Review of Swing Kids (1993) by Josh S — 31 Dec 2007

The only good thing about this film is the dance sequences. I thought this film was supposed to be about the hardships of enduring life as a swing kid in 1930's Nazi Germany. That is only a subplot for the bigger picture. It is actually about the reluctance and/or compliance with the forces of Nazis in 1930's Nazi Germany. I was not convinced one bit that these guys were suffering. Even from Christian Bale I wasn't convinced. The three main characters are so wooden that I was waiting for the film to end, but it just dragged on.

Also, just the fact at casting American actors (apart from Christian Bale, but he subtitutes is British accent for an American one) as the lead roles made this movie laughable. Who knows? It may have been a great foreign film, but it wasn't. It reminded me of watching All Quiet On The Western Front from 1930. The actors playing Germans were American, thus sullying the impact that the book itself was trying to achieve. The same was done with this film.