History Film / SwingKids

The setting is 1938 Hamburg in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany. Most kids and teenagers are part of the Hitler Jugend. Some of those who aren't are "swing kids". Swing kids love British fashion, American dances and most of all, swing. Peter Müller (Leonard) is a swing kid with a passion for it. He and his friends, Thomas (Bale) and Arvid (Whaley), try to avoid Nazism and H.J., but after Peter is caught stealing a radio he is forced to join. Thomas joins with him for moral support, but Arvid won't hear of it and stays true to his resolve. While at first Peter and Thomas live by the motto that they're "HJ by day, Swing Kids by night," they slowly begin to get brainwashed, and they're forced to question everything they have and do believe, and must ultimately decide where their loyalties lie.

This film was a major part of the Swing fad of the 1990s.

''Swing Kids'' is a 1993 movie set in Germany as Nazism is slowly growing. Most kids and teenagers are part of the Hitler Jugend. Some of those who aren't are "swing kids". Swing kids love British fashion, American dances and most of all, swing. Peter Müller is a swing kid with a passion for it. He and his friends, Thomas and Arvid, try to avoid Nazism and H.J., but after Peter is caught stealing a radio he is forced to join. Thomas joins with him for moral support, but Arvid won't hear of it and stays true to his resolve. While at first Peter and Thomas live by the motto that they're "HJ by day, Swing Kids by night," they slowly begin to get brainwashed, and they're forced to question everything they have and do believe, and must ultimately decide where their loyalties lie.

* DownerEnding: Arvid has committed suicide. Peter will likely die in a camp after being arrested (if he's lucky). Thomas seemed to acknowledge Peter but may fall back to being influenced by Nazi propoganda. Willi's had his father die when he was young and now his brother gets taken from him in front of his eyes (nevermind the effect on his mother).
* DrivenToSuicide: Arvid kills himself by slitting his wrists with a broken record in a bathtub, a [[CallBack reference back to the scene when he got beat up]], rather than passively partake in the murders the Nazis are commiting.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Arvid delivers one at the night club when a Luftewaffe airman requests him a song shortly before he kills himself:

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Emil is cited as the "first Swing Kid," and Arvid, Peter, and Thomas are in disbelief that he has joined the Hitler-Jugend. Thomas later fills this role with Arvid and Peter.
* WhatHaveIBecome: Thomas gets this when he stops himself mid-sentence as he threatens Peter to be denounced to the authorities just as he tries to prove being a Nazi is not that bad.
* WhatHaveIDone: Peter delivers a box to a lady who asks about her husband and later screams off-screen. Peter has one package left and decides to open it. (Put on a spoiler tag because of how horrible it is) [[spoiler: There are ashes inside with a tag of "Traitor" on the inside of the box lid. He essentially delivered the remains of her husband to a young lady and in the box he has he finds a ring inside among the ashes.]]

* WhatHappenedTotheMouse: Nothing is ever mentioned of Evey, Peter's love interest, at the end of the film and it remains uncertain if she even knew what had occurred.

''Swing Kids'' is a 1993 movie set in Germany as Nazism is slowly growing. Most kids and teenagers are part of the Hitler Jugend. Some of those who aren't are "swing kids". Swing kids love British fashion, American dances and most of all, swing. Peter Müller is a swing kid with a passion for it. He and his friends, Thomas and Arvid, try to avoid Nazism and H.J., but after Peter is caught stealing a radio he is forced to join, and Thomas joins with him for moral support, but Arvid won't hear of it and stays true to his resolve. While at first Peter and Thomas live by the motto that they're "HJ by day, Swing Kids by night," they slowly begin to get brainwashed, and they're forced to question everything they have and do believe, and must ultimately decide where their loyalties lie.

-->'''Arvid''': What is wrong with you people? We are murdering Austrians. Next it'll be the Czechs, then the Poles, not to mention the gypsies and the Jews...And now you want to hear a ''song''. You want someone to ''lift your morale'', well I WON'T!"

This film was a major part of the {{Swing}} fad of the 1990s.

----

-->"You think that just because you're not doing it yourself, you're not a part of it? Well, I'm sick and tired of doing my part."
--> - Arvid.

* RetroactiveRecognition: This film feature is among the early works of {{Creator/Noah Wyle}}, {{Creator/Christian Bale}} and [[{{Series/House}} Wilson]].

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Arvid delivers one at the night club when a Nazi requests him a song shortly before he kills himself:

* TearJerker: Arvid's suicide can strike this chord but especially more so is the scene involving Peter's delivery of a box. Made even worse when the young daughter of the mother salutes Peter with, "Heil Hitler," as he leaves.

* DrivenToSuicide: Arvid kills himself by slitting his wrists with a broken record in a bathtub, a [[Callback reference back to the scene when he got beat up]], rather than passively partake in the murders the Nazis are commiting.

* MoralEventHorizon: Thomas has several moments including sending his own father off as speaking out against Hitler's policies, threatening to do the same to Peter, openly calling Arvid a cripple and spouting Nazi rhetoric which partly leads to his suicide, and finally assaulting Peter at the end of the film when breaking up a Swing Club. The end with Thomas shouting, "Swing Heil" to Peter rings a little hollow.

''Swing Kids'' is a 1993 movie set in Germany as Nazism is slowly growing. Most kids and teenagers are part of the Hitler Jugend. Some of those who aren't are "swing kids". Swing kids love British fashion, American dances and most of all, swing. Peter Müller is a swing kid with a passion for it. He and his friends, Thomas and Arvid, try to avoid Nazism and H.J., but after Peter is caught stealing a radio he is forced to join, and Thomas joins with him for moral support, but Arvid won't hear of it and stays true to his resolve. While at first Peter and Thomas live by the motto that they're "HJ by day, swing kids by night," they slowly begin to get brainwashed, and they're forced to question everything they have and do believe, and must ultimately decide where their loyalties lie.

* AffablyEvil: Her Knopp is rather charismatic and manages to persuade Peter into joining the H.J.

* DrivenToSuicide: Arvid kills himself rather than passively partaking in the murders the nazis are commiting.
* {{Fingore}}: A H.J. crushes Arvid's fingers.
* GoneHorriblyRight: Peter makes the dinner his superior has with his mother backfire when he points out all the products that lie on the table: French wine, Swiss chocolate, Polish sausages and American music. All things that have been strictly banned by the Nazis.
* ParentalAbandonment: Peter's father was killed by the nazis.

-->'''Arvid''': What is wrong with you people? We are murdering Austrians. Next it'll be the Czechs, then the Poles, not to mention the gypsies and the Jews...And now you want to hear a ''song''. You want someone to ''lift your morale'', well I WON'T!"

* WhatHaveIDone: Peter delivers a box to a lady who asks about her husband and later screams off-screen. Peter has one package left and decides to open it. (Put in on a spoiler tag because of how horrible it is) [[spoiler: There are ashes inside with a tag of "Traitor" on the inside of the box lid. He essentially delivered the remains of her husband to a young lady and in the box he has he finds a ring inside among the ashes.]]