The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - Review.

[Grimm]

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - Review.

I was recently asked by a couple of family members what my thoughts were on the film 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'. Not ever having had the misfortune of watching this pile of trash, I decided to watch it and write my own short review. Please excuse my unpolished words.

As can be expected from this kind of slanted WW2 film, it portrays Germans as either cold blooded, goose-stepping 'Nazi' murderers, as exemplified by the cruel and fiendish Lieutenant Kotler, or as those 'good Germans' that were completely oblivious to 'what was going on' and who are horrified when they did eventually find out.

And of course, to be expected, members of the 'chosen' tribe are portrayed as innocent victims that would never harm a fly. One such 'chosen' character is Pavel, the one time doctor turned potato peeler, who is later beaten to death by Kotler for the 'wicked crime' of spilling a glass of wine. The other main 'chosen' character is the young camp inmate, Shmuel, who later befriends Bruno from inside the concentration camp.

I have to say that as far as I could see from the outset, so many things just did not add up. This film just did not even make the slightest bit of sense, which didn't at all surprise me. The film begins with a young German boy, eight year old Bruno, who is the son of an SS officer who relocates with his family from Berlin to the countryside.

Bruno is an adventurous young scamp that, on arrival at his new home, grows increasingly bored due to his lack of interaction with other children of his own age. To quell this boredom, he seeks adventure. On seeing a plume of smoke rising up from a 'farm' to the rear of his house as he plays on a makeshift swing, he sets out on a journey to find the source of this smoke.

The young Bruno demonstrates throughout the film that he is of above average intelligence, is independently minded, sceptical and does not take the word of his superiors at face value, seeking evidence before coming to a conclusion. He even asks his father at one point where the bellowing smoke came from and what was the cause of it. His father, played by David Thewlis - whose weak and feeble performance does a rank injustice to any SS officer -, casually dismisses the smoke as just burning clothes, wood etc. and that young Bruno should not worry about it.

Strangely, after first showing such promise, Bruno goes on to not only show an unbelievable level of naivety - even for an eight year old - regarding the concentration camp that is not far from his backyard, he later allows himself to be lured into the camp by a young member of the 'chosen' tribe. This even after being instructed by his tutor, his sister and his father (etc.) that these people were not to be fraternised with under any circumstances. And once inside the camp, he barely makes so much as a squeal as he is led into a 'shower' along with the rest of the poor innocent 'chosen'.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but my initial thoughts on watching this film were, would not the young Bruno have been put off from going near that camp by the horrific stench? These 'chosen' had after all (according to the film) been living in conditions of filth and squaller for months and perhaps years on end.

Why didn't his father make it abundantly clear even before Bruno inquired about the origin of the 'smoke', that if he went near the camp he could be either electrocuted by the electric fence, murdered by the dangerous inmates or even catch a terrible disease, such a typhus etc.?

When Bruno was later being lured into the concentration camp by the 'innocent' young 'chosen' Shmuel (was he really so innocent, even by the films standards?), why didn't this ring alarm bells? Surely even an eight year old sceptic who wished to learn the truth about these people for himself would have reservations about entering such a camp that he had been taught was filled with some of the most dangerous and untrustworthy 'humanoids' on the planet. I mean seriously, can you imagine anybody, let alone a bright young pup, being stupid enough to allow themselves to be lured into a Supermax prison or lunatic asylum filled with dangerous psychopaths, even after they had been told time and time again that these people were extremely dangerous?

After proving himself a candidate for the Darwin award by putting on 'pyjamas', digging a hole and entering the camp underneath the fence, why didn't Bruno scream for his dear little life after witnessing the filthy conditions and being led into the 'shower', take off his prison hat and make it crystal clear to the camp guards that he was a fellow German?

I might add that I have a seven year old brother that is a mischievous scamp - a little more so than the character of Bruno - and I know for certain that if he sensed for a moment that he was in danger or even if he thought he was being forced to do something against his will, he would soon raise alarm bells. He would undoubtedly scream bloody murder. He would not hesitate to air his concerns, that is for sure. And he certainly would not allow himself to get into such an idiotic, ridiculous situation. I mean, who would? You would quite literally have to be a blithering, drooling imbecile to do so.

I find it hard to believe that any young child, especially one of Bruno's calibre as portrayed in the film, would allow himself to get into this kind of ridiculous situation without uttering a peep. It just would not happen. Not in the real world.

At the end of the film, we see Bruno's parents frantically searching through the woods, around the perimeter of the camps fence and finally inside the concentration camp itself trying to find the young Bruno, who by this point has been 'gassed' along with the rest of the camp inmates. This whole scenario is just completely ridiculous. 

My verdict: Pure propaganda drivel. Needless to say, this film being a typical production of this kind, it was an absolute pile of nonsense designed to demonise Germans and get an emotional reaction from a gullible audience. Sadly, the average person watching this will get teary-eyed and fall for it every time. Many people will even come away hating the German people and believing that this pile of garbage is based on a true story.

[Rev.Cambeul]

A very good movie review Brother. Top marks!

Thanks to you Brother, there's another Hollywood abomination I can add to my mental list of unwatchables. Now if anyone asks about the movie, I can say with confidence why the movie, the actors, writers, producers, et al should be treated with contempt and everything they participate in viewed with suspicion.

@Cailen.