"The Tin Drum" is a 1979 adaptation of Günterglass's novel of the same name directed by Volker Schlondoff, which tells a dark history in a surreal form of magic. It mainly tells the story of the World War II period at that time, and invites future generations to reflect.
The whole story is told from the perspective and tone of the first-person "child" (Oscar who stopped growing).
The tone of the whole film is absurd, magical, surreal, all people, things, all metaphors and figurations are exaggerated, and exaggerated forms are better to form irony. It seems to tell the story of a chaotic family full of quarrels, but the metaphor is the real situation of the war in Germany.
Oscar is inherently rebellious and world-weary. Since he was three years old, because of the heavy blows of the times and family, he has long seen through the selfishness, ignorance, blind obedience, hypocrisy, betrayal, jealousy, greed, cruelty, lust, cunning, ambition, and arrogance of the adult world. Stopping growth is a disgust for the times and family. In his eyes, everyone around him is so weird and stupid, but in the eyes of the world, Oscar's existence is incredible, not allowed, everything is so magical . When Oscar sees the evil in the world, he will frantically beat the tin drum, which is his dissatisfaction with the world and human nature. When someone robbed his tin drum, the screaming was a subconscious resistance, because in this turbulent and unstable era, the tin drum was his greatest stability.
The film uses a small metaphor for a big one, and Oscar's family metaphor for the war years, which contains many metaphors. Such as: Oscar symbolizes Danzig, father symbolizes Germany, and uncle symbolizes Poland. Oscar's biological father is unknown, which is a metaphor for the vacillation of Danzig's ownership at that time. It is also a metaphor for the indecent products of these two opposing countries, which are not accepted by the world. And grandmother's four-tier dress, a metaphor for the Eiffel Tower. Fishing with a donkey's head is a metaphor for the mother's pregnancy again. Crazy eating fish is because fish has an abortive effect, which can cover up morning sickness, and at the same time express the mother's tolerance for the pressure of life.
The fate of the characters in the film is always repeated. Mom and nanny Maria, Oscar and uncle, toy store owner and grocer, son and Oscar... The only constant is dad, grandmother and the tin drum. When the German army came to take back Danzig, Oscar shoved a military emblem that once belonged to his father. His father swallowed it and committed suicide, dying on the land of his hometown, together with his mission. And my grandmother, a woman who spanned two eras, and when everyone left, she also stayed on the land of her hometown. When Dad was buried, Oscar threw his tin drum into the cemetery and wanted him to be buried forever, which represented Oscar's acceptance of growth and continued growth. The film seems to express the war, but Danzig's growth process. In fact, it may be the feelings of his grandmother. He stayed on this land in his hometown, and this land still exists.
The composition of the film directed by Walker is opposed to the sound and picture, making the whole film full of joking irony, but only after a deep aftertaste can we taste the taste. This exaggerated and magical technique skillfully integrates the absurd tone of the entire movie's plot with the depression in the real era, and the countless metaphors in it have caused later generations to ponder.
For example, in the movie, it expresses that the discourse of intellectuals is different from the official discourse, and the two are also different from the common people's discourse based on the principle of survival interests. I think more, the Tin Drum should be an independent existence in this chaotic world, always staying awake, not being lured, maintaining the principle of fairness and justice. Through Oscar, the child's eyes were used to express the absurdity of various inhumane acts and ugly systems in Germany at that time. When witnessing such a scene, the child expressed his resentment and disgust for it through the most superficial behavior. It is thoughtful, just, and a kind of existence that is different from the dark and hypocritical evil world.
One cannot always live in a dream and forget about life. Life is not like this movie, the dark tone always needs to maintain the inner colorful humor, and the colorful tone always hides black humor. People can't be greedy for temporary fame, money and comfort, and forget their roots. Remember, the land of your hometown exists, no matter where you go, your roots are here. In your old age, he will go deeper and deeper, you will be rooted here, and no one will uproot your tree. The growth of a nation and an individual always terrifies itself, but no one can avoid growing up. You can only keep chasing the world and keep the basis of principles, so that time will not crush your body.
Is growing up frightening, or is this era frightening us to grow up?
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