The Tin Drum (1979) Die Blechtrommel (original title) Synopsis / Plot Danzig in the 1920s/1930s. Oskar Matzerath, son of a local dealer, is a most unusual boy. Equipped with full intellect right from his birth he decides at his third birthday not to grow up as he sees the crazy world around him at the eve of World War II. So he refuses the society and his tin drum symbolizes his protest against the middle-class mentality of his family and neighborhood, which stand for all passive people in Nazi Germany at that time. However, (almost) nobody listens to him, so the catastrophe goes on... Awards 1979: Oscar: Best Foreign Language Picture 1979: Cannes Film Festival: Palme d´Or (Golden Palm) (Ex-Aequo with "Apocalypse Now") 1979: César Awards: Nominated Best Foreign Film 1978: German Film Awards: Best Film 1980: Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Foreign Language Film