History Literature / TheTinDrum

* UnreliableNarrator: The movie is more straightforward but in the book, it's implied on occasion that Oskar just made up all this stuff, being not entirely sane. It doesn't help that he is telling us this story while in an asylum.

* StockingFiller: A little fanservice as Agnes takes off her stockings at the beach.

* MakeMeWannaShout: Oskar has the ability to shatter or mark glass with his voice.

TheFilmOfTheBook was released in 1979, covering the first two books. While plans were made to film a sequel to complete the story, [[DevelopmentHell it never came to pass.]] The movie follows Oskar from his birth until after the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and the Soviet invasion where he finally decides to grow up. The film attained controversy in both Ontario and Oklahoma, due to the belief that it depicted child pornography. The cases were both quickly overruled, however.

The first part of the ''Danzig Trilogy'' by Günter Grass, ''The Tin Drum'' (German: ''Die Blechtrommel'') is a 1959 novel. Narrated by Oskar Matzerath, a dwarf of questionable sanity.

The first part of the Danzig Trilogy by Günter Grass, ''The Tin Drum'' (German: ''Die Blechtrommel'') is a 1959 novel. Narrated by Oskar Matzerath, a dwarf of questionable sanity.

A FilmOfTheBook was released in 1979, covering the first two books. While plans were made to film a sequel to complete the story, [[DevelopmentHell it never came to pass.]] The movie follows Oskar from his birth until after the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and the Soviet invasion where he finally decides to grow up. The film attained controversy in both Ontario and Oklahoma, due to the belief that it depicted child pornography. The cases were both quickly overruled, however.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/TheOmen Damien?]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/30039111889.jpg]]

* UnreliableNarrator: The movie is more straightforward but in the book, there is a chance that [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation perhaps Oskar just made up all this stuff]], being not entirely sane. It doesn't help that he is telling us this story while in an asylum.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/le_tambour.jpg]]

* YourCheatingHeart: Oskar's mother regularly carries on an affair with her cousin while married to Alfred.

* HelloNurse: Oskar's {{Fetish}}.

* LeftHanging: The film ends rather abruptly, with Oskar deciding to finally grow up just before he and his family are sent out of Danzig as part of the mass post-war deportation of Germans. As noted above, the second movie was never made.

* POVCam: A rather disturbing one that follows Oskar as he is born, with camera shot simulating progress through the birth canal.

* GlassShatteringSound: Oscar's screaming can break glass.

A FilmOfTheBook was released in 1979, covering the first two books. While plans were made to film a sequel to complete the story, [[DevelopmentHell it never came to pass.]] The movie follows Oskar from his birth until after the end of WorldWarII and the Soviet invasion where he finally decides to grow up. The film attained controversy in both Ontario and Oklahoma, due to the belief that it depicted child pornography. The cases were both quickly overruled, however.

** The death of Oskar's mother is never explained, nor is her sudden obsession with fish before her death.

* HelloNurse: Oskar's {{Fetish}}.

* StalkerWithACrush: Oskar is this towards Nurse Dorothea.

* WeimarRepublic: The first book of the novel and the first act of the film, although it starts during the era of ImperialGermany and ends when the [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Nazis were already in charge]].

* WorldWarTwo: The second book of the novel and much of the action in the movie.

* WestGermany: The third book of the novel.

* {{Enfant Terrible}}: Oskar uses his childlike appearance to execute his will at the expense of his family.
* {{Growing Up Sucks}}: Although Oskar initially throws himself down the stairs to stop himself ageing, he forces himself to start again in his twenties.

* KarmicDeath: Alfred Matzerath [[spoiler: chokes on his own NSDAP badge]].
* {{Kissing Cousins}}: Agnes and Jan Bronski.
* {{Love Triangle}}: Between Matzerath, Agnes and Jan.
* {{Magic Realism}}: Singing marks onto glass, Oskar just choosing to not grow up, the [[spoiler: "Drumming Jesus"-miracle]], etc....
* {{Make Me Wanna Shout}}: Oskar has the ability to shatter or mark glass with his voice.

* {{Never Grew Up}}: Oskar throws himself down the stairs to effect this.

* WhatTheHellHero: Oskar endangering Jan Bronski's life, only to get a new drum. [[spoiler: And indeed it all ends in Jan's execution!]] Also the stalking and [[spoiler: near-rape]] of Nurse Dorothea.

* {{Unreliable Narrator}}: The movie is more straightforward but in the book, there is a chance that [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation perhaps Oskar just made up all this stuff]], being not entirely sane. It doesn't help that he is telling us this story while in an asylum.

Oskar was born in 1924, in the Free City of Danzig. On Oskar's third birthday, he refused to grow up and turn into a miserable adult. Because of this, he remains a boy throughout most of his life. Along his travels, he watches the rise and fall of NaziGermany and discovers that eternal youth is not all that it's cracked up to be. He narrates his story from within a mental hospital, where he is confined c. 1952-1954.

* WeimarRepublic: The first book of the novel and the first act of the film, although it starts during the era of ImperialGermany and ends when the [[NaziGermany Nazis were already in charge]].

Oskar was born in 1924, in the Free City of Danzig. On Oskar's third birthday, he refused to grow up and turn into a miserable adult. Because of this, he remains a boy throughout most of his life. Along his travels, he watches the rise and fall of NaziGermany and discovers that eternal youth is not all that it's cracked up to be. He narrates his story from within a mental hospital. Where he is confined c. 1952-1954.

A FilmOfTheBook was released in 1979, covering the first two books. While plans were made to film a sequel to complete the story, [[DevelopmentHell it never came to pass.]] The movie follows Oskar from his birth until after the end of WorldWarII and the Soviet Invasion where he finally decides to grow up. The film attained controversy in both Ontario and Oklahoma, due to the belief that it depicted child pornography. The cases were both quickly overruled, however.

!! The film provies examples of the following tropes:

* BannedInChina: The film actually sparked a good deal of controversy because the very much underage actor buried his face in a naked and equally underage actress's crotch (or so it seemed... it never dawned on MoralGuardians that trick photography was used) and other stuff that the BrainBleach mercifully washed away. These cases were overruled, eventually.
* DawsonCasting: David Bennent (Oskar) was a child at the time of filming but he was not three years old, which was supposed to be the time in which he stopped aging. There is even a brief scene in which we see Oskar [[{{Squick}} as a fetus in the womb]].

* {{Magical Realism}}: Singing marks onto glass, Oskar just choosing to not grow up, the [[spoiler: "Drumming Jesus"-miracle]], etc....

* BannedInChina: The film actually sparked a good deal of controversy because the very much underage actor buried his face in a naked woman's crotch (or so it seemed... it never dawned on MoralGuardians that trick photography was used) and other stuff that the BrainBleach mercifully washed away. These cases were overruled, eventually.
* DawsonCasting: David Bennent (Oskar) was a child at the time of filmming but he was not three years old, which was supposed to be the time in which he stopped aging. There is even a brief scene in which we see Oskar [[{{Squick}} as a fetus in the womb]].