Simon Birch
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Simon Birch |
| Original title | Simon Birch |
| Country of production | USA , Canada |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1998 |
| length | 113 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Mark Steven Johnson |
| script | Mark Steven Johnson |
| production |
Roger Birnbaum , Laurence Mark |
| music | Marc Shaiman |
| camera | Aaron E. Schneider |
| cut | David Finfer |
| occupation | |
| |
Simon Birch is a cinematic tragic comedy from 1998 based on the novel Owen Meany ( A Prayer for Owen Meany ) by the American writer John Irving . The film was sometimes shown in Germany under the titles About Armadillos, Simon and Me or Simon Birch - A Little Hero and His Extraordinary Fate and Simon Birch - Little Hero, Big!
action
The film begins in 1964. Simon Birch is a small boy who is not taken seriously by those around him, including his parents. He is mocked and pushed around. Still, he firmly believes that God made him who he is so that one day he might perform a heroic deed.
Only in Joe Wenteworth, a neighbor boy who is also introverted , does Simon find a friend with whom he can roam the woods and experience adventures. The identity of Joe's father is only known to Rebecca, his mother, who she never reveals.
One day, Simon hits the ball at a baseball game , which hits Joe's mother, Rebecca, who dies as a result. The two boys then begin to question life and find meaning in it.
Together they go looking for Joe's father, among other things, and only in the course of time do the two realize that it was fate that the two got to know and like each other, and in the end they even have to put their friendship to the test, when Simon loses his life while rescuing Boy Scout children but fulfills his destiny.
Background information
Shot on locations in Canada on a budget of US $ 20 million , the film tries to convey that it is not body size that is important to be a hero , but that inner strength and size are necessary to be able to make a lot of things. Topics such as fate , tolerance and equality are also dealt with.
The American feature film The Mighty - Together they are strong and the German film Die Blechtrommel have a similar story .
The role of Joe's mother, who played Ashley Judd in the film , should have played Sandra Bullock first .
Reviews
- Cinema described the film as "touching with lovable characters" and a "bittersweet outsider story" .
Film awards
Awards
- A Critics' Choice Movie Award ( Best Young Actor : Ian Michael Smith )
- A YoungStar Award (best young leading actor: Joseph Mazzello )
nomination
- Three Young Artist Awards
- Best family film
- Best Actor in a Feature Film : Joseph Mazzello
- Best Actor in a Feature Film: Ian Michael Smith
literature
- John Irving : Owen Meany. Roman (Original title: A Prayer for Owen Meany ). German by Edith Nerke and Jürgen Bauer . Diogenes, Zurich 1992, 852 pp., ISBN 3-257-22491-5 .
Web links
- Simon Birch in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Information about the film on the website of the Joseph Mazzello Fan Club (English) ( Memento from January 24, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- The bell player in Simon Birch (English)