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Movies / On DVD / The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

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Reviews Counted: 123

Fresh: 80

Rotten:43

Average Rating: 6.2/10

Consensus: A touching and haunting family film that deals with the Holocaust in an arresting and unusual manner, and packs a brutal final punch of a twist.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 7, 2008 Limited

Box Office: $9,030,581

Synopsis: Based on the novel by John Boyne, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a wrenching Holocaust story about a young German boy and his forbidden friendship with a Jewish child. Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is... Based on the novel by John Boyne, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a wrenching Holocaust story about a young German boy and his forbidden friendship with a Jewish child. Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is living a charmed life in Berlin as the son of a high-ranking Nazi soldier, when his father (David Thewlis) is suddenly transferred to a job out in the country. Bruno, as well as his sister Gretel (Amber Beattie) and mother (Vera Farmiga) must all join him at his new post. Bruno is lonely and confused by his new surroundings, and he doesn't understand why he can't wander the grounds or play at a nearby farm. The "farm," of course, is a concentration camp, though Bruno doesn't know this. He soon sneaks away to explore, and meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) a prisoner of the camp. Shmuel is eight, the same age as Bruno, and the two form a timid, careful friendship, playing checkers and catch through the barbed wire fence. Bruno knows that his friendship with Shmuel is dangerous, but after witnessing brutal violence perpetrated against some very kind people, he has begun to question the Nazi doctrine of hate. He is no longer sure what to make of his soldier father, whom he once believed to be a hero. When he learns that Shmuel is in trouble, he vows to help him, and together the boys form an outrageous plan that culminates in the film's devastating climax. Farmiga and Thewlis put in excellent performances, while Scanlon and Butterfield, are equally impressive, doing a fine job of carrying the weight of such a heavy film. The BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a deeply moving and--it must be said--disturbing movie. But it is a remarkable story, told with masterly intelligence and grace. [More]

Starring: Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, David Hayman

Starring: Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, David Hayman, Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Amber Beattie, Attila Egyed, Béla Fesztbaum, Sheila Hancock, Jim Norton

Director: Mark Herman

Director: Mark Herman
Screenwriter: Mark Herman
Producer: David Heyman
Composer: James Horner
Studio: Miramax Films

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Release:

Mar 10, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a fictional story that offers a unique perspective on how prejudice, hatred and violence affect innocent people, particularly children, during wartime. Through the lens of an eight-year-old boy largely shielded from the reality of World War II, we witness a forbidden friendship that forms between Bruno, the son of a Nazi commandant, and Schmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp. Though the two are separated physically by a barbed wire fence, their lives become inescapably intertwined. The imagined story of Bruno and Shmuel sheds light on the brutality, senselessness and devastating consequences of war from an unusual point of view. Together, their tragic journey helps recall the millions of innocent victims of the Holocaust.
  • Source: Maple Pictures
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    Reviews for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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    Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
    05/13/09
    Roger Moore
    Orlando Sentinel

    We are left in no doubt about the brutality of what's going on there but it's almost entirely off-screen. Still, the film is terribly confronting.

    Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
    05/01/09
    Paul Byrnes
    Sydney Morning Herald

    This writer can't remember witnessing a harder-hitting kids' movie denouement than the one that closes this microcosm of middle-class German family life in WWII.

    Full Review Source: Time Out Sydney | comment Comment
    04/24/09
    Derek Adams
    Time Out Sydney

    Much of the film depends on our ability to suspend disbelief and see the world as Bruno sees it. It has a finale designed to shock.

    Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment Comment
    04/24/09
    Julie Rigg
    MovieTime, ABC Radio National

    You may get halfway through and wonder why it's getting so heavily recommended here. Once you've experienced it in its entirety, you'll know why.

    Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
    04/24/09
    Annette Basile
    FILMINK (Australia)

    For me, the pluses far outweighed any misgivings I had with this ultimately very moving film.

    Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
    04/24/09
    Margaret Pomeranz
    At the Movies (Australia)

    The story is passable, albeit a little too manufactured for my taste in terms of its moral lessons, but the execution is so stilted and unconvincing that the experience is uncomfortable

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    04/18/09
    Andrew L. Urban
    Urban Cinefile

    The power of this story and the way director Mark Herman tells it through the innocent eyes of an eight year old boy overcome all the hurdles with its child-like simplicity that clutches our hearts

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    04/18/09
    Louise Keller
    Urban Cinefile

    The novel was written for young adults and the film feels like it pulls its punches. The final horrifying revelation is still a long way from the painful realities of those days.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    03/30/09
    Mark R. Leeper
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    When the time comes for resolution, writer/ director Mark Herman suddenly delivers the unexpected; he does not sell out.

    Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
    03/23/09
    Brian Webster
    Apollo Guide

    Why do the all the Nazis here have British accents? How confusing is that? An unintentionally-comical cross of Hogan's Heroes and Springtime for Hitler!

    Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment 4 Comments
    03/14/09
    Kam Williams
    NewsBlaze

    The picture is blatantly obvious, pandering, and rather insulting.

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment 2 Comments
    03/13/09
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    The inevitability of the loss of innocence and tragedy is a heavy burden for the audience to bear.

    Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
    03/09/09
    Robert Roten
    Laramie Movie Scope

    A harrowing, unforgettable film. I highly recommend it.

    Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
    12/19/08
    Victoria Alexander
    FilmsInReview.com

    While effective in spots, the abrupt, powerful ending would have worked better as a short story.

    Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
    12/18/08
    Bruce Bennett
    Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

    Constrói um desfecho mergulhado em dor e terror, lembrando-nos de que, no final das contas, săo nossos filhos quem pagam - e caro %u2013 pelos erros de julgamento que cometemos.

    Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
    12/12/08
    Pablo Villaca
    Cinema em Cena

    Herman has the unenviable task of presenting a challenging and delicate topic like the Holocaust honestly, while at the same time delivering his tale in a kid-friendly way.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 1 Comment
    12/10/08
    Dan Lybarger
    eFilmCritic.com

    A movie so horrific it haunts your dreams but so fascinating you can't turn your eyes away from it.

    Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
    12/02/08
    Jackie K. Cooper
    jackiekcooper.com

    The Boy In The Striped Pajamas reminds us that when youthful minds are still being shaped, they can be poisoned by the evil of the adults they admire.

    Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment 1 Comment
    11/28/08
    Lori Hoffman
    Atlantic City Weekly

    While I can't say the film had much emotional impact on me -- I get the point, but it's sloppily executed -- it's definitely an unusual attempt.

    Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment 3 Comments
    11/27/08
    Eric D. Snider
    EricDSnider.com
     
     
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    Latest News for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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    March 05, 2009: In no way a fashion statement about sleepwear, but rather a solemnly imaginative political statement about the Germans asleep when it came to exactly what was going down during the Nazi regime. The Final Solution meets The Pied Piper. Opens in new window
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    March 01, 2009: In no way a fashion statement about sleepwear, but rather a solemnly imaginative political statement about the Germans asleep when it came to exactly what was going down during the Nazi regime. The Final Solution meets The Pied Piper. Opens in new window
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