Teaser: Based upon the novel by John Boyne about a boy named Bruno, that befriends another boy whose life is very different from Bruno's.
Plot Summary: During WWII, a young boy named Bruno, is forced to move with his family to the countryside because of his father's military promotion. There is not much to do at his new home so Bruno sets out to be an explorer and he goes on adventures outside. He happens upon a long fence and befriends another young boy behind the fence that wears what Bruno thinks are striped pajamas. Every day Bruno goes back to the fence to help his new friend, Shmuel and together they devise a plan for Shmuel to escape, but the end result is very unexpected.
Critical Evaluation: The innocence of a child meets the horrors of the Holocaust. This movie is beautifully directed and Asa Butterfield delivers wonderfully. He brings the innocence of 9 year old Bruno to life. The director shows the horrors of what went on during WWII through the use of a few brutal characters. Bruno does not understand the differences that are happening around him and he wonders why his friend is behind a fence. This is a difficult film to watch and the ending is very tragic, but it is also a movie that conveys the harsh truth about what went on during the Holocaust. I was haunted by the ending and will never forget it.
Director Information: According to Internet Movie Database Mark Herman "Mark Herman born in 1954 in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England and is an English film director and screenwriter. He is mostly notable for writing & directing the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Mark Herman was educated at Woodleigh School, North Yorkshire. He was late entering the film industry. Aged 27 he was drawing cartoons at art college before becoming involved in drama when he began studying film at Leeds Polytechnic, now the Metropolitan University of Leeds. He then trained as an animator at the National Film School in London. He moved away from animation and continued to study directing. He also wrote lyrics for The Christians. Herman's first feature-length project was Blame It on the Bellboy (1992), a comedy of mistaken identity starring Dudley Moore and Bryan Brown. Next, Herman wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Brassed Off (1996), following the members of a colliery brass band, still struggling to survive a decade after the miners' strike. In Little Voice (1998), adapted by Herman from Jim Cartwright's play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Jane Horrocks reprises the title role of a harried young woman whose only escape lies in the memory of her father and in imitating the singers he admired. This film gave Michael Caine the opportunity for his best performance to date. Purely Belter (2000), adapted by Herman from Jonathan Tulloch's novel The Season Ticket, is the story of two teenage boys trying to get together enough money for a couple of Newcastle United F.C. season tickets. Hope Springs (2003), is an adaptation of New Cardiff. His most recent work is the adaptation of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It was produced by David Heyman and stars David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Sheila Hancock and Rupert Friend. Herman directed and adapted the work. Mark Herman is a fellow of Film and Television Production, York St John University, York, England."
Genre: Movie/History
Curriculum Ties: WWII, Holocaust
Booktalking Ideas: How did you feel about the ending?
Reading Level/Interest Age:
Challenge Issues: PG-13 rating and Holocaust images. If this movie was challenged I would go to, ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.
Why included? This movie is based on the young adult novel by John Boyne. I did not have the chance to read the book, so I watched the movie and it was very emotional.
Plot Summary: During WWII, a young boy named Bruno, is forced to move with his family to the countryside because of his father's military promotion. There is not much to do at his new home so Bruno sets out to be an explorer and he goes on adventures outside. He happens upon a long fence and befriends another young boy behind the fence that wears what Bruno thinks are striped pajamas. Every day Bruno goes back to the fence to help his new friend, Shmuel and together they devise a plan for Shmuel to escape, but the end result is very unexpected.
Critical Evaluation: The innocence of a child meets the horrors of the Holocaust. This movie is beautifully directed and Asa Butterfield delivers wonderfully. He brings the innocence of 9 year old Bruno to life. The director shows the horrors of what went on during WWII through the use of a few brutal characters. Bruno does not understand the differences that are happening around him and he wonders why his friend is behind a fence. This is a difficult film to watch and the ending is very tragic, but it is also a movie that conveys the harsh truth about what went on during the Holocaust. I was haunted by the ending and will never forget it.
Director Information: According to Internet Movie Database Mark Herman "Mark Herman born in 1954 in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England and is an English film director and screenwriter. He is mostly notable for writing & directing the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Mark Herman was educated at Woodleigh School, North Yorkshire. He was late entering the film industry. Aged 27 he was drawing cartoons at art college before becoming involved in drama when he began studying film at Leeds Polytechnic, now the Metropolitan University of Leeds. He then trained as an animator at the National Film School in London. He moved away from animation and continued to study directing. He also wrote lyrics for The Christians. Herman's first feature-length project was Blame It on the Bellboy (1992), a comedy of mistaken identity starring Dudley Moore and Bryan Brown. Next, Herman wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Brassed Off (1996), following the members of a colliery brass band, still struggling to survive a decade after the miners' strike. In Little Voice (1998), adapted by Herman from Jim Cartwright's play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Jane Horrocks reprises the title role of a harried young woman whose only escape lies in the memory of her father and in imitating the singers he admired. This film gave Michael Caine the opportunity for his best performance to date. Purely Belter (2000), adapted by Herman from Jonathan Tulloch's novel The Season Ticket, is the story of two teenage boys trying to get together enough money for a couple of Newcastle United F.C. season tickets. Hope Springs (2003), is an adaptation of New Cardiff. His most recent work is the adaptation of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It was produced by David Heyman and stars David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Sheila Hancock and Rupert Friend. Herman directed and adapted the work. Mark Herman is a fellow of Film and Television Production, York St John University, York, England."
Genre: Movie/History
Curriculum Ties: WWII, Holocaust
Booktalking Ideas: How did you feel about the ending?
Reading Level/Interest Age:
Challenge Issues: PG-13 rating and Holocaust images. If this movie was challenged I would go to, ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.
Why included? This movie is based on the young adult novel by John Boyne. I did not have the chance to read the book, so I watched the movie and it was very emotional.
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