Swing Kids (film)
| Swing Kids | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Thomas Carter |
| Produced by |
Mark Gordon John Bard Manulis |
| Written by | Jonathan Marc Feldman |
| Starring | |
| Music by | James Horner |
| Cinematography | Jerzy Zielinski |
| Edited by | Michael R. Miller |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
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Release date
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March 5, 1993 |
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Running time
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114 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $19 million |
| Box office | $5,632,086 |
Swing Kids is a 1993 American drama directed by Thomas Carter, and stars Christian Bale, Robert Sean Leonard and Frank Whaley. In pre-World War II Germany, two high school students, Peter Müller and Thomas Berger, attempt to be swing kids by night and Hitler Youth by day, a decision that acutely impacts their friends and families. The film received mixed to negative reviews.
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.
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