Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (sic.): My review and my critique on the dreadful New York Times review
The makers of this film were handicapped, in that the story was told from inside the head of an 8 year old boy, complete with repetitious thoughts extrapolated from things he had heard others say. It further missed much of the innocence of the book because the boy misunderstood so much of what was being said to him, that his thoughts were jumbled with these mis-hearings, such as, Out With (Aus Mit in German) for Auschwitz, and The Fury, for the Fuhrer. And the dramatization of the ending was changed somewhat from the book. This was done in such a way that the reviewer for the New York Times was able to get an entirely unintended understanding of the feelings of the father of the boy who is the centre of the story.
Unfortunately, not being as egotistical as Manohla Dargis, I am rather hamstrung, as I am unable to either reference or directly rebuff her opinions, as that would be to give away the ending here, as she did in the New York Times. I would certainly suggest that anyone wishing to see this fine film does not read that review. I rate the review as the worst I have ever read. Had I never read any Village Voice film reviews, I would also call it the most conceited review I have ever read. In the Voice, reviewers somehow tend to forget that they are supposed to be describing a film, seeming to believe that they are supposed to impress upon the reader how absolutely phenomenally brilliant they are. While considering that this movie trivialises the Nazis, this woman trivialises the entire film and gets it all wrong, either reflecting that she has a heart made of stone or that she has long since left the child in her behind.
The film is charmingly made. Not everyone in it is an awful character, although it certainly portrays the Nazi soldiers as dreadful. But they are partly incidental to the film, which is mainly about the friendship of Bruno, the son of the Commandant of Auschwitz, and Shmuel, the boy in the striped pyjamas. I would recommend the book more highly, but this film is excellent and will likely be remembered at Oscar time.
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Unfortunately, not being as egotistical as Manohla Dargis, I am rather hamstrung, as I am unable to either reference or directly rebuff her opinions, as that would be to give away the ending here, as she did in the New York Times. I would certainly suggest that anyone wishing to see this fine film does not read that review. I rate the review as the worst I have ever read. Had I never read any Village Voice film reviews, I would also call it the most conceited review I have ever read. In the Voice, reviewers somehow tend to forget that they are supposed to be describing a film, seeming to believe that they are supposed to impress upon the reader how absolutely phenomenally brilliant they are. While considering that this movie trivialises the Nazis, this woman trivialises the entire film and gets it all wrong, either reflecting that she has a heart made of stone or that she has long since left the child in her behind.
The film is charmingly made. Not everyone in it is an awful character, although it certainly portrays the Nazi soldiers as dreadful. But they are partly incidental to the film, which is mainly about the friendship of Bruno, the son of the Commandant of Auschwitz, and Shmuel, the boy in the striped pyjamas. I would recommend the book more highly, but this film is excellent and will likely be remembered at Oscar time.
