The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is a fictional story that offers a unique perspective on how prejudice, hatred and violence affect innocent people, particularly children, during wartime. Rated PG-13 (for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

ASA BUTTERFIELD (BRUNO) ASA BUTTERFIELD (BRUNO)  Born on 1 April 1997 in Islington, London  He has two cats and one older brother, Morgan, with whom he plays lots of games  Butterfield is also a keen musician and plays the piano (pretty well) and the guitar (not so well) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

JACK SCANLON (SHMUEL) JACK SCANLON (SHMUEL)  Born on 6 August 1998 in Canterbury  Scanlon attends Warden House Primary School where his favorite subject is games  This is his first feature film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

VERA FARMIGA (MOTHER))  Most recently seen in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning police drama, “The Departed”  Awarded “Best Actress” by the Los Angeles Film Critics for her performance in “Down to the Bone” The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

MARK HERMAN MARK HERMAN  His first feature-length project was “Blame It On the Bellboy”  Herman was nominated for two BAFTA Awards for Best Screenplay for “Little Voice” and for Best Screenplay for “Brassed Off” The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

DAVID HEYMAN (Producer ) DAVID HEYMAN (Producer )  In 1997 to set up Heyday Films to produce international films and television programs.  He produced all five of the “Harry Potter” films Heyman with Actor Daniel Radcliffe

IS IT AUSCHWITZ? Although the name of concentration camp is never mentioned, we know it is Auschwitz because it was the only Nazi death camp with 4 crematoria. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

Berlin, 1940s. Eight year-old Bruno returns from playing with his school friends to find his home bustling with preparations: his father, a Nazi officer, has just been promoted and his mother is planning a party. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

Bruno sees no cause for celebration; his father's new job is outside Berlin and the whole family will be moving to the countryside, forcing him to leave the home and friends he loves. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

His fears of loneliness are confirmed when the family arrives at their dreary, isolated new house. Bruno finds it difficult to settle into his new life and quickly grows bored. There are no other children to play with and his mother forbids him from exploring behind the house. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

Bruno is intrigued by the existence of an odd sort of farm he can see from his bedroom window, where all the residents seem to be wearing striped Pajamas. When he tries to find out more about the 'farm‚' he is told not to concern himself with it and certainly not to go near it. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

Bruno does not know that the ‘farm’ is an extermination camp. His mother is also in ignorance - she believes that they are living next to an internment or labor camp; her husband has sworn under oath never to reveal its real purpose. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

Consensus Voice: "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is not only about Germany during the war, although the story it tells is heartbreaking in more than one way. It is about a value system that survives like a virus" --Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a fable intended to provide a unique perspective on the effects of prejudice, hatred and violence on innocent people, particularly children, during wartime.” --The producers The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

Critic Roger Ebert chillingly says this film “is about a value system that survives like a virus.” And this very evil ever-present human virus continues to inject us in Rwanda, Somalia, Palestine, Israel, Darfur, Zimbabwe and Iraq. This virus is PREJUDICE. And WE ARE ALL INFECTED. It was not limited to the Nazis. Critic Roger Ebert chillingly says this film “is about a value system that survives like a virus.” And this very evil ever-present human virus continues to inject us in Rwanda, Somalia, Palestine, Israel, Darfur, Zimbabwe and Iraq. This virus is PREJUDICE. And WE ARE ALL INFECTED. It was not limited to the Nazis. Vermont Governor George Aiken noted that “If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other cause for prejudice by noon.” The only antidote is to “love your neighbor” --regardless who that might be. Death of prejudice begins in our heart. We Must Never Forget! Vermont Governor George Aiken noted that “If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other cause for prejudice by noon.” The only antidote is to “love your neighbor” --regardless who that might be. Death of prejudice begins in our heart. We Must Never Forget! The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

“What happens in this place? Bruno wonders. Why are there so many people on the other side of the fence? Simple questions, perhaps, but at a basic level, aren’t these the questions we still ask? And perhaps that’s the job for any writer or artist, to keep looking for answers, to make sure those questions continue so that no one ever forgets why they needed to be raised in the first place.” -- John Boyne, author of the bestselling novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008

WE MUST NEVER FORGET! The Boy in the Striped Pajamas © Miramax Films. Review by David Bruce ©2008