition, the documentary showcases Bob Anderson, the president of the OCAF who crusaded to have the film as well as other supposedly damaging work banned from libraries and elsewhere. The documentary features a number of interviews with attorneys, distributors, locals, as well as figures from the ACLU and OCAF chronicling the odd censorship case that took national and international attention. As of now, the OCAF has disbanded while the ACLU continuously fights for the rights of people and arts nationwide in the United States. Bob Anderson, who served as president of the OCAF for a decade, passed away on September 9th, 2009 at the age of 79. Michael Camfield, who was a visual and musical advocate that made a unique mark in the documentary sadly passed away at the young age of 46 on November 10th, 2011. in 1080p (upscaled) AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Interview with director Volker Schlöndorff (40:59) In this lengthy interview, Schlöndorff dicusses many aspects of the film, such as Günter Grass' initial reaction and suggestions for the initial script's adaptation, the casting process including finding Bennent who he felt was absolutely perfect, the controversy in Oklahoma many years later, the making of the special effects of the breaking glass, and much more. in 1080p (upscaled) AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Volker Schlöndorff on the Director's Cut" featurette (9:56) The director specifically discusses the creation of the director's cut three decades later, including the process of re-recording the audio and re-editing using original notes, and some of the memorable new scenes. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.85:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Volker Schlöndorff on the Making of The Tin Drum, Cannes 2001" featurette (9:19) This featurette has the director discussing some anecdotes on the making of the film, including the writing process, the casing, the decision to not adapt the full book, and more. in 1080p (upscaled) AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles Theatrical Trailer (3:29) Curiously this is the dubbed French theatrical trailer rather than the German. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.66:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles The film has been released a number of times on home video worldwide, including Blu-ray. Each release has differing and sometimes overlapping extras, and some having both cuts while others have only the director's cut. There is no single definitive releases as each has something unique to offer. The Umbrella Entertainment release does have a good number of fascinating extras, but others do have some great ones to check out as well. Other notable extras: On set footage from the film, in French with English subtitles David Bennent and Volker Schlöndorff interviewed at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, both speaking in French with English subtitles "The Tin Drum" receiving the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar with Schlöndorff's speech A 150-minute lecture and presentation by Schlöndorff on the making of "The Tin Drum" in English for European Graduate School Video Lectures
Packaging
This is #6 is the "World Cinema" series from Umbrella Entertainment, which includes a slipcase in a uniform style. The keep case inlay has original German and French poster artwork. The packaging states region B only, but the disc is in fact region ALL. In addition the packaging mistakenly states the runtime as 136 minutes.
Overall
“The Tin Drum” is still one of the great fantasy/reality bending coming-of-age adaptations made and is an outstandingly original and unusual film more than 40 years later. Umbrella Entertainment has finally brought the praised updated 2010 director's cut to Australian audiences with this new Blu-ray, featuring a great transfer as well as a very good number of extras to accompany it. Highly recommended.
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