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Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.

 

 

Seems to be very Hit or Miss with people :o

 

I have been doing quite a few screen checks on this at work, and i must say it keeps me intrigued. Also loads of people have been coming out of this at the end and crying their eyes out :( (I've seen the end thanks to screen checking :lol:) But i'm going to watch it uninterrupted on Wednesday and i seriously cannot wait!

 

Have any of you guys seen it? or will you be going to see it?

This was a book first, right?

I remember reading it a couple of years ago in GCSE english.

Have any of you guys seen it? or will you be going to see it?

 

not seen it yet...last thing i watched was the dutchess...waiting to go see this with my dad

I read the book and it started off really boring but it got better over time.

 

It recently came 4th in the Hampshire Secondary Book Award

I suggest to read the book first, the film looks good, and I think its based on a true story, but don't quote me on it.

I suggest to read the book first, the film looks good, and I think its based on a true story, but don't quote me on it.

 

I'm definitely going to see it ... I've seen all of Mark Herman's films - I went to Leeds Poly with him on the same film making course (he was in the third year when I entered the first). He's so talented - in addition to making good films he co-wrote a few of the Christians songs. He's a brilliant bloke too (even though there have been a couple of his films I've not liked). My favourite so far of his is definitely Brassed Off.

 

Norma

Edited September 24, 200816 yr by Norma_Snockers

I've not seen it (and I don't intend to either, not my sort of film, and I don't like upsetting films like this... defeats the whole object of a film imo) but my parents went to see it the other week. My mum loved it and thought it was very good, but my dad absolutely hated it. It wasn't that it was a bad film, it was just it was too haunting for him and he didn't like it.

We watched clips of it in English. Looks really emotional and I really wanna see it :)

I've not seen it (and I don't intend to either, not my sort of film, and I don't like upsetting films like this... defeats the whole object of a film imo)

 

With all due respect mate, that's a pretty silly reason, Film is supposed to reflect the gamut of emotions that human beings feel and think, it's an art-form, not mindless "entertainment".... I think film has become far too trite and removed from those emotions thanks to the mainstream "hollywoodisation" and the fact that far too many films these days just seem like computer games and frankly I find it hard to relate to films like that, I can watch 'em, but frankly it's a bit like eating a McDonalds Happy Meal, it doesn't make you feel "nourished" as such, and it's on to the next "production-line" pile of cr@p innit... I cant believe that you can criticise something like this as being "upsetting" and then happily munch away through emotionally dead garbage like "Hostel" and the ever-more-ridiculous "Saw" sequels, which do nothing to reflect the emotions and feelings of human beings, they merely desensitize us to the horrors we see on screen with their incredibly dubious "morals" or ideologies...

 

"The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas" (and the better modern horror films such as "Wolf Creek", "El Orfanato", "Frontiers", "Rec" or the Japanese original "Dark Water") does the complete opposite, it makes us actually feel something, feel emotions, operates on a level that goes beyond the 'eye candy', we feel more sensitive towards the characters chiefly because they are children and because a very real tragedy is unfolding on the screen... I thought it a very simple and incredibly effective film, one which certainly puts all our identification and sympathy with the kids, but also manages to make us understand why and how this uspeakable horror was actually occurring, the Germans weren't portrayed as two-dimensional monsters, the Commandant character (superbly played by David Thewlis) clearly loves his children, and the mother's reaction to the truth of what's really going on was also well handled...

 

To convey emotion is exactly the object of film, or should be at any rate...

 

"The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas" (and the better modern horror films such as "Wolf Creek", "El Orfanato", "Frontiers", "Rec" or the Japanese original "Dark Water") does the complete opposite, it makes us actually feel something, feel emotions, operates on a level that goes beyond the 'eye candy', we feel more sensitive towards the characters chiefly because they are children and because a very real tragedy is unfolding on the screen... I thought it a very simple and incredibly effective film, one which certainly puts all our identification and sympathy with the kids, but also manages to make us understand why and how this uspeakable horror was actually occurring, the Germans weren't portrayed as two-dimensional monsters, the Commandant character (superbly played by David Thewlis) clearly loves his children, and the mother's reaction to the truth of what's really going on was also well handled...

 

To convey emotion is exactly the object of film, or should be at any rate...

 

well i think it was a good film (even tho it was obv how it was gonna end esp to the people talking in the row behind :angry: ) i think it should have had a greater emotional impact (didnt effect me as something like Lilja 4-ever did) tho the last shot was so right (esp when a lot of film recently - eg taken and death race have tacked on endings that should have been clipped) - might have been better if it was filmed in German but obv them 95% of the aud would have been lost straight out...reminded me a bit of Bridge to Terabithia...tho i would say that is actually the better film...

The boy in the striped pyjamas is a really great movie to see.

I felt completely dreadful after this - but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I couldn't stop thinking about it the rest of the night, and it's still playing on my mind.

 

When I realised how the film would end (which yes, was obvious, but no matter) a huge part of me wanted to leave - as I didn't think I could stand to see it happen. However, you of course can't run away from it. Overall, the film was effective, beautifully shot alongside a perfect score and sublime performances from Vera Farmiga, Jack Scanlon and David Thewlis. A deafening silence fell over the whole cinema as it ended - I think everyone felt the same way.

 

However I have to ask:

why did I feel sadder about Bruno being killed at the end, than I did about the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of Jews that it happened to? What the hell is wrong with me?!

 

I felt completely dreadful after this - but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I couldn't stop thinking about it the rest of the night, and it's still playing on my mind.

 

When I realised how the film would end (which yes, was obvious, but no matter) a huge part of me wanted to leave - as I didn't think I could stand to see it happen. However, you of course can't run away from it. Overall, the film was effective, beautifully shot alongside a perfect score and sublime performances from Vera Farmiga, Jack Scanlon and David Thewlis. A deafening silence fell over the whole cinema as it ended - I think everyone felt the same way.

 

However I have to ask:

why did I feel sadder about Bruno being killed at the end, than I did about the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of Jews that it happened to? What the hell is wrong with me?!

 

 

Because Bruno (is the little boy isn't he?) was the main character and you followed him through the story so you caught an emotional thing with him.

 

The book is really good and quite upsetting. I can see why people came out the cinema upset. I've not seen it but i think its right that the ending can vaguely be seen from a long way off in the film because if it was too sudden and shocking it just wouldn't work. Really wanna see this.

I felt completely dreadful after this - but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I couldn't stop thinking about it the rest of the night, and it's still playing on my mind.

 

Same here mate, I was pretty much in tears by the end (yeah, okay, I'm a bit of softie I admit it :lol: ), but as I said in my original post, I think what film should do is to convey human emotions as opposed to desensitizing us.... As to your question....

 

 

No, I dont think anything is wrong with you at all... The whole ethos of the film/book is really to show that blind, stupid obedience to a leader or a political idea without question is ultimately destructive as opposed to being "for the greater good", ever the excuse used by these types of people from Ghenghis Khan right on through to George Dubya Bush.... Bruno questions these beliefs and strikes a rapport with Schmaul, who is supposed to be his "enemy", he just reacts like kids do, thinks it's all stupid (which it is...). The corruption of the adult world is ultimately what kills Bruno and Schmaul, and this is where the real tragedy is... Adults in this case are being very clearly more irrational than the children, so it is perfectly natural to sympathise with Bruno.. The adults themselves are the ones who are ultimately punished though, Bruno and Schmaul physically die, but at least they are together in the end, equals in death which just punctuates the sheer evil of the adult world - childhood innocence being crushed by adult stupidity and irrationality... The adults, on the other hand, will die every day in their souls for allowing this evil, this blind, stupid Patriotism, to take them over and have power over them....

 

 

Okay, I'll stop now or I'll just get more emotional.... :lol:

How is Schmuel pronounced in the film? Its a question i'm dying to know i've been wondering about it for a year :P

How is Schmuel pronounced in the film? Its a question i'm dying to know i've been wondering about it for a year :P

 

It's pronounced "Shh-mawl"

This just starting airing in the US, and can I just say this was the most emotional movie I have seen in my entire life. Such a great film, I actually cried, the actors were flawless along with the storyline. The ending was dreadful to see but absolutely a perfect ending.

 

 

The mother crying at the end really set me off, and Bruno really got me when he said "It's ok it's just a shower". :cry:

 

 

Amazing, amazing film.

I can't believe it's taken this long to get to the States!! But you're right, an amazing movie - my favourite of the year, by a million miles.

I only saw this for the first time yesterday. Without a doubt one of my favourite films of all time.

It's the most moving and emotional film I've ever seen and the first film to ever make me cry (and I'm not ashamed to admit that).

I actually never predicted the ending, had no idea that would happen (well, until pretty much right at the end). I'm definitely going to purchase the book, so I can have a read of it.

 

So so good. And as with Andrew, I couldn't stop thinking about it all night. I mean, obviously I've heard about the dreadful things happening in Germany at the time, but seeing it (well, almost) really was something different. Haunting, but necessary I feel.