How historically accurate is the film "Swing Kids" in its portrayal of the actual "Swing Kids" and other elements of Nazi youth?.
Although Hitler and his Nazi party enforced great control over the German population during World War 2, there were still isolated groups who could not be swayed by the Nazis fearful influence. One of the rebellious groups was known as the "Swing Kids" for their love of jazz and swing music, popular in America and England in this time. Thanks to modern historians and Disney productions, their story is still alive today in the form of film. Unfortunately the movie has been deliberately skewed to increase its box office chances, and has lost some of it's historical accuracy. This brings us to the point of the essay: to show how historically accurate the film "Swing Kids" is in its portrayal of swing kids and other elements of Nazi youth. This essay will compare the movie with Primary Source evidence of the actual "Swing Kids" focusing on their clothing, behaviour, their attitudes towards Nazis, Nazi attitudes towards swing kids and what eventually happened to the swing kids.
The clothing aspect in the film "Swing Kids" is very historically accurate in its portrayal of Swing Kids and other elements of Nazi Youth. Primary Source Evidence from the time of the Swing Kids indicates that they wore the new American and English fashions adapted from the clothes of the pioneers of swing music and dance. Some of the clothes and accessories worn included slacks, baggy pants, loose fitting bowling shirts, loose fitting t-shirts, windbreakers, dinner jackets, waitress style dresses, swing dresses with a cut on the left, right or both sides, sun dresses, canes, umbrellas etc. All of these clothes were represented accurately in the movie, as well as the uniforms of the Hitler Youth, right down to their honorary medallions. As a result the clothing aspect of the film "Swing Kids" is very historically accurate in its portrayal of Swing Kids and other elements Nazi Youth.