'Swing Kids' Movie Trailer (1993), Christian Bale, Kenneth Branagh: SwingJugend in Nazi Germany

[appalachiablue]

Wiki. The Swing Youth (German: Swingjugend) were a group of jazz and swing lovers in Germany formed in Hamburg in 1939. Primarily active in Hamburg and Berlin, they were composed of 14 to 21-year-old Germans, mostly middle or upper-class students, but also including some in the Working class. They admired the American way of life, defining themselves in swing music and opposing the National-Socialist ideology, especially the Hitler Youth (German: Hitlerjugend).

Name: The name Swingjugend was a parody of the numerous youth groups that were organised by the Nazis, such as the Hitlerjugend. The youth also referred to themselves as Swings or Swingheinis ('Swingity'); members were called 'Swing-Boy', 'Swing-Girl' or 'Old-Hot-Boy'.

Counter-culture: During the Nazi regime, all the youth (those aged 10 to 17) in Germany who were considered to be Aryan were encouraged to join the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens. The leaders of these organisations realized they had to offer some attraction in the area of social dancing to recruit members. Instead of adopting the popular swing dance (because it was viewed as degenerate and tied to the 'damnable jazz'), they resorted to the new German community dances. This proved to be unsuccessful, and instead of embracing the Hitler Youth pastimes, city girls and boys crowded the swing dance joints. This seemed to be the case particularly in the town of Hamburg, where the swing scene was huge.

The Swing Youth used their love of swing and jazz music to create their sub-culture with one former Swing Kid Frederich Ritzel saying in a 1985 interview: "Everything for us was a world of great longing, Western life, democracy – everything was connected – and connected through jazz".

.. This group consisted mostly of teens and young adults from the upper-class homes of Hamburg. Their objectives were originally more self-indulgent in nature, being privileged with wealth and German heritage, they spent their money on expensive clothing and liquor. The British musicologist Ralph Willett wrote that the Swing Youth wanted to emulate "the cool, languid demeanour" of British and American film stars. When the restrictions on jazz became law, their pastime would become a political statement, setting them in clear opposition to the Nazi Party. German musicologist Guido Fackler described the Swingjugend embrace of American music and the "English style" in clothing as reflecting the fact that:

The Swingjugend rejected the Nazi state, above all because of its ideology and uniformity, its militarism, the 'Führer principle' and the leveling Volksgemeinschaft (people's community). They experienced a massive restriction of their personal freedom. They rebelled against all this with jazz and swing, which stood for a love of life, self-determination, non-conformism, freedom, independence, liberalism, and internationalism...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_Kids_(1993_film)

[The Genealogist]

1. I saw this in the theater when it came out.

I was in college. I liked the movie, the friend I went with thought it was corny.

[appalachiablue]

2. Wish I'd seen it, and after reading more about the environment

in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, I appreciate these kids love of life, music, democracy and liberalism even more.

The film looks very enjoyable, love the music, clothes and story.

In 1993 if I'd seen it I might have thought it a bit 'too Hollywood,' but not now; I'm glad it was made.

Many of the swingjugend were oppressed by the German authorities, arrested and imprisoned in concentration camps.

Three prominent members of the German White Rose youth resistance group were guilliotined in 1943 for condemning the Nazi regime.

[The Genealogist]

3. I found it chilling at the time

The main characters were not all that different from me in age, so it really hit home for me. I saw it only a few months after starting college, and I was coming out of my own shell. The movie emphasized to great effect the contrast being those lively, freedom-loving, life-loving kids and the horrible cruelty of Nazi regime. I loved swing music, too, and I bought the soundtrack.

[appalachiablue]

4. Thanks, interesting that it included the brutal, realistic side

of Nazi Germany at the time. I look forward to renting and watching the movie soon online.

So much of the military effort of Germany and the horrible Holocaust are covered, but I didn't realize until the last few years the extent to which domestic German culture was controlled and warped by Nazi ideology- the teaching in schools and universities, the news media, everyday life.

Even fashion, with regular German women encouraged to wear the traditional German derndle type skirts and avoid modern high fashion, the disdain for modern art, music and life overall. Scary and very restrictive.

[riverwalker]

5. Thank you!

I’ve never heard of this movie! Heading to Netflix to put it in my list!

[appalachiablue]

6. For sure, I hope to watch it on Netflix or Amazon soon.

[sarisataka]

7. It is a good movie, I saw it many years ago.

It is not currently on Netflix but I can rent it through Amazon

[appalachiablue]

8. That's what I thought, Amazon will have it. I would have

noticed if it was on Netflix. Thanks, I look forward to watching it.