The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)

Director:

Mark Herman

Writers:

John Boyne (novel)
Mark Herman (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 November 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

A timeless story of innocence lost and humanity found.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Concentration Camp | Friend | Friendship | Nazi Concentration Camp | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Asa Butterfield	...	Bruno
Zac Mattoon O'Brien	...	Leon (as Zac Mattoon-O'Brien)
Domonkos Németh	...	Martin
Henry Kingsmill	...	Karl
Vera Farmiga	...	Mother
Cara Horgan	...	Maria
Zsuzsa Holl	...	Berlin Cook
Amber Beattie	...	Gretel
László Áron	...	Lars
David Thewlis	...	Father
Richard Johnson	...	Grandpa
Sheila Hancock	...	Grandma
Charlie Baker	...	Palm Court Singer
Iván Verebély	...	Meinberg
Béla Fesztbaum	...	Schultz

Also Known As:

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust.

Runtime:

94 min | Israel:93 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44276) | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | Norway:11 | Argentina:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Brazil:12 | Chile:14 | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Germany:12 (f) | Hong Kong:IIA | Mexico:B | Japan:PG-12 | New Zealand:M | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

In regards to shooting the final scene, director Mark Herman remarked "it was a nightmare on many levels. We probably had more lawyers than filmmakers. We had all of the legalities of kids in amongst grown-up naked people."

Goofs:

Continuity: (At 46:04 > 46:15) After Bruno visits Shmuel and throws the ball into the concentration camp, Bruno comes back to the house, and as he shuts the back door he is caught by his mum. Yet as the camera moves to his mum and back to Bruno, the back door is ajar again.

Quotes:

Bruno: Why do you wear pajamas all day?
Shmuel: The soldiers. They took all our clothes away.
Bruno: My dad's a soldier, but not the sort that takes people's clothes away.

Movie Connections:

References Theresienstadt (1944)

Soundtrack:

Smile When You Say Goodbye

Perfectly weighted film...

I'm a man's man, and it takes something really exceptional to break my emotionless machine persona. This film ripped me apart and reminded me (and my partner) of humanity inside even the most hardened man.

Perfectly weighted film in every way, from pace to acting and all framed with a wonderful score. The subtlety of the looks passing between the actors and a finale that ensured silence until the final credit rolled, makes this one of the best films i've seen in a long time.

This is the first review I have never written and i cannot think of a better way to have opened my account.