THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS FILM STUDY

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS FILM STUDY By Kristen Watson

Young Bruno lives a wealthy lifestyle in prewar Germany along with his mother, elder sister , Gretel and SS Commandant father, ralph. The family relocates to the countryside where his father is assigned to take command a prison camp (Auschwitz). A few days later, Bruno befriends another youth, strangely dressed in striped pajamas, named Shmuel who lives behind an electrified fence. Bruno will soon find out that he is not permitted to befriend his new friend as he is a Jew, and that the neighboring yard is actually a prison camp for Jews awaiting extermination. SYNOPSIS

Childhood is measured out by the sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason groups -John Betjeman

Economic Comparisons

BRUNO VS SHMUEL Bruno Shmuel v Bruno lived in a stately v Shmeul lived in an house with 5 floors apartment above his v Bruno had never felt father’s watch store hunger, because his v Shmuel is starved in parents could afford food. the internment camp

ARRIVAL TO AUSCHWITZ Bruno Shmuel

SHMUEL’S DAD “He is a watchmaker, but now most of the time he just mends boots” -Shmuel

Z Z Z TIME COMPARIONS Shmuel Bruno v Sleeps alone v Sleeps with several others v Clean bed v Dirty clothes, dirty v Own room blankets v Shares a room with hundreds of people

“They are not pajamas. They took all of our clothes away. ” -Shmuel

INACCURATE

“The aim of the Jew is to become the ruler of humanity. The Jew is not creative but destructive. He is the enemy of culture. Thousands of Germans have been made poor by the Jew. ” -Gretel (reading from a book)

Social Comparisons

INACCURACY Bruno and those around him on the “greener” side of the fence are suppose to be German… Yet they have British accents in the movie. Shmuel would not have been German, but spoken a form of a Yiddish dilect or polish.

INACCURACY The relationship Bruno and Shmuel have is very inaccurate considering children sent to camps were almost immediately killed as they were not strong enough for such intensive labor.

SOLDIERS How Bruno saw them How Shmuel Saw them

TREATMENT How Bruno’s Family Was Treated How Shmuel Was Treated

HUH? POLAND? Poland must be very far from Germany Good try Bruno! ; )

“You and I are suppose to be enemies. Did you know that? ”

WHAT TO CHOOSE?

EVEN A SANDWICH CAN BE INACCURATE

Religious Ideology Comparisons

Gretel (reading from a book)“The Jew slandered us and incited our enemies. The Jew corrupted us through bad books. He mocked our literature and our music. Everywhere his influence was destructive, the eventual result of which was our nation’s collapse. ” https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=i. LAGP n. E 6 j. PA

“They smell even worse when they burn, don’t they? ”

THE FENCE Shmuel: “It is to stop people from getting out!’ Bruno: “Why what have you done? ” Shmuel: “I am a Jew”

DEGENERATE

HTTPS: //WWW. YOUTUBE. COM/WA TCH? V=OQKKJVLGFEW

“I saw a film about the camp and it looked so nice!” -Bruno

https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Oq. Kk. JVLg. Fe w Political Comparisons

INACCURACY Sneaking into a concentration camp would be next to impossible as the camps were heavily guarded

v In the book Bruno has never heard the word Jew before. In the movie the director presents him to completely unaware of what has happened in Berlin… The CAPITAL of Nazi Germany. Tee hee not that Bruno… GERMAN BOY KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT GERMANY?

HE WOULD HAVE SEEN THIS. . Means for Aryans only

AND THIS… Jews being denied streetcar access

AND THESE The 1938 Kristallnacht or “Night of Broken Glass”

YAY HITLER?

IN THE MOVIES AND IN REALITY Movie Reality

PROPAGANDA Movie Reality

OUT WITH? NO AUSCHWITZ! No th sound in the German Language

ACCURACY/ INACCURACY OF CLOTHING Commandant Lieutenant

WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN Commandant Lieutenant

UNDERLINING REASON FOR THE INACCURACY The film as is the book are meant to be a fable. Telling the holocaust perspective from a point of innocence. Childhood symbolizes this. This is why John Boyne chose to see the holocaust through both Bruno and Shmuel’s eyes.