Presenting a lesser-known counterculture in Nazi Germany, Swing Kids is an interesting film about teens who would rather dance to swing music and jazz than participate in a war.
When masterpieces about the Holocaust and WWII like Schindler’s List and The Pianist are created, other stories about the same events fall away a bit. There are so many stories to be told, and so many out there (like Europa Europa), but we hear less about them as time goes on. So this was a brand new one to me.
Swing Kids is about a group of teens who are more interested in growing their hair long and dancing to the great jazz musicians than participating in Nazi culture in Germany around 1940. You see the pressures of Germans living “normal lives” at this time, trying to balance daily life and loyalty compared with people who are being hunted for helping Jewish people and others recruited into the Hitler Youth for training. Some remember who they are and some become an entirely different person.
This is a history that I’d never heard of before and they were called the Swing Heil. Teens who grew their hair long, wore trench coats, smoked, and danced en masse in dance halls to jazz music. That was fascinating to learn about.
The movie itself is pretty good. It is a drama that stars actors Christian Bale, Robert Sean Leonard, Frank Whaley, and Noah Wyle. I enjoyed watching all of them with one huge caveat – none of the boys had a German accent. They all sounded fairly American – even Christian Bale, who has a naturally English accent. But he used the same accent that he had in the 1994 version of Little Women when he played Laurie (my favorite Laurie), so I believe that is his American accent. Their lack of German accents (particularly in the midst of other actors who did have a German accent) stuck out like a sore thumb.
The story itself is pretty predictable, but mostly engaging. There were a few times that I found myself a bit bored and waiting for the next thing to happen, but the topic kept me engaged and I enjoyed the setting and the actors.
There were a few side stories that I wish were explored further, including a woman who received secret packages and a younger brother always stuck at home, but they touched heavily on the fact that there was a lot of underground conversation (including the Swing Kids themselves), so I suppose they didn’t feel the need.
With some excellent dance sequences and great music, though, this is an intriguing film. It isn’t perfect, but it is a great example of a nonconformist group that I’d never heard of before. That in and of itself makes this worth watching for the history lesson.
Runtime: 112 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG-13
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes, it’s a different piece of history
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
When masterpieces about the Holocaust and WWII like Schindler’s List and The Pianist are created, other stories about the same events fall away a bit. There are so many stories to be told, and so many out there (like Europa Europa), but we hear less about them as time goes on. So this was a brand new one to me.
