Cheap Swing Kids (Video) (Thomas Carter (II)) Price

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Customer Reviews of Swing Kids

An Interesting Story of Rebellion and Divided Loyalties
The film SWING KIDS has a familiar setting: Nazi Germany but it tells a story that most people, at least most Americans, may not know. In 1939, Swing music was sweeping the world as Germany was continuing to invade its neighbors, and Germany was just as caught up with the popular form of music as any other country. The problem? The music was banned in Germany because it was not of German origin and due to the fact that many of the performers were of Jewish origin. The music became more than just a means of enjoyment for many German youth. It was also a form of rebellion and this is where the story begins. <
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>Robert Sean Leonard plays Peter, a young man who is struggling with the loss of his father as well as his hatred for the Nazis. He has avoided joining the Hitler Youth to this point, but knows he will soon have to make a choice. Most of his time is spent with his friends Thomas (Christian Bale) and Arvid (Frank Whaley) and their life revolves around collecting swing recordings, learning swing's lingo, and dancing. Tension begins when Peter and Thomas steal a radio as a prank and in order to avoid being sent to a work camp, decide to join the Hitler Youth and the remainder of the film deals with the choices these two have made and how it has an effect on the people closest to Peter and Thomas. <
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>The film does have an American feel to it, which may put it at a bit of a disadvantage as far as having an authentic feel is concerned, but it's strengths make it worthwhile. Peter is struggling, wanting to make different choices but also knowing he may not have too many options. We feel for him as he struggles with the realities of his day and feel his resentment at his mother's boyfriend who is a Nazi sympathizer but also tries to take the role of his father. We see Thomas change from a rebel to Nazi supporter but we see his change may be less a conversion to a cause and more of a form of parental rebellion. Likewise, we're not certain that Arvid hates the Nazis because of their ideology or because his disability would never allow him to join. Because the characters are multidimensional, the struggles and fights seem realistic and this alone keeps us interested in the film. <
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>One final note. While the story is paramount, the film has another advantage. The swing dancing is phenomenal. The people in the clubs are not casual dancers. They know swing and they dance with life and vigor. The intensity of the dancing also helps viewers see how people can rebel when there's no other way to do so. <
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You cannot love swing and be a Nazi
"Swing Heil!" that was the rally cry of the Swing Kids fighting against the oppression of Nazi Germany with the music of Africans and Jews. Swing records had to be re-labeled to come into Germany. As soon as the Nazis learned about Benny Goodman, his records were relabeled in the name of his drummer, Gene Krupa. <
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>"Swing Kids" is the story of three friends: Arvid, Peter, and Thomas and how swing and Nazism effected them. It's also about how music was a rallying cry for a nation of young people searching for something else to believe in. <
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>The film's got a powerful lesson behind it about thinking for yourself. "Don't accept a job if you don't know the consequences," a Gestapo agent tells Peter when he's delivering books for a bookseller. Peter again recalls that lesson when delivering packages for the HJ. <
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>While I would second that a lot of the story was predictable, what made it glorious were the performances of the cast and the music itself. I got this film in the bargain bin, but I promise I will be spreading the word to friends to buy and watch "Swing Kids." It's well worth the price--and then some. <
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WONDERFULLY PALATABLE LEARNING!!
I saw this for the first time when I substituted for a history class, so I got to see it 5 times over 3 days. :) I loved the music and dancing. Beyond that, this was not just good family entertainment, but informative and a wonderful, and very palatable way to teach a little known segment of history to a sometimes resistant "student." If this couldn't get around the resistant, then nothing can! It wasn't meant to be a documentary, (for those who are so critical), nor a more adult fare drama like Schindler's List. In fact, the documentary format is usually not so palatable, thus not so readily learned. BRAVO! Great movie!