The Tin Drum

film by Schlöndorff [1979]

Also known as: “Die Blechtrommel”

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

Volker Schlöndorff's 1979 film, The Tin Drum, is an adaptation of Günter Grass's picaresque novel of the same name. The story is narrated by Oskar Matzerath, a dwarf who claims to have stopped growing at age three in protest against adulthood. Oskar possesses a shrill voice capable of shattering glass and a tin drum that helps him recall memories.12

The film, like the novel, uses Oskar's detached observations to comment on the absurdities and horrors of life in Nazi Germany and the subsequent postwar period in West Germany. The Tin Drum received critical acclaim, winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival and an Academy Award for best foreign film.132

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Volker Schlöndorff
…film, with Die Blechtrommel (1979; The Tin Drum), his adaptation of the Günter Grass novel. The film’s episodic structure and expressionistic style marked a departure from his earlier work. Schlöndorff’s other work included the film Die Fälschung (1981; Circle of Deceit), made on location in war-torn Beirut; a television production…
Read More
…film, with Die Blechtrommel (1979; The Tin Drum), his adaptation of the Günter Grass novel. The film’s episodic structure and expressionistic style marked a departure from his earlier work. Schlöndorff’s other work included the film Die Fälschung (1981; Circle of Deceit), made on location in war-torn Beirut; a television production…
Read More

Roger Corman
New World Pictures
>The Tin Drum (1979). Corman sold New World Pictures in 1983 and founded Concorde-New Horizons, a company devoted strictly to movie production.
Read More
>The Tin Drum (1979). Corman sold New World Pictures in 1983 and founded Concorde-New Horizons, a company devoted strictly to movie production.
Read More