Schlondorf is one of the leading figures of the second generation of directors of the "New German Cinema" movement. His "The Tin Drum" and Fassbender's "Marriage of Maria-Braun" and other films not only announced to the world that German cinema was reborn, but also brought the "New German Cinema" movement initiated by Kruger and other predecessors. Push to a new high. Since "The Tin Drum" won the Cannes Film Festival Award and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1979 and 1980, film and television critics from all over the world have been competing to analyze and interpret this film with a modern style and a dazzling light of thought. Although their interpretation methods and perspectives are different, there is a consensus on the basic proposition of this film, that is, this film is a political film with strong reflection. This article is based on this premise to discuss the film.
The famous German film theorist Thom as Esaesser once put forward this point of view for the "New German Cinema" movement: in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many German films tried to avoid telling or referring to the German film of about two decades from 1925 to 1945. Social History. Thom as Elsaesser figuratively calls these two decades the era of amnesia. Because this period of history was the reign of Nazi Germany, it is called the "Nazi era" in history. Some psychologists prefer to call this history the "Fatherless Age" in German history. The film "The Tin Drum" tells a story about "Fatherless". "The Tin Drum" tells the story of his personal growth from refusing to grow up, protesting to the adult world with screams and drums, to gradually agreeing with the Nazi propaganda, and finally returning to the rational world and recovering his growth through the mouth of a dwarf. It also tells the history of the evil development of Nazi Germany from its development to its rise to its final collapse. Through the portrayal of Oscar's growth experience and psychological changes and his relatives and neighbors in turmoil, excitement or panic when the war is coming, the film shows the audience the process of a arrogant, selfish, and lust-filled nation destroying others and destroying itself. . In the film, both Oscar and Nazi Germany are portrayed as children who have not grown up healthy due to the absence of a "father". Freud's theory holds that the father means authority in a person's life, and the father's role plays an extremely important role in the growth of an individual. Individual self-affirmation is the result of successful repression of the desire to resist incest. This desire arises from the boy's antagonism and conflict with his father's authority in the process of self-identification, until the mother's choice one day stabilizes it and ensures the legitimacy of the intergenerational relationship. According to this theory, our analysis of The Tin Drum will lead to an interesting conclusion: the film The Tin Drum vividly and appropriately reflects the social reality of Germany during the two world wars, a fatherless era".
A home without a father
Analyzing Oscar's family structure, we will find that Oscar's family is actually a "fatherless family". The father figure is forever missing in the film. This is an interesting and profound discovery. Alfredo is Oscar's nominal father because he and Oscar's mother are only married. A series of scenes in the film have already confessed that Oscar's real father is his nominal cousin, that is, Oscar's mother's cousin, Bronski. Likewise, little Kurt, who is Oscar's nominal brother, is actually Oscar's son. He was born to Oscar and his titular stepmother, Maria. Oscar's mother, Agnes, does have a definite father, the arsonist who is hunted down by the Gendarmerie at the beginning of the film. But his appearance only plays a structural role, and he is in a state of "anonymity/absence" in the main body of the film. Because on the one hand, the film clearly confesses that Agnes is a child born of fornication by his parents, so he does not have the legitimacy and ethical type that a normal family should have. On the other hand, as for the film as a whole, Agnes' father disappeared after completing the "task" of "making" his mother, and he has no end in sight. Agnes lost his father just three months ago. In this sense, Oscar's mother, Agnes, also grew up in a family where his father was missing. Since Oscar's mother, Oscar himself, and Oscar's son cannot be clearly "identified" as their blood father. We would not hesitate to assert that Oscar's family is a "fatherless" family. As mentioned earlier, the development of a child requires the authority of the father. Children (especially boys) can only gradually "confirm" themselves in the process of constantly rebelling against the authority of their fathers. And finally complete self-affirmation". It can be said that having a father and constantly resisting father's authority to promote mental growth is an extremely important part of children's healthy growth. Due to the lack of father's authority, Oscar and his mother have not obtained a healthy growth The environment is also one of the important reasons for Oscar's physical and mental deformity. Oscar witnessed the chaotic real relationship between his mother and his "cousin" on his third birthday, and became anxious about his identity. In the film, Oscar's blood father's The constant "absence" and the constant "presence" of Oscar's nominal father have had a double impact on Oscar's personality and psychology, which has gradually formed a double contradiction) character. On the one hand, he is extremely sober, able to calmly and correctly judge the family And social relations. In order to highlight Oscar's sobriety, the film even uses surreal techniques. For example, Oscar knew the story of his grandfather and grandmother before he was born, and he had adult thinking ability when he was born. After birth, he has supernatural ability to smash glass with a cry to express dissatisfaction and anger. On the other hand, he is easily tempted and fooled. Under the persuasion of the circus dwarf Papala, Oscar gradually lost his original calm, and practiced everything he hated and opposed, becoming a member of the Nazi propaganda machine. Similarly, Oscar's mother cannot properly understand/imagine a man who can act as a father due to the absence of a father. So she was deeply caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, it is the unforgettable love of the lover, and on the other hand, it is the temptation of the husband who is increasingly "charismatic" because of his Nazi background. Agnes couldn't get rid of this knot, and she could only get rid of herself by suicide in the end. Oscar and his mother both fell victim to a fatherless family. According to Freud's theory, the father's role plays an irreplaceable role in the son's growth. Without the repression of the father's authority, the son cannot grow up healthily. Because it is not easy for him to master the ability to deal with many troubles in life. And this ability is acquired by the child in the process of constant suppression and anti-suppression between him and his father. While resisting his father's authority, the son gradually succumbed to his father's authority, and finally established a pattern for how to be a father in the future. Therefore, a boy's growth history can be understood in this way, that is, the son grows into a father in the process of constantly resisting and failing his father's authority. In the film, because the blood father is always in a recessive/absent state, Oscar has no "patriarchy" that he can resist, and it is difficult to obtain a "reference" for him to grow up as a father. Therefore, it is impossible for him to grow into a normal man. It is not surprising that his character and behavior are abnormal. And this ability is acquired by the child in the process of constant repression and anti-repression between him and his father. While resisting his father's authority, the son gradually succumbed to his father's authority, and finally established a pattern for how to be a father in the future. Therefore, a boy's growth history can be understood in this way, that is, the son grows into a father in the process of constantly resisting and failing his father's authority. In the film, because the blood father is always in a recessive/absent state, Oscar has no "patriarchy" that he can resist, and it is difficult to obtain a "reference" for him to grow up as a father. Therefore, it is impossible for him to grow into a normal man. It is not surprising that his character and behavior are abnormal. And this ability is acquired by the child in the process of constant repression and anti-repression between him and his father. While resisting his father's authority, the son gradually succumbed to his father's authority, and finally established a pattern for how to be a father in the future. Therefore, a boy's growth history can be understood in this way, that is, the son grows into a father in the process of constantly resisting and failing his father's authority. In the film, because the blood father is always in a recessive/absent state, Oscar has no "patriarchy" that he can resist, and it is difficult to obtain a "reference" for him to grow up as a father. Therefore, it is impossible for him to grow into a normal man. It is not surprising that his character and behavior are abnormal.
The city without father
The story of The Tin Drum takes place in a small town called Danzig. The question of the historical attribution of this small town is very interesting. Before the First World War, Danzig was under German rule. Germany was defeated in World War I, and Danzig was ceded to Poland. Although Danzig legally belongs to Poland, the weaker Poland cannot exercise power in this small town. On the contrary, although Germany has legally lost control of Danzig, its influence is still everywhere because a considerable number of Germans still live in this small town. After Hitler came to power, he tried to revive the imperial glory and began to restore the original German sphere of influence. Danzig became the focus of contention between Germany and Poland, which led to a surprise attack on Poland by Nazi Germany in September 1939, and the outbreak of World War II. Fascist Germany was completely defeated in World War II, and then lost its illegally seized territories, including Danzig. The film "The Tin Drum" describes the history of the changing fate of the small town of Danzig. From the narration of the film, we found that there was a problem in the ownership of the small town of Danzig before World War II. The actual situation at that time was that Danzig was politically owned by Poland and economically dependent on Germany. The inhabitants of Danzig are mainly composed of three parts: Germans, Poles, and Kasu whites. This further exacerbated the confusion and disorder of the residents of Danzig on the issue of psychological belonging. Deep down they have a general self-identification anxiety. Lasch, a scholar of post-Freudian theory, believes that the formation of different personalities depends on the determination of different self-identities. And self-identity is determined almost entirely by the constant reinforcement of other people's evaluations. People try to strengthen others and their own identities by contrasting them with others, and often present themselves in front of others in behaviors that are different from others. According to Lasch's theory, without the approval and praise of others, a person cannot grow normally because he cannot judge himself correctly. In the same way, without the approval of others, it is impossible for Ze people to live a normal life. However, the identity problem of Zexiaocheng cannot be solved, and its people will inevitably fall into disorder and blindness, thus forming abnormal personality traits. Oscar's relatives are a good example. Blonsky, Oscar's titular cousin, is a timid man. There is no doubt that a healthy physical and mental. Men should have a certain degree of firmness, courage and not easily yield personality traits. But Blonsky was overjoyed to learn that he had failed to become a soldier because he was unfit. Later, Bronsky took Oscar to the post office to repair the damaged tin drum, and happened to meet the Germans attacking the post office. All took part in the resistance, only Bronski hid in a corner and shivered, Showing cowardice. Oscar's righteous father, Alfredo, was a strong German. But in the film, it appears more as a dull, selfish image. He already knew about the affair between his wife and Bronsky, but he let it go. He doesn't care about his wife's feelings at all and just goes his own way. Treating Oscar showed the rudeness and cruelty of the "stepfather". Oscar's mother, Agnes, has a very strong personality. She fell in love with her cousin and had an affair with her cousin regardless of family ethics. However, the various abnormal behaviors of the illegitimate son caused enormous psychological pressure to the mother. She was overwhelmed and eventually died. Like Oscar and his three relatives, Oscar's neighbors are also in a state of irrationality and exhibit extreme character traits. The trumpeter has a strong urge to persecute others; the neighbors also display brutality and cruelty. They jokingly talk about starving others to death while they indulge in good food and wine. It can be seen that the numb, selfish and cruel mentality of the Oscar family and its neighbors truly reflects the mental state of the residents of Danzig at that time. It was a strong desire that was out of control, and it was even more irrational arrogance. It is this desire and hubris that supports irrational warfare. But the residents of Danzig should not be blamed too much. In their own eyes, there is nothing wrong with their actions. They have been controlled by an irresistible force. This force is the collective unconscious of Danzig society. This collective unconscious is so powerful that it traps every Danzig in it and makes them immersed in it unconsciously. According to post-Freudian theory, every social person is trapped in some kind of collective unconscious and Powerless to extricate themselves. But for the residents of Danzig, this collective unconsciousness has become very active because there is no strong authority to restrain and guide it, and finally break through the limitation of rationality and go to the extreme. So the residents of the whole city are in an irrational excitement, or numbness, cruelty, or impulsiveness. In this sense, the small town of Danzig during the interwar period was a "fatherless" city in turmoil. Oscar's neighbors are also in irrational states and exhibit extreme character traits. The trumpeter has a strong urge to persecute others; the neighbors also display brutality and cruelty. They jokingly talk about starving others to death while they indulge in good food and wine. It can be seen that the numb, selfish and cruel mentality of the Oscar family and its neighbors truly reflects the mental state of the residents of Danzig at that time. It was a strong desire that was out of control, and it was even more irrational arrogance. It is this desire and hubris that supports irrational warfare. But the residents of Danzig should not be blamed too much. In their own eyes, there is nothing wrong with their actions. They have been controlled by an irresistible force. This force is the collective unconscious of Danzig society. This collective unconscious is so powerful that it traps every Danzig in it and makes them immersed in it unconsciously. According to post-Freudian theory, every social person is trapped in some kind of collective unconscious and Powerless to extricate themselves. But for the residents of Danzig, this collective unconsciousness has become very active because there is no strong authority to restrain and guide it, and finally break through the limitation of rationality and go to the extreme. So the residents of the whole city are in an irrational excitement, or numbness, cruelty, or impulsiveness. In this sense, the small town of Danzig during the interwar period was a "fatherless" city in turmoil. Oscar's neighbors are also in irrational states and exhibit extreme character traits. The trumpeter has a strong urge to persecute others; the neighbors also display brutality and cruelty. They jokingly talk about starving others to death while they indulge in good food and wine. It can be seen that the numb, selfish and cruel mentality of the Oscar family and its neighbors truly reflects the mental state of the residents of Danzig at that time. It was a strong desire that was out of control, and it was even more irrational arrogance. It is this desire and hubris that supports irrational warfare. But the residents of Danzig should not be blamed too much. In their own eyes, there is nothing wrong with their actions. They have been controlled by an irresistible force. This force is the collective unconscious of Danzig society. This collective unconscious is so powerful that it traps every Danzig in it and makes them immersed in it unconsciously. According to post-Freudian theory, every social person is trapped in some kind of collective unconscious and Powerless to extricate themselves. But for the residents of Danzig, this collective unconsciousness has become very active because there is no strong authority to restrain and guide it, and finally break through the limitation of rationality and go to the extreme. So the residents of the whole city are in an irrational excitement, or numbness, cruelty, or impulsiveness. In this sense, the small town of Danzig during the interwar period was a "fatherless" city in turmoil. Or numb, or cruel, or impulsive. In this sense, the small town of Danzig during the interwar period was a "fatherless" city in turmoil. Or numb, or cruel, or impulsive. In this sense, the small town of Danzig during the interwar period was a "fatherless" city in turmoil.
3. A Fatherless Country
Obviously, the Oscar family including Danzig can be seen as a microcosm of German society during the interwar period. Germany in the early 1920s was the era of the Weimar Republic. Compared with mature modern Germany, the Weimar Republic is still in its infancy. Internally, the ruling party alliance cannot exercise a strong and effective rule over Germany due to internal disputes, and the people live in disorder and poverty. Externally, Germany lost all its overseas colonies due to the failure of "World War I", and its homeland was also cut off by one-eighth. Germany has changed from a pre-war emerging capitalist power to a target of slaughter. Therefore, Germany's upper class represented by monopoly capital and the lower class represented by urban poor have a common urgent desire, that is, to establish as soon as possible A powerful regime to end the disorder and chaos in German society. In this case, the Nazis came on stage. As mentioned earlier, a strong father's authority is crucial to a child's development. Similarly, a strong government is also essential to the healthy development of a country and a nation. It is undeniable that the rise of Nazi Germany met the urgent need for power politics in German social development. Indeed, compared with the Weimar Republic, the Nazi regime was strong enough to act as Germany's "guardian" and "father". But unfortunately, the Nazis were not a qualified father. According to Thomas E kaeser's analysis, Hitler did not design himself as an ideal father figure, but designed himself as a very responsible son image of a loving mother. This is a child The most primitive form of love, even earlier than the Oedipus complex. So the Nazis were indeed 'repressed' narcissists. They did not acquire the ideal 'self' that they learned from their father. Because the father is absent or shrouded in the authority of the mother. The father becomes the pure target of psychological hatred, aggression driven by sadistic and masochistic impulses. Therefore, the Nazis represented by Hitler are still essentially unworldly children. When Hitler first came to power, Germany was still relatively backward. However, as an emerging capitalist country, Germany took full advantage of its latecomer advantages and recovered its strength in less than a dozen years. Not only has the economy and military strength been greatly enhanced, but also people's living standards have generally improved. (The Oscar family and neighbors often hold rich family gatherings to confirm this) According to Freud's related theory, a person's self-identity during a period of dramatic identity change is crucial. Because, at this time, the psychology of the actor is happening Huge shift. Without proper guidance, The perpetrator will have a masochistic or abusive impulse. In my opinion, this Freudian theory applies equally to states or nations. Without a rational government, the stronger Germany is, the more aggressive it will be. Because he has to acquire more and more wealth to meet his growing needs . "The Tin Drum" is a horrific account of Nazi Germany's horrific wealth grab. They launched wars, invaded other countries, killed innocent people indiscriminately, and brought huge disasters to mankind. There is no doubt that the Nazis headed by Hitler were the main culprits in this unjust war. But it cannot be denied that many Germans and non-Germans were also forced or voluntarily involved under the fascination of Nazi propaganda. There is the Oscar family. Oscar, who used to make a big Nazi rally, couldn't help feeling tempted, and personally participated in the war as an actor: Oscar's father - Alfredo joined the Nazi squad: Oscar's mother - Ah Gness was originally disgusted with her husband, so she began to kiss her husband who became a member of the Nazis, indicating the shift of emotional focus; Oscar's neighbors also expressed their support and support for the war of aggression in their own ways. All in all, under the inducement and intoxication of the Nazis, quite a number of people participated in this war blindly and enthusiastically. They are like children without a father's supervision, playing all kinds of violent games. Nazi Germany became a child without a "father". Play all kinds of violent games. Nazi Germany became a child without a "father". Play all kinds of violent games. Nazi Germany became a child without a "father".
To sum up, the film "The Tin Drum" recalled the "unforgettable past" in Germany with extraordinary courage, and expressed the theme of profound historical reflection. In the process of interpreting this theme, the director passed the Oscar family's seemingly absurd It is a true and profound vicissitudes story that reproduces the chaotic era and society in Germany. It was a family without a "father", a city without a "father", and a country without a "father". There is no qualified Under the supervision of the father, the son cannot grow into a qualified father; without the correct national belief, the country and society cannot develop harmoniously. This may be the biggest inspiration left to us by The Tin Drum.
Reprinted from a great movie without a father
View more about The Tin Drum reviews
