Customer Reviews
True story, fake dramatics - By: Trevor Willsmer, 09 Nov 2007 
Swing Kids isn't as bad as its reputation implies by a long shot, but it's too riddled with compromise to reallly work. The Nazis' vicious repression of jazz & swing music is a great story crying out to be told, but Disney reallly wasn't the studio to tell it. Hints of a better film abound & it does edge into some dark corners, but the need for an upbeat ending to a downbeat story does the film few favors, & nor does the fact that the period jive & dancing tend to sound & look very silly indeed far too often - certainly Robert Sean Leonard's angst-ridden solo dance of rebellion at the end is an unintentional comic highlight.
No extras but a decent 1.85:1 widescreen transfer.
Well acted very moving and not at all what you'd expect - By: laura, 13 Jul 2006 
Seeing as this was a disney movie I figured when I bought it it would be a light hearted drama about friends who were swing kids during World war II. Obviously I realise that any tale of the war & Nazi germany would have to be slightly dramatic but I though it would focus on the music & the swing dancing.
Oh how wrong could I be!!This film is a very moving & very well acted piece about Nazi supresion & their vile teaching & hatred about alll things Jewish. The swing is mearly a subplot ,put in to make the trailer look like children could watch it, & serves to offer the only light hearted 10 mins in the film! The story revolves around Peter (a character that could have been way to sappy & disney to handle himself in reality & baked in self pity if it wasn't for the stunning acting by Robert Sean Leonard)who faces a battle between joing the HJ like everyone else & dying for the cause of what he believes in. For a disney movie there is alot of death & mysery but don't let that stop you watching it!
Although this film is nothing like I expected I loved it because of the brilliant acting & sometime quite gritty portrayl of Nazi Germany,its not the kind of film it says on the box but what emerges is an altogether more interesting piece on the struggle through the war & through history of human hatred & love, the changes in friendship & family & the ultimate betryal that is caused by the madness of war.
Special mention has to go to RSL & Christian Bale for not only acting so well as to turn a mussy script into a moving one but for being able to sing & dance so perfectly too. The acting alll round (apart from a terrible performance by a young noah wyle!!!) makes this a emotional & believable film I would definitly recommend if you want to explore History & the human mind some more but not if you thought this was Disney, about dancing & like happy endings!!
Opposition in Nazi Germany - By: , 10 Mar 2004 Swing Kinds provides an insightful portrayal to some of the brave few who were willing to stand up against the terror of Nazi Germany. Amidst the sterile uniformed mass of Nazis the movie is bought to light by a paraphernalia of style & a welcome mix of black Jazz & white dance band music that makes up swing. The movie is well acted & provides an understanding of many of the cruel aspects of life in Nazi Germany. Overalll, a good movie & a handy resource for History teachers & students studying the period.
