A FILM STUDY

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS From Miramax films

STUDY GUIDE B C KENNA RSM

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AIMS OF THE FILM STUDY

This study is designed for students in Year 9 or above that level. It is hoped that they will achieve the following skills and learn the information provided about the movie and its background.

 Be able to research the internet for information and videos  Understand the text used in the references and be able to complete successfully the tasks set  Learn about the art of film making from exploring the videos on “You Tube” and be encouraged to make an inexpensive, simple home video  Appreciate the film set for study  Learn the roles of the main members of any big film crew  Use the film crew page as a reference throughout the study  Learn about Hitler and the Jews  Answer questions correctly about the story and characters  Write a final chapter about the future of the family  Read the information and form opinions about the futility of war and how to contribute to world peace  Share ideas about ideal governments and leadership  Compare the ratios between combatant and civilian deaths in world conflicts since 1950  Listen to, and appreciate the comments of important members of the film crew concerning the Jewish Holocaust, when viewing the Bonus Features  Realise the pressure actors undergo when making a film  Study the published evaluations of this film and write their own comments according to set criteria

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FILM APPRECIATION

In order to appreciate any film it is a good idea to know and undderstand something about how it is made. Large movie making is a very complex business which involves many people – sometimes hundreds! However, we can get some idea of this industry by viewing videos about how to make small movies for our own entertainmentt at very limited cost. Modern technology, like the inventions of digital cameraas, computers, simple sound equipment etceteera, make this possible for the interested person.

Before beginning the study of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas exxplore the following internet sites which contain interesting videos. Write the bold black titles in your search bar.

1. Film Making for Beginners – You Tube 2. Professional equipment for making a movie – read the article. Click on “Images” in the left margin to see photos of equiipment. 3. 4Filmmaking.com ‐ In the tool‐bar at the top of the screen you can read various topics e.g. preproduction, production, post‐production tasks. 4. A shorter version about the rrole of film crew members is to be found on the site – www.filmmakers.com.au “Getting together a crew …”

Having explored these sites, do the following tasks in your workbook –

Copy, paste and label the following: (a) Three different types of cammeras (b) Lighting equipment (c) Camera or microphone on a boom (d) A camera dolly on rails

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Task 2

Write briefly about the roles of the following important people in a film crew: (a) Film producer (b) Film director (c) Screenwriter (d) Chief camera person

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CREW LEADERS AND CAST

Director: Mark Herman Producer: David Hayman Screenplay: Mark Herman Based On – The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Asa Butterfield Jack Scanlon Starring: Vera Farminga Rupert Friend

Music: James Horner Cinematography: Benoit Delhomme Editing: Jack Ellis Studio: BBC Film, Heyday Films Distributed by – Miramax Films Release Dates – September 8, UK; November7, 2008, USA Running Time: 92 minutes Language: English Budget: $12.5 million Box Office: $40,416, 563

CAST  Asa Butterfield as Bruno  Jack Scanlon as Shmuel  Vera Farminga as Elsa ‐ mother  David Thewlis as Ralf – father  David Hayman as Pavel – also producer of film  Rupert Friend as Lieutenant Kurt Kotler  Jim Norton as Herr Liszt – tutor  Sheila Hancock as Grandma  Richard Johnson as Grandpa  Cara Horgan as Maria

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FILM AWARDS  British Independent Film Award: “ Best Actress – Vera Farmiga  Chicago International Film Festival “ Audience Award – Mark Herman  British Independent Film Award: “ Best Director – Mark Herman “ Most Promising Newcomer – Asa Butterfield  Premio Gova

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True or False Write these statements in your workbook and put T or F at the end of each them.

1. Mark Herman wrote the book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. ‐‐‐‐‐ 2. David Thewlis starred as the father in the film. ‐‐‐‐‐ 3. Asa Butterfield was Bruno in the film. ‐‐‐‐‐ 4. Grandpa was played by Richard Johnson. ‐‐‐‐‐ 5. The studio which produced the film was Miramax Films. ‐‐‐‐‐ 6. Sheila Hancock played the part of Grandma. ‐‐‐‐‐ 7. The boy in the striped pyjamas was David Hayman. ‐‐‐‐‐ 8. The film was distributed by Heyday Films. ‐‐‐‐‐ 9. Amber Beattie acted as Gretel. ‐‐‐‐‐ 10. The mother, Elsa, was played by actress Vera Farmiga. ‐‐‐‐‐

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HITLER AND THE JEWS

(This article has been largely extracted from Encarta Encyclopedia – THE BETTERMANN ARCHIVE)

HITLER AT NUREMBERG At Nuremberg, a city in south central Germany, Fuhrer Adolf Hitler brain‐ washed battalions of German soldiers and the Nazi political party during the 1930’s decade. He convinced the German faithful that they were the most superior race in the entire world and Germany deserved much more than they had. They needed more living space and a higher standard of living than they were presently experiencing. Hitler was a powerful, emotional speaker, who could move the hearts and minds of most of his listeners. By 1938, Hitler had the best trained army in the world, and in the final year of the 30’s his armies set out to invade and conquer countries in Europe and Britain.

HITLER’S RACIAL POLICIES In 1933, Hitler set out racist policies to purify Germany of what he considered dangerous to the German people. That is ‐ other races of people whom he considered inferior; those who would damage the perfection of his nation, “the world’s master race.” He particularly condemned dark skinned people and the Jews. First, Hitler’s Government provided marriage loans to the “right kind” of Germans to encourage them to marry and have “superior” children.

The Jews were forbidden to engage in Government employment. They were deprived of German citizenship, therefore could not vote at elections. That made them powerless. They were forbidden to own cars. Their children were thrown out of State Schools and many rich Jews had their property taken from them by the Government. Hundreds of Jews moved from Germany to other countries in Europe.

On November 9, 1938, Nazi mobs killed dozens of Jews, smashed thousands of windows in Jewish neighbourhoods, set fire to their houses and burnt down their places of worship. Following that date, the Nazis sent more than 30,000 Jews to concentration camps. Elderly, sick and frail Jewish people, along with children were killed by poison gas in specially constructed buildings, and those who were fit were treated like slaves and made to work for the German war effort. And so began the Jewish Holocaust!

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VIEW THE FILM

View the film in three sittings of approximately 30 minutes each and write answers to the questions after each section.

Questions about section 1.

 Name the members of the family.  Why did the family move to the country?  At the farewell party, what did you discover about Grandma and her attitude towards her son’s promotion in the German army?  How would you describe the new home in the country?

View Section 2 and answer the following:

 Bruno’s father said about the farm workers, “They are not really people, Bruno.” What did he mean?  Gretel said the Jews were “vermin.” What did she mean?  Give the real reason why Lieutenant Kotler (Kurt) became so violent when Pavel spilt the wine?  What did Elsa realise when Kurt said “They smell worse when they’re burning!”

View Section 3 and answer the following:

 What effect did the knowledge of the gas chamber and the crematorium have on Elsa?  Provide the excuse that Ralf gave Elsa for not telling her about the real purpose of “The Farm”?  Why was Kurt dismissed from his post and sent to the front‐line of battle?  Why did Bruno want to go with Shmule into the camp?  What happened to the boys and the Jewish men in the “shower”?

Share how you would continue the family story. Discuss their future relationships and Ralf’s army career after the death of Bruno. Write a final chapter to this story.

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A COMPARISON OF DEATH RATES BETWEEN CIVILIANS AND ARMY PERSONNEL IN SOME WORLD CONFLICTS FROM 1950 TO THE 2011, (A TOTAL OF 61 YEARS)

According to a 2001 study by the International Committee of The Red Cross, the civilian‐to‐soldier deaths in all wars fought since the middle of 1950, there have been 10 civilian deaths for every 1 soldier! Not all war and conflict statistics will be given below, only a selected few.

The Korean war: The civilian‐soldier death ratio is 36:10 The Vietnam war: civilian–soldier death ratio was 2:1 The Gaza Strip: civilian‐soldier ratio 1:1 Kosovo: civilian‐combatant death ratio was 4:1. This is so for Afghanistan.

Deaths caused by the coalition forces in the Iraq war – approximately 22,668 military personnel, 13,807 civilians

US drone strikes in Pakistan have caused the deaths of civilians. Numbers are between 830 and 1,210.

(These civilian –combatant ratios have been compiled from an article in Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, under the heading – CIVILIAN CASUALTY RATIO.)

Whilst these numbers deal with deaths, they provide no information about the wounded and what effects war has had on the lives of those victims. Hundreds of stories have been told about the wrecked lives of many Australian ex‐ servicemen, their marriages and families, particularly from the Vietnam arena.

The personal experience of this writer includes the story of an Ambon prisoner in World War 11. From starvation and ill treatment, this uncle was almost blind, and crippled for life. He was an alcoholic; the crutch he needed to cope with the terrifying dreams/memories of jungle fighting and imprisonment, about which he could never speak! War songs and poems have been written and sung by ex‐servicemen and women about the futility of war. One such song is “I was Only 19.” It can be found on computer video sung by the Australian group, “Redgum.” It’s accompanied by scenes of jungle war in Vietnam.

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Hundreds of video games are available today glorifying war. The Current Affair programmes this very day contain news that an addiction help service in Victoria – “Teen Challenge” is receiving increasing numbers of young teenagers who are addicted to war games on computers, to the detriment of their mental health. This is a grave concern for families and society. What does such activity do towards desensitizing youngsters to the value of life? There are so many other problems experienced by these victims that parents, teachers, medical people and teenagers must confront together.

The destruction of the earth and the environment are other consequences of war and these are no small losses to civilization. Many cities have had to be rebuilt and beautiful, ancient buildings have been destroyed forever. Whole populations, even countries could be wiped out if the threat of nuclear war becomes a reality. Let us remember that America, North Korea and Asian countries have such weapons. Young people must think seriously about such realities and realize that playing with glorified war games, instead of searching for ways of ensuring world peace, could be playing with their own future existence.

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Share war stories told to you by others.

TOP‐DOWN GOVERNMENTS CAN BREED OPPRESSIVE REGIMES!

At least two times during the film, Ralf pleaded that the evil he was doing was in obedience to his superior officers. Kurt was sent to the war‐front as a result of his disobedience by not telling authorities about his father’s migration to Switzerland. Kurt’s father, like Ralf’s mother, recognized that Hitler was an evil man sending Germany into an evil war. Other perpetrators of war have followed in his footsteps for power – Idi Amin, Osama Bin Laden, Sadam Hussein, the Taliban in Afghanistan, to mention only a few. As this study is being written, dreadful atrocities are being committed in Syria, in the name of patriotism.

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Another study could be written on the failure of democratic governments to provide real justice for many! Patriarchal systems of leadership – man made, have much to answer for by depriving women of their rights, because women make up half the population of the world. For all of our educational and technological progress, humanity still hasn’t moved far away from the old hierarchical model of leadership – male God, male leaderships of various ranks, then exerting power over the masses, which need a ruling class over them! This system of course leads to the silence and disempowering of ordinary, sometimes extraordinarily gifted people. The world is all the poorer as a result.

Why don’t we learn about leadership models from the collaboration and mutuality of the eco‐systems in our universe? Numerous examples of such collaborations could be described and used as examples to develop new systems of government for the benefit of all. These are God‐made.

Mangrove Swamps and Sea‐life Many different kinds of insects lay their eggs in mangrove swamps and these eggs and their hatchlings become good food for the infant marine species that live there in the early stages of their growth. Tangled roots of the trees make good hiding places for young creatures to hide from predators. Aquatic life that develops in mangroves includes anchovies, shrimp, groupers and catfish.

Bees and Pollination Bees collect nectar and pollen on their hairy legs to feed themselves and their young. There are special hairs on their back legs and abdomen which form a kind of basket for this task. They visit flowers of the same species, drop some of this pollen on other petals and it is used by the flower in the development of sexual fertilization of seeds. The bees use the nectar in producing honey. Hence, both flower and bee contribute to humans by providing them with honey and beauty. Honey has medicinal contents for humans.

How Trees and Plants Help Us Why do we breathe? We need oxygen to live. It is a kind of food for our blood. Animals need it too. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide that they turn into oxygen for us!

Technology has helped many to see that our world is really a global village and that all people require the same things physically, socially, spiritually and psychologically. We all have gifts to share with each other. If the money spent on weapons was used to unite the people on the planet and for devising new

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ways of sharing and collaborating, world peace would follow. This should be the role of governments in our world today. Mutual collaboration develops trust and trust banishes fear.

In religious terms, we would experience the reign of God; a reign that frees all to discern in communion with others, to work together and to share. This is what Jesus Christ came on earth to give.

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Share your ideas on the contents of this article –  Oppression in our world today  Examples of patriarchy in our institutes and its effects  Disempowerment of people in our towns, cities  How world peace might be obtained  An ideal local council, State or Federal Government  What’s wrong with democracy?

VIEW THE ‘SPECIAL FEATURES’ OF THE VIDEO

View first the deleted scenes of the film and include the commentary by the writer of the book and the director of the film. Then view the feature titled “Friendship Beyond the Fence.” Both of these bonus additions give the viewer an admiration for the work of the film crew in regard to the enormous amount of historical research done by them. One gets a very clear idea of how pressurized the filming process is, especially for the two youngest actors. Adult speakers own their emotional moments as they progressed through the filming. There are many moving comments as they tell of their heartache that the holocaust tragedy ever took place. This viewer received the impression that all who spoke felt it a privilege to make such a film on behalf of the Jewish victims. Some of the speakers hope their work will awaken the consciences of all who see the film, and motivate them to prevent such evil events ever occurring again in history. This is a powerful educational film.

This story is a fable about right and wrong. Though it is not a factual story, it shows what heartbreak many families, on all sides of the conflict endure because of war and its consequences.

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EVALUATION OF THE FILM

Several reviews are provided on the net by the critics of various news organisations. Students can find these reviews for themselves by typing into their Explore search box, Reviews of the film, “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”

The main criticisms of the critics are about the film’s credibility – “Where were the camp guards when the children were playing at the end of the compound?” The characters are criticised for speaking such upper middle‐class English with no attempt at German accents. The children performed stilted and stiff performances, no childish spontaneity. The director and writer showed ignorance by thinking that a German Commander’s child would know so little about Jews. GET REAL!

This writer will leave the students to reply to those criticisms. She feels it important to include two comments from among many on the net who saw the film and responded to it.

Joel #9 12:04 pm Mar 12 2009

This film opens up a whole bunch of questions in my mind, like what is going on today right under our noses and how we are acting like David Thewlis.

Jon #10 10:47 am Mar 13 2009

I took my son to see the film having read the book some time before. I spent most of the film with my head in my hands...he looked up at me a number of times wondering if I was alright! I was incredibly moved by the film. The cinema audience of all ages sat in silence. At the end of the film, some wept, including me, some just sat and stared at the screen and the rest left without a word. To see it on the TV screen probably isn't as moving as on the big screen but it will still prove to be moving.

Don't pick holes in the minutiae of the film. The book is a fable...a story designed to get over an idea. Not a film for popcorn or entertainment...just prepare to be moved.

In conclusion, students are asked to write their own reviews about this movie and include such things as the story, acting, emotional content, colour and pace of film, variation of camera shots, symbolism in the scenes, locations, music, lighting and finally the educational value of such a movie.

B C Kenna RSM (April 11, 2012)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks is expressed to Miramax, the DVD distributors for the cover photo of their film: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, also for the same photo taken from another angle, which has been used on the cover of this study assignment and taken from www.empireonline.com

Special thanks to Eureka’s 120,000 Clipart Photos for the use of their pictures displayed in this work.

Thank you to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for references obtained about the ratio of death rates between combatants and civilians since 1950.

Thank you to Encarta Encyclopedia, 2004, for references derived from THE BUTTERMANN ARCHIVE on Hitler and the Jews.

Finally, thank you to Joel and Jan for placing their reviews of this movie on the net.

B C Kenna RSM

11/4/12

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