Flat foot floogie with a floy floy...

[ealgylden]

So. Leni Riefenstahl died yesterday, and very smart people said very smart things about her complicated position in filmmaking and history, and about the responsibilities and culpability of artists living under oppressive and murderous regimes. Me? I watched Swing Kids.

If you haven't seen it, and you like pretty, slashy boys in very stylish period clothes, you should give it a rent. Peter (Robert Sean Leonard) defies the Nazis by listening to Benny Goodman and charming Thomas (Christian Bale) into falling for him. But alas, Thomas isn't ready to deal with all these new feelings he's having for his best friend, so he sublimates with a little vandalism. To straighten him up, his parents force him to join the Hitler Jugend, where wrestling muscular blond boys in their underthings is an approved activity. He thrives, and even tries to transfer his affections to loyal Nazi pup Emil (Noah Wyle), who's safe because he'll never return them (unlike sweet, dangerous Peter). But it doesn't work, of course, and he spends the rest of the movie in angry denial. Violence and evil are just no fit substitute for the love of a pretty brown-eyed boy. If only Thomas had accepted his need for a life full of swing music and Peter, they could have had... well, most likely not a happy ending, but at least a happy middle. Pity. Anyway, it's a good-looking, well-acted, enjoyable movie with a great soundtrack. Also, slashy as heck. Check it out if you haven't.

And nicked from kathlaw,

Morpheus


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Comments

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to see that someone else appreciates Swing Kids. I saw it in the theatres when it came out and was roundly mocked by my friends. (The disadvantage of being in grad school film studies at the time.)

It's been far too long since I've seen it so it's obviously time to give it another viewing. The soundtrack has never been too far from my CD player,however.

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Ah, what a shame. Your fellow film scholars deprived themselves of an enjoyable movie. They could have gone to pick on it, if nothing else; that's what I end up doing with three-quarters of the movies set in the Middle Ages that I see, and it can be great fun). But at least you didn't let them stop you from seeing it. It was much better than I had expected back when I first saw it, and I haven't grown any less fond of it over the years.