The Tin Drum: Schlöndorff’s German Fresco
By May 09, 2004
“A country unable to mourn,” Volker Schlöndorff wrote in his journal as he adapted Günter Grass’ novel, The Tin Drum. “Germany, to this day, is the poisoned Read more »
- Germany
- 1979
- 142 minutes
- Color
- 1.77:1
- German
- Spine #234
SYNOPSIS: Danzig, Germany, 1924. Oskar Matzerath is born with an intellect beyond his infancy. As he witnesses the hypocrisy of adulthood and the irresponsibility of society, Oskar rejects both, and, at his third birthday, refuses to grow older. Caught in a baffling state of perpetual childhood, Oskar lashes out at all he surveys with piercing screams and frantic poundings on his tin drum, while the unheeding, chaotic world marches onward to the madness and folly of World War II. Honored with the Palme d’Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival and the 1979 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film, Volker Schlöndorff’s The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) is a truly visionary adaptation of Nobel laureate Günter Grass’s acclaimed novel, an unforgettable fantasia of surreal imagery, striking eroticism, and unflinching satire.
Cast & CreditsOpen
Cast
| Oskar Matzerath | David Bennent |
| Alfred Matzerath | Mario Adorf |
| Agnes Matzerath | Angela Winkler |
| Maria Matzerath | Katharina Thalbach |
| Jan Bronsk | Daniel Olbrychski |
| Anna Koljaiczek (old) | Berta Drews |
| Anna Koljaiczek (young) | Tina Engel |
| Greff | Heinz Bennent |
| Löbsack | Ernst Jacobi |
| Lina Greff | Andréa Ferréol |
| Sigismund Markus | Charles Aznavour |
Credits
| Director | Volker Schlöndorff |
| Producers | Franz Seitz, Anatole Dauman and Eberhard Junkersdorf |
| Music | Maurice Jarre |
| Editing | Suzanne Baron |
| Director of photography | Igor Luther |
| Art director | Nikos Perakis |
| Set decorator | Bernd Lepel |
| Screenplay | Jean-Claude Carrière, Franz Seitz and Volker Schlöndorff |
| Additional dialogue | Günter Grass |
| Based on the novel by | Günter Grass |
Disc Features
DIRECTOR APPROVED DOUBLE-DISC SET
- New digital transfer, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions
- Audio commentary by director and cowriter Volker Schlöndorff
- Remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
- Isolated score by Maurice Jarre
- Rare deleted scenes, featuring commentary by Schlöndorff
- Volker Schlöndorff Remembers “The Tin Drum,” a montage featuring Schlöndorff’s thoughts and recollections about the film, along with on-set photos, storyboards, and images not included in the final film
- An illuminating collection of video interviews: with Schlöndorff and actor David Bennent at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival; co-writer Jean-Claude Carrière and actor Mario Adorf; Schlöndorff and author Günter Grass during filming; and Schlöndorff after winning the Palme d’Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival
- "The Platform,” a rare 1987 German recording of Günter Grass reading an excerpt from his novel The Tin Drum, accompanied by the music of famed improvisational percussionist Günter “Baby” Sommer
- Reprinted excerpt of the screenplay’s original, unfilmed ending
- Banned in Oklahoma, a documentary by Gary D. Rhodes following the child pornography lawsuit revolving around The Tin Drum
- Production sketches, designs and promotional art
- Original theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
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