Swing Kids (1993)

Taking the biblical reference, in this story we have a Peter "The Rock" and a "Doubting" Thomas. It is 1930s Germany and the teenagers have latched onto banned music, "swing" music, much of it by Jewish-American musicians like Benny Goodman. But Germany also wants its young men to become members of Hitler's Jugen (HJ) as a way of preparing them to become Nazis when they grow up.The nominal lead character is Robert Sean Leonard as Peter Müller. But the best performance here is by Christian Bale as his close friend Thomas Berger. They are part of the larger group of "swing kids" who gather to play swing music and dance. A risky activity at this time.The core of the story centers upon Peter who recognizes the evil of the Nazi propaganda, and resists it, while Thomas resists at first but eventually is swayed. The two friends increasingly are at odds, culminating in a fight near the end.This is both an entertaining movie, even though it involves a very serious subject, and also a historically significant one, as it relates to the Nazi doctrine. I suppose, looking at it now, it was the severe viewpoints, the "supremacy of the race", that got more and more Germans to turn against it and resist. As well as most of the rest of the world.

Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale and Frank Whaley give stature to the "Swing Kids", a movement of German teenagers who rebelled against the Nazi-ideology by playing an dancing to swing music in clubs( forbidden for being 'black and Jewish music'). The threesome comes from substantially different standing and differ as night and day in personality as well. Bale brings to life another extrovert character(Thomas), dancing tightrope on that slim line between self-confidence and arrogance. Whaley's character (Arvid) is intelligent and musically gifted, yet bruises like a peach, his emotional fragility a result of a crippled leg which condemns the artist from ever dancing to the music he loves and plays (the tragedy of the deaf composer and the blind painter all over again). These two characters occupy two ends the scale, and are both dangerously unstable, unlike our third and main 'kid': Robert Sean Leanord's character (Peter), an ambitious and idealistic youngster, a type commonly referred to as a 'golden boy', the whole world awaiting to be conquered by him. Yet he also has an Achilles' Heel: his father's death early in his childhood. As often the bond between the gang seems stronger than it is, everyone gets along great when there isn't a care in the world, theirs only consists of smoking cigarettes, guzzling drinks and dancing with girls in hip clubs. When they try to lift a radio in another one of their mischievous antics, Peter gets captured and his hand is forced into joining the 'Hitler Jugend', Thomas happily tags along stating 'we can have the best of both worlds, HJ by day, Swing Kids by night'. Arvid, the most insightful of the gang, warns them of the dangers of getting brainwashed by Hitler's foul propaganda but it could not be helped, soon Thomas takes a turn for the worse and tension in the once so close-knit group mounts. Playful remarks regarding Arvid's handicap turn into insults of impurity, Thomas is so caught up in the world of cool HJ gadgets and perks that he neglects to notice he's being manipulated.The thriller elements don't form the core of the movie, they're useful as a means to an end, to keep the viewer focused so he doesn't miss a second of the interesting characters, the interactions and dialog are really what matters the most. The lack of attention for politics makes 'Swing Kids' special in the war-drama genre. It's a bold yet smart choice. This approach (and the soothing swing club intervals) made it easier to watch than most in the genre, which I think keeps the movie from alienating young audiences. It's pleasant to watch the history of pre-war Germany through the eyes of rebellious young citizens and subsequently (as a young man) being able to identify more with and relate to the characters. The government in place at that time was accepted, just like we accept the supreme command now, it's highly plausible kids could see more light in standing up for a sort of symbolic value namely 'Swing Music' (rather than forming political movements), which of course is connected with freedom of arts...and so forth with freedom of expression. 'Swing Kids', though certainly engrossing and accomplished, is fairly uneven and at times loses the audience's attention with gratuitous melodramatic scenes. Near the end the focus strays from intelligent dialog and interactions towards silent melodrama. Paired with Robert Sean Leonard's underwhelming performance (yet again), it's a small blemish on an otherwise highly recommendable film.

I watched this movie for the first time last night. A History buff, I had never heard about the "swing kids" movement in Germany, but when my friend handed me the DVD at the library and I read the back, I instantly saw that this film could be right up my alley. I also must confess...I'm a big Robert Sean Leonard fan. I was introduced to him in House, and also love "Much Ado." I saw Dead Poet's society but was very disappointed in the ending, because I felt RSL's "suicide" ruined the whole story. Anyway.. I was not disappointed in this movie. I loved watching the dance scenes, I loved the slow development of Leonard's character.. I loved the struggles, the very human struggle between survival and standing up for what you believe in. I don't know what else to say, I just loved the story. It inspired me. The ending made me choke up. Beautiful, Inspirational story..

The music is fabulous, the dance scenes won awards, and kids can identify with these teens --or at least sense the joy their own grandparents (or more likely, their great grandparents) felt when dancing or playing 1930's Swing music. THIS FILM (SLIGHTLY EDITED) WOULD BE A GREAT TEACHING TOOL FOR GRADE SCHOOL ON UP...!With minor editing of swear words, vulgar sexual comments about young women, (including the teen boys' discussion of hiring women in the red light district) and a few of the PG 13-to almost R dance shots of young womens' undergarments replaced with milder shots of women in the otherwise joyful dance segments...SWING KIDS could be used to SHOW KIDS how the Nazis COULD QUICKLY transform the innocent ................into the guilty. Teachers could use clips from this film to ALSO teach persons about the almost FORGOTTEN Holocaust against the disabled..."Arvid was a cripple. He didn't belong..." says one TEENAGER. Everyone KNOWS the Nazis persecuted the Jews. But the Nazis also persecuted - the DISABLED, like the character Arvid, (a great SWING musician) who is driven to extreme action - in part maybe because he was disabled. One senses these teen boys - and their fellow teen companions - love their music and dance as much as teens do today. They deal with the steady, sometimes seductive, sometimes violent, advance of Nazis into their world...partly thru dance. (PS this film is based on actual German teens who loved swing music)