The Tin Drum - Collectors Edition - DVD

Film: A classic of German cinema is coming back to home cinema in a restored version: Volker Schlöndorff's film version of Günter Grass' novel "The Tin Drum" was internationally acclaimed, even winning an Oscar in 1980, but at the same time it was a solid scandal. It is a special, but also still very challenging film that tells the story of Oskar Matzerath (David Bennent). In the Gdansk of the late 1920s, the boy decides at just three years old that he refuses to live the kind of life adults lead. And so he simply stops growing. From then on, with his Tin Drum, little Oskar rebels against petit bourgeois bourgeoisie as well as Nazis and their fellow travelers - until the war changes everything.

"The Tin Drum" has received countless awards and is still celebrated today. Yet the film is also not without controversy. In the Canadian state of Ontario, for example, the film was banned because of alleged "portrayal of underage sexuality" and in the US state of Oklahoma it came to a trial, because here a scene between David Bennent and Katharina Thalbach faced the accusation of child pornography. The classic film is also banned in China. Less drastic in this country were some critical voices, which were particularly disturbed by the changes or omissions compared to the novel. But the positive voices outweigh quite clearly.

"The Tin Drum" is not a light film. Some scenes still seem rather unpleasant today and the basic mood is extremely depressing. But Volker Schlöndorff has also managed to bring some images to the screen that are literally unforgettable. In his own way, he has managed to film an extremely complex novel almost true to the work, even though he has only adapted two of the three books in the 1959 novel and omitted some scenes. The film has a narrative flow and character development all its own, which makes the story work very well even in this streamlined form.

In 2010, Schlöndorff was given the opportunity to create a director`s cut of the film. From numerous stored film reels of cut footage, around twenty minutes of new scenes were added to the film, which were extensively dubbed. The film actually gains in some moments from the additional material. Especially in terms of character development, "The Tin Drum" benefits from the additional scenes. Nevertheless, the original theatrical version is and remains the version that made cinema history.

And it is precisely this version that now shines in new splendor, fitting for the 40th anniversary: In collaboration with ARRI Berlin under the personal supervision of Eberhard Junkersdorf and Volker Schlöndorff, "The Tin Drum" has been restored in 4K. The new Collector`s Edition includes this restored version as well as the Director`s Cut and numerous extras. Fans of the film, cineastes and collectors must definitely grab it! Because for the film is still quite clear after four decades: absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Thanks to the new restoration, the classic shines in all new splendor. Of course, its age is still apparent. But especially in direct comparison to the Director`s Cut, which is also included in this edition, it becomes clear that the 4K restoration has once again been able to bring out something more in terms of sharpness, coloration, contrast and also sound. Details in the sets and costumes are now even more apparent and the 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is very powerful in many places. A good example of how restoring classic films absolutely pays off!

Extras: Bonus material is available on all three discs of the 3-disc DVD set. Included on the theatrical version disc is an extensive interview with Volker Schlöndorff (approx. 19:29 min.) about the making of the film. On the disc with the director`s cut there is another interview with Schlöndorff (ca. 13:06 min.) with very interesting details about the work on the director`s cut. In addition, a biography of the filmmaker is also included in the form of text panels.

Finally, on the bonus DVD, Volker Schlöndorff recalls the filming once again (approx. 20:17 min.), followed by footage of the dubbing of scenes for the Director`s Cut (approx. 3:32 min.). Producer Eberhard Junkersdorf (approx. 25:04 min.) and art director Nikos Perakis (approx. 12:56 min.) also have their say in interviews, whereby Perakis also offers an interesting insight into his archive. Photo galleries with work photos, stills, posters and photos from the shooting can also be clicked through on this disc. If you push the DVD into a computer drive, you also get access to documents from the collection of the DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum Frankfurt.

Conclusion: "The Tin Drum" is not considered a very great classic of German cinema for nothing. The Günter Grass adaptation by Volker Schlöndorff is an extremely complex film with very quirky moments, played great by David Bennent, Mario Adorf and Angela Winkler. Not light fare, but still absolutely fascinating in its own unique way even after 40 years. Thanks to a lavish 4K restoration, the award-winning novel adaptation now shines in all new splendor. The 3-disc edition also offers the 20-minute longer director's cut, as well as numerous exciting interviews and an extensive booklet. Quite clearly: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp