Swing Kids

Plot synopsis:
In Hamburg in 1939, Peter Müller and Thomas Berger join their friends Arvid and Otto at a swing club called the Bismarck. They have a good time, dancing and enjoying the music.
Peter goes home to find his mother in an argument with a Nazi officer. Herr Knopp, head of the local Gestapo, arrives and curtly dismisses the officer. Herr Knopp begins asking Frau Müller questions about some of her late husband's friends. Herr Müller had been accused of being a communist, and was irreparably damaged by an interrogation at the hands of Nazi agents.
At Arvid's house, Thomas accidentally ruins one of Arvid's prized records. Upset, Arvid kicks Thomas, Peter and Otto out. To apologize to Arvid, Peter and Thomas steal a radio (which Peter knows was stolen from a ransacked Jewish home) from a bakery. Thomas escapes, but Peter is caught. Herr Knopp, who is attracted to Peter's mother, intercedes for him; in return, Peter must enroll in the Hitlerjugend (HJ).
Peter, who has a job delivering books, is asked to spy on his boss, whom the Nazis suspect is working against the Reich. In HJ school, the boys are encouraged to spy on their friends and families. Thomas accuses his father of insulting Hitler, hoping to cause trouble for him, but is unnerved when the Nazis come to his home and take his father away. His subsequent attempts to resume his friendship with Peter and persuade him to collaborate with the Nazis are tinged with fear.
Arvid, who is working at a jazz club, refuses to play a German song, lashing out at the club's patrons for being blind to the Nazi agenda. Peter is sympathetic but Thomas loudly argues the Nazi side. Peter angrily proclaims Thomas to be a "fucking Nazi" and storms off. As time goes on, Arvid realizes there is nothing for him in Germany and commits suicide.
As Thomas begins to believe fully in Nazi ideology, Peter feels as though there is no hope for him. Peter, disenchanted with how his life is coming apart, dresses up and goes to a swing club which is scheduled to be raided by members of the Hitlerjugend (HJ). As Thomas begins assaulting the club's patrons he attacks Peter; however, during the fight Peter is able to reach Thomas. Thomas begs Peter to run away but Peter won't. Willie Müller is there and as Peter is driven away by the police, he loudly screams "Swing Heil!" over and over again, proud that his brother stood up for being a swing kid.

Tags: inspiring

Review:
I'm a History teacher and we use Swing Kids as an introduction to the topic of alternative youth groups in Nazi Germany.
However that is not what this film is about (if that is what you want see The Pianist or Schindler's List - also excellent films).This film is looking at how some German youths avoided the Hitler Youth and the nazi regime insofar as they could, and what they spent their time doing (dancing, listening to swing music and being with their friends).It does show some useful aspects about how the Hitler Youth were expected to behave and the propaganda they were exposed to, as well as about swing youth and their attitude to the regime.It is an entertaining and poignant film which explores friendship,romance and growing up against the backdrop of one of the most vilified periods in modern historyBasically Swing Kids does what it does well.
Peter recoils from the Hitler Youth (and from his former friend) because his own father had disappeared, perhaps into the camps, after the Nazis took power several years earlier.There's's no hindsight in the movie's perspective, and no heroism.
There were lots of them and at first they were fairly lacking in politics, but later in the 40s when they were cracked down on more so by the Nazis some were more active.It's not like the movie makers pulled the concept of kids, Nazis and swing out of their asses, which is what people seem to think.And at least it was something, at least it wasn't giving in totally.
I hate when people can't lose what they know to watch a movie.I recommend everyone to read some swing kids history, just look them up, it makes the movie much better and more interesting to know the facts.This is a fairly good movie with very good acting, great great music and costumes, a great story that was influenced by deeply interesting history, and too much heavy handedness.But seriously, who can resist a movie put out by Disney that includes the line of dialog "You're turning into a f*cking Nazi!"?.
The history of the movie might be a little tweaked to make a few interesting scenes, but to see what the Nazis were doing to the youth of their country, brainwashing them and telling them to spy on people, is appalling.
(Thomas especially)There were some not-so-great things about the movie, like some characters or scenes which, when you think back, seem to have been included for an unknown reason.
The swing music and dancing in the movie was awesome, and I thought all the characters were acted very well by the actors.
Four German teenage boys (Leonard, Bale, Whaley, and Batrok), living under Nazy reign in World War II, secretly play Swing music, American stuff that's been forbidden, and embrace the concepts of the musical heritage.
He feels that the motives behind these teen's rebellion are stupid: It seems as if Hitler hadn't banned Swing music, then they would have thought that he was a swell guy.Actually, this observation on Mr. Ebert's behalf might be the film's point.
Bartok is just sort of along for the ride, just wanting to hang out with his friends and play in his music...oblivious to what happens with the Jews or Nazis.So here we have four chief characters that pretty much represent probably the most basic attitudes of German citizens during the war: Brainwashed, aware, torn in between, and indifferent.
Say what you will about this film - say it's boring, say it's the greatest film of all time, say it was mediocre, say it was awful - i mean it, say WHATEVER you want (after all, we are, every last one one of us, entitled to our opinions); But know this one absolute fact: the very last scene in this film makes this movie great.
But these squares were the Gestapo and Swing Kids is about the youth who loved American swing music at considerable cost.Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, Frank Whaley are three friends who are into American swing at a time in their country when such "jungle" music was Verboten.
Esspecially check out the dance scenes, unlike other swing movies, this one seems far less choreographed and pre-planned, it gives the film spontaneity.
rebellion against your relatives, family, ppl you would normally follow, love, your father ( so to place him in the role of the nazi is a well thought out decision)And the music, the most important thing.
Their argument was understandable: if such mass genocide and political corruption was taking place, why would we want to know about German teenagers who were obsessed with American swing music?
However, "Cabaret" (1972) was also about Berlin counterculture amidst the rise of the Nazi party, and no one seemed to have a problem with that film."Swing Kids" is by no means a perfect film, but it also shouldn't be dismissed specifically because it doesn't take place in a concentration camp, and no one can be seen being tortured or killed.
It's a small footnote, but by no means an uninteresting story.The movie centers around Peter Muller (Robert Sean Leonard, who I couldn't help but think bore a striking resemblance to Jim Carrey in this movie), a German student barely out of his teens who, along with his friends Thomas (Christian Bale) and Arvid (Frank Whaley), love to stay out late and dance to big band swing music.
I can't give away what happens to Arvid in this movie, but you really do feel for him as the movie progresses."Swing Kids" has a very good story, and characters good and bad that you really care about.
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, not every film that takes place during World War II has to be dark and depressing, but it would have been nice to have received a glimpse of what these swing kids went through in concentration camps, how they coped, and whether they got out alive or not.
In fact, I think that Arvid's comment, "Nobody who likes swing could ever become a nazi" and what follows illustrates that it's not the music that was the most important thing.
Hello people this movie isn't about the Jews it's about the swing kids and the everyday people and what they went through, and the desisions they had to make while dealing with the Nazi rule.
Swing Kids tells the story of Peter, Thomas, and Arvid (played wonderfully by Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, and Frank Whaley respectively).
As she was lecturing her friends on the style of Lindy Bop, while picking out cute rags for the swingin' scene that night, the girl thought back to Christian Bale and Swing Kids.Hmmmm, incidentally, he had been in the movie, and that's what attracted her to go see the film.
She realized that sometimes, when people want to be right, they will be stubborn, and forget that this movie took place in fr@&*!n' 1939, when the war hadn't even started yet.-The  End- LONG     PARTY      SWING
People do not seem to realise that this IS a historically accurate film, if they had made it any other way it would have not done justice to these genuine people who really existed and really fought the evils of National Socialism (swing music was the rock n roll of the day and because of its American, often Black roots, the Nazis despised it).
I'm glad though that my mom picked it up recently because this movie had been stuck in my head for so long.It's about the "Swing Kids", a group of teenagers and young adults who refused to join the Nazi's, yet they lived in Germany while watching American films and danced to swing music.
Peter and Arvid try to stay strong, but Thomas is starting to loose it and becomes a Nazi himself.Swing Kids has a great story of morals and ethics, what happens when something so strong can split a friendship, but something so wonderful as music, swing to be exact, can bring them together.
Swing Kids provides stimuli for discussion of many divergent themespower of popular culture (in this case Swing music)the historical early Hitler years in Nazi Germany vis a vis teenagersthe way a whole society can be seduced by otherwise unacceptable ideas.HOW IDEOLOGY CAN OVERULE CLOSE FRIENDSHIPS / FAMILY CONNECTIONSI challenge any "convert" of any religion / ideology (or any affected friend) to watch this movie.
But this movie was not about the holocaust, it was about the numb period before the holocaust, where people didn't know much about what was going on, and their main focus was to rebel against the Nazis or possibly listen to them, join the HJ and in the end, become everything you were against in the first place.
This movie shows teenage rebellion at its finest and introduces many to the awesome world that is swing music.
In fact after this movie I have been listening to swing music like I've known it all my life.
This movie is excellent, for anyone who enjoys swing music, and dancing.
Thousands dying is a statistic." Here's the point: If the film makers showed every German in the movie that hated the Nazis, the watchers would say at the end "So what," then they would walk out, and shrug it off.
I ended up LOVING IT and watching it again the next day.This movie shows the struggle between two friends and how they can be split apart by politics and propaganda.
Swing Kids happens to be one of the best movies I have ever seen and I hope that my taking time out of my schedule to write this should prove that.
I enjoyed the plot and at the risk of sounding like a hormonal teenage girl, the actors were very enjoyable to watch and I would probably think so even if their acting abilities didn't exceed their looks.
It added depth in my mind to the whole genre and history of swing dancing, gave depth and insight into the mindset and innerworking of the Nazi party, and presented a picture of life in Germany during World War II.Though some may say that having their records broken was not a high price to pay for these 'rebels,' it is the idea behind their movement that was so moving, and the way that the chose to express their torn emotions between nationalism and humanity - their struggle to understand the truth behind Nazi lies - through dance.
Although Swing is not given much recognition as anything more than a dance, it is a powerful form of expression, as the characters in this film portrayed.Swing Kids is a story about swing dance in Nazi Germany.
While I know little about the reality (or unreality) of this film's portrayal of the young Germans who idolized Swing music and rejected the Nazi view of its degeneracy, I do know that the film makes its point effectively while pulling at the heartstrings.
If ever a kid felt like that had to fight their parents, fight the system, fight the world to have self expression through their music and style...which is probably most of us, this movie will just break your heart.
My friend and I started swing dancing last night, because I made him, because of this movie.
Swing Kids is one of the best dance, sound-track, and films recently made.
In the era of no moral standards, Swing Kids is a great movie about talking a stand (or dance) on principle.
Personally I love World War 2 Nazi movies, and this really is a good one!After you watch this movie it helps you truly say "Swing Heil!" and inspires you to stand up for what you believe in no matter how many are against you..
Swing Kids hasn't got the polish of those images, but don't be taken back that it's a story of a dancing teens in a Post World War version of "Grease".
The movie has great music, and filmed in Prague, isn't without it's flavour.Without giving the entire plot,  it shows the German Machine building in 1939, and the power of Propaganda.
Not that I didn't already know how terrible the Nazis were, but that these kids just wanted to be teenagers and listen to their music and got persecuted.
Small Spoilage Alert.This film attempts to show the effect of Nazi fascism on pre war Germany by demonstrating the effect that the repression of civil liberties and indoctrination into a seductive organization has on a select group of German citizens.The movie demonstrates how freedoms were selectively and forcefully removed from German citizens to further increase the German state's control over the way people lived their respective lives and the Government's ability to indoctrinate the citizens into accepting their ideologies.
These ideas are displayed in the movie by selecting a group of people from the time and age and elucidating upon their story.The Swing Kids were a group of German young adults who rebelled against Hitler's totalitarian state and were considered dissidents to the German government.
Their music was a form of non-verbal opposition towards the German government which was expressed by going to Swing clubs at night.There are several sub-plots that emerge during the course of the film:1) The possible love relationship between Peter Muller (Robert Sean Leonard) and Evey (Tushka Bergen) which is largely irrelevant and will not be pursued to any length.
This lead to one of Peter's disabled friends to being severely beaten by the Hitler youth.This, and the realization that his father was murdered by the German government led to Peter's eventual physical attack on German police officers and to his arrest, showing the Nazis' brutally efficient methods of dealing with dissidents.The movie was produced by Walt Disney studios - well known for family films.
I quite enjoyed this movie on a number of levels, for one thing the music and dancing was quite entertaining, but more importantly excellently portrayed how normal, living breathing people can do the most horrible things with enough encouragement...a fact that I find particularly gruesome, and unfortunately true...Christian Bale's acting is, as always incredible as well!.
This is a great movie about the swing movement in Nazi Germany during World War II.
The point of the film was that in Nazi Germany, where there was no freedom in your choices, for the Swing Kids, the only time they felt free was in their zoot suits, dancing on the hardwood floors to Benny Goodman!.
I thought this movie was really good, because not only did it have awesome dancing it really showed how the Germans felt.
Peter Müller (Robert Sean Leonard), Arvid (Frank Whaley), and Thomas Berger (Christian Bale) are Swing Kids who dress differently with long hair and listen to American music.
And the music is pretty good in this movie, so is the dancing.
The movie embodies a different perspective of World War II, that of a group of kids in an illegal street gang, dedicated to not becoming like the rest of the Nazis.
I don't know if there really were devotees of swing music in Nazi Germany.
It's just a simplistic view from teenagers in Nazi Germany, with not much about Hitler himself.The dancing and music is awesome which is also a reason to watch it.
Dancing like that today would grant me many stares, but it just gives off the vibe that swing dancing was their way of expression.I won't give away the ending, but it definitely made an impact on my views towards the Nazi Youth and how many were just conforming boys turned into poisonous men through propaganda.Overall, 8/10.
"Swing Kids" shows how some of the young Germans resisted their government through banned American swing music (by Duke Ellington and people like that).
Specifically, we see the lives of Hitler Youth members Peter (Robert Sean Leonard), Thomas (Christian Bale) and Arvid (Frank Whaley) - all wearing their hair long - who secretly like to go to the dance halls and get down.I think that one of the most effective lines in the movie is when another Hitler Youth member angrily tells them: "My girlfriend's hair is shorter than that!" Clearly, long hair has always been considered a threat.
And then there's Arvid (Frank Whaley), a crippled swing kid who loves playing his guitar, and isn't afraid to stand against the Nazi regime.The movie takes a turn when Peter, played by Robert Sean Leonard (now playing on the show House) and Thomas (Christian Bale, Batman Begins) decide to steal back a radio taken from another person's home by a Nazi soldier, whom also hates Thomas.
Upon capture, he is forced to join the Hitler Youth, which Thomas also joins to be with his friend.Sadly, through a tear-jerking series of events, and the complications of a Gestapo officer, Herr Knopp (Kenneth Branagh), Peter comes to terms with his hatred for the Nazi regime, and decides to stand against them the best way he knows how, through the power of Swing Music.This was a great movie with some killer music.
It's hard to find a film that accurately depicts how the youth of Germany reacted to the Nazi movement during World War II.
While this particular movie may not be the best at portraying the way things were, it does a wildly entertaining, bang-up job of showing what one sector of that world may have looked like: the swing kids.
Swing Kids is a touching movie about friends bonding together, trying to fight the Nazi influence.
After Newsies, when i was picking the next movie to watch, i was sure that "swing kids" would be the next best thing.
I think this movie would have been much better if they had stuck to the dancing and fun-loving friendship and not centered on the nazi's and turning best friends against each other.
(PS this film is based on actual German teens who loved swing music).