Swing Kids (1993)

Swing Kids: Directed by Thomas Carter. With Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, Frank Whaley, Barbara Hershey. A group of teens adores forbidden music in Nazi Germany just before the outbreak of World War II.

“Four German teenage boys (Leonard, Bale, Whaley, and Batrok), living under Nazy reign in World War II, secretly play Swing music, American stuff thatu0026#39;s been forbidden, and embrace the concepts of the musical heritage. But this is clearly an act of rebellion, so they must do it in secret clubs at night, avoiding the Gestapo. Their relationships and the outcomes are the study of this film, which is both uneven and, ultimately, very powerful.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRoger Ebert detested this film for the fact that, to him, is unclear in itu0026#39;s message. He feels that the motives behind these teenu0026#39;s rebellion are stupid: It seems as if Hitler hadnu0026#39;t banned Swing music, then they would have thought that he was a swell guy.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eActually, this observation on Mr. Ebertu0026#39;s behalf might be the filmu0026#39;s point. They thought Hitler was a loser because of he didnu0026#39;t let them play their music. Through this fact, they learn that there is a much bigger problem here, and they know that they canu0026#39;t conform to it. So how do they rebell? Through the music that they cherish.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlong the way, two of the boys, Leonard and Bale, are forced to join the Gestapo. Leonard doesnu0026#39;t embrace the teachings, but Bale is slowly brainwashed into conforming. Whaley is a cripple, and he therefore observes the Nazis from a different position. He soon begins to despise his two friends for their uniforms. While his character might be an arrogant jerk, it is clear that heu0026#39;s got a better idea about the evil thatu0026#39;s going on than anyone else. 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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo 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. The characters are well acted, and the balance and chemisty between them work. The message at the end is very clear and VERY powerful….I am often reminded of its subtle excellence, though I havenu0026#39;t seen it in a good while.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnfortunately, the film itself is uneven. Almost too much time is spent on the swing music itself. So much that it takes away from the message of the film. The music should have only served as a backdrop, and endless scenes of dancing almost threaten to take away from the impact of the theme. u0026quot;Almostu0026quot; is the key word. All in all, this is a most intriguing film. Kenneth Branagh appears unbilled, as a central Gestapo character.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e*** out of ****”