Nov. 28, 2008
RUTHERFORD ON FILM: 'The Boy in Striped Pajamas'
Humanity Lesson in Idyllic Styled Holocaust Tragedy
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Told from the relative intimacy of a German officer's family, “The Boy in Striped Pajamas,” illustrates the value of all humanity through the eyes of two eight year old boys. Filled with classical styled music which symbolically represents the great German deception, the instruments blend fragile, soft, relaxing sounds that shield serial killers beyond the guise of Hannibal, Freddy, or Jason.
As the film opens, young boys run through the streets of Berlin with their arms spread imitating airplanes but simultaneously (and intentionally overlooked by residents) Nazis empty a Jewish ghetto. Bruno’s father (David Thewlis) has just received a promotion. They will move from the German capital to the country where he will be commandant of what his son refers to as a farm.
Unwilling to leave his friends, young Bruno arrives at a secluded mansion situated where he has no playmates, other than his 12-year-old sister, Greta ( Amber Beattie). Nicknamed an “explorer” due to his natural curiosity, his chance viewing of the area less than a mile away leads to a window being nailed. Assisting with the household chores, a hairless man in dirty, loose fitting jump suit who skillfully bandages Bruno’s hurt knee. Asking how he knows it will be all right, the man who peels potatoes tells he used to have a practice as a physician. This sequence leads to the young man’s thoughtful conjecture, “Grownups can’t make up their minds what to do,” which followed the plain, unembellished, “Why do the farmers wear pajamas?”
Dad’s cover up of his real military duties to his family members have progressively negative consequences through an assortment of innocent explorer discoveries and harshly directed words at people who are not considered people.
Concentrating on the small cast and avoiding the overwhelming obstacles of “Schindler's List”, the director, Mark Herman’s (who also adapted the screenplay) concept of equality of all ethnicities spills not through elaborately manipulated mechanisms, no, just, a premise that a lonely boy exploring the woods behind his house meets another eight year old named Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) with a shaved head sitting on the other side of an electrified fence.
Granted, Bruno’s continued treks through the tranquil green forest and sparkling creek to reach the fence resembles a neo realistic excursion through unscathed nature. No bug, animal or human stirs in the forest. Strangely, no guards seem concerned with the extreme edge of the fence. Still, his imaginative forays into this forbidden zone carrying toys, checkers and food sternly counters a tutor’s teachings which has his sister following the Nazi mindset that Jews are not people, they are evil vermin.
Adding clout to the playmate portion, Bruno’s mom (Vera Farmiga) gradually learns about the contents of the foul smelling smoke from the chimney. Where their evening meals were previously filled with laughter and pleasant interaction, the dinner table turns progressively silent.
Although the story occasionally reflects brutality generally by increasingly hate filled verbal altercations between staunch dad and dainty, debonair mom, Bruno’s pureness of thought in his tiny perfect world revolving around family and friends still convincingly resonates. He serenely , poignantly and unconditionally believes only the goodness of what he has seen or heard; he’s uncorrupted by hypocrisy and evil motives.
Opting to maintain the naďve norms from his eyes where stealing a piece of chocolate and hiding an adventure novel in place of a boring text are tantamount mortal sins, “Pajamas” has a poetic gracefulness even as the great deception spills beyond the barb wire first as a blast of chocolate smoke clouding the white sky and progressively until the euphemisms of convenience shatter.
A word of caution, despite the family friendly associations with pajamas, imaginary planes, and checkers, this film follows the German atrocities of World War II authentically; thus, (spoiler warning) you can expect lengthy audience outbursts. It’s a brilliant cinematic story for appropriate ages.
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RUTHERFORD ON FILM: 'The Boy in Striped Pajamas'
Humanity Lesson in Idyllic Styled Holocaust Tragedy
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Told from the relative intimacy of a German officer's family, “The Boy in Striped Pajamas,” illustrates the value of all humanity through the eyes of two eight year old boys. Filled with classical styled music which symbolically represents the great German deception, the instruments blend fragile, soft, relaxing sounds that shield serial killers beyond the guise of Hannibal, Freddy, or Jason.
As the film opens, young boys run through the streets of Berlin with their arms spread imitating airplanes but simultaneously (and intentionally overlooked by residents) Nazis empty a Jewish ghetto. Bruno’s father (David Thewlis) has just received a promotion. They will move from the German capital to the country where he will be commandant of what his son refers to as a farm.
Unwilling to leave his friends, young Bruno arrives at a secluded mansion situated where he has no playmates, other than his 12-year-old sister, Greta ( Amber Beattie). Nicknamed an “explorer” due to his natural curiosity, his chance viewing of the area less than a mile away leads to a window being nailed. Assisting with the household chores, a hairless man in dirty, loose fitting jump suit who skillfully bandages Bruno’s hurt knee. Asking how he knows it will be all right, the man who peels potatoes tells he used to have a practice as a physician. This sequence leads to the young man’s thoughtful conjecture, “Grownups can’t make up their minds what to do,” which followed the plain, unembellished, “Why do the farmers wear pajamas?”
Dad’s cover up of his real military duties to his family members have progressively negative consequences through an assortment of innocent explorer discoveries and harshly directed words at people who are not considered people.
Concentrating on the small cast and avoiding the overwhelming obstacles of “Schindler's List”, the director, Mark Herman’s (who also adapted the screenplay) concept of equality of all ethnicities spills not through elaborately manipulated mechanisms, no, just, a premise that a lonely boy exploring the woods behind his house meets another eight year old named Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) with a shaved head sitting on the other side of an electrified fence.
Granted, Bruno’s continued treks through the tranquil green forest and sparkling creek to reach the fence resembles a neo realistic excursion through unscathed nature. No bug, animal or human stirs in the forest. Strangely, no guards seem concerned with the extreme edge of the fence. Still, his imaginative forays into this forbidden zone carrying toys, checkers and food sternly counters a tutor’s teachings which has his sister following the Nazi mindset that Jews are not people, they are evil vermin.
Adding clout to the playmate portion, Bruno’s mom (Vera Farmiga) gradually learns about the contents of the foul smelling smoke from the chimney. Where their evening meals were previously filled with laughter and pleasant interaction, the dinner table turns progressively silent.
Although the story occasionally reflects brutality generally by increasingly hate filled verbal altercations between staunch dad and dainty, debonair mom, Bruno’s pureness of thought in his tiny perfect world revolving around family and friends still convincingly resonates. He serenely , poignantly and unconditionally believes only the goodness of what he has seen or heard; he’s uncorrupted by hypocrisy and evil motives.
Opting to maintain the naďve norms from his eyes where stealing a piece of chocolate and hiding an adventure novel in place of a boring text are tantamount mortal sins, “Pajamas” has a poetic gracefulness even as the great deception spills beyond the barb wire first as a blast of chocolate smoke clouding the white sky and progressively until the euphemisms of convenience shatter.
A word of caution, despite the family friendly associations with pajamas, imaginary planes, and checkers, this film follows the German atrocities of World War II authentically; thus, (spoiler warning) you can expect lengthy audience outbursts. It’s a brilliant cinematic story for appropriate ages.
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