The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
Miramax brings The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to DVD with a modest collection of interesting bonus features beginning with a feature-length, screen-specific running audio commentary with writer/director Mark Herman and author John Boyne. The two co-creators of the film provide a lot of technical information about the genesis of the project from novel to screen, but ultimately come across as very monotonous and boring. Ironically, unlike the obvious contrast between people in the film itself, Herman and Boyne are two peas in pod, similarly lacking in enthusiasm or passion for the film — or at least they do during this 94-minute session. I realize it’s often difficult to fill in every moment of a feature film with interesting anecdotes or fascinating trivia, but at least they could liven it up a bit with just a hint of interest. I felt like I was back in college, listening to my English professor drone on.
Next up is the far more interesting and entertaining featurette titled Friendship Beyond the Fence (20:28), which is essentially a short EPK-type offering that provides interviews with the various cast and crew members talking about their experience of making the movie. There’s a lot of substance here, despite the somewhat short running time, and it really piqued my curiosity about Boyne’s source novel and the differences between it and the film version. Both Herman and Boyne seem a lot more lively here than they are on the commentary track. My advice: watch this and skip the commentary altogether.
There’s also a collection of five deleted scenes with optional commentary from director Mark Herman and author John Boyne, including Musn’t Go Near Them (1:00), Moving Out of Berlin (1:28), No One to Play With (2:38), Less Freedom (0:43) and Sound From Above (0:27). These are all pretty brief and don’t offer much exposition, with the sole exception of No One to Play With wherein we learn that it is Bruno’s sister, Gretel, who first refers to the camp as a “farm,” thereby planting the idea in her brother’s head. Without this scene, I had the impression that Bruno developed this “farm” idea solely on his own.
The DVD also includes the standard Miramax promo along with trailers for Lost: Season Four, Grey’s Anatomy: Season Four and Doubt.
The 94-minute film is divided into fifteen chapters.
Final Thoughts
In a year packed with high-profile Holocaust-themed films (Valkyrie, The Reader, Defiance), the low-key and quietly compelling The Boy in the Striped Pajamas offers a fresh and unique approach to a seemingly overdone topic. This simple tale of innocence and a lasting bond between two young boys may be more intimate than Spielberg’s epic Schindler’s List, but it’s no less emotional or poignant. Despite a somewhat slim offering of bonus material, the impressive video and audio presentations and the film itself earn this disc a high recommendation.
