Der geheimnisvolle Ritter

Trying to break into Hollywood back in the mid-90s, I was working for the catering company on the set of "The Tin Soldier" with starred a very respectful Jon Voight, a hilarious Dom Deluise and the rather quiet Alley Sheedy.

The entire cast and crew was very nice on that small set.

One morning I arrived on the Elysian Park set at around 4:30am to set up for breaktast. Usually I was met by the set security team, but no one was there, so I continued to prep for the cast and crew breakfast. Suddenly an LA cop shows up and tells me the security team was scared off by local gangs that ended up stealing as much as they could from the various star's trailers on the lot. And here I was, all alone, in the middle of a hot, gang area with no security of my own except that one LAPD cop that wasn't going to stick around for me or anyone else on the set.

So, the gang involvement in the script may not have been as close as some of you experts say it should have been, but there was some improve gang stuff going on.

I can't believe this low budget movie had the cast it did. But the movie was not good.

My Hollywood story. One of many I was lucky enough to experience in my life.

Okay so little old The Tin Soldier from 1995 is frankly not all that much of a movie, it's drab and cheap looking, and the way it handles its themes of gang culture and bullying is incredibly hamfisted and oversimplified to the point of ridiculousness...but it was clearly a film aimed at impressionable young kids and is at least sincere in what it was trying to get across to its young audience and it tried its darnedest to make some kind of statement about taking a moral stand when you're caught between two opposing sides who don't really know what exactly they're fighting for themselves, and that sometimes fighting is not the only way to win, and how you shouldn't always have to pick a side if you don't want to. I thought most of the child actors were dreadfully cheesy, including young tow-headed Trenton Knight a lot, but he did actually have a good character arc as he figured out who his real friends were and came through for his depressive mother and became a more levelheaded and mature person, thanks to the guidance of a ghostly father figure in the form of John Voight as the wise and somewhat crotchety Tin Soldier. Now I'm sure a fair few were disappointed back in the day by the fact that this movie was not any kind of conventional version of the Tin Soldier fable, I know I was! But now as an adult I kind of like how they made it it's own thing and made the Tin Soldier a kind of guardian angel to a troubled boy and helped to teach him empathy and put him on the right track, I loved the scene where he reveals to Billy the stories of several kids around his school and shows him that there are others who have things a lot tougher than he does - again, empathy is a running theme throughout. I love the sequence at the end when the honourable Tin Soldier dances with his beloved ballerina in the moonlit street, it's a little bizarre but also beautiful and poignant. I also loved the scene with the late great Dom Deluise, what a guy, I loved his blustery schtick and that sure is my idea of a cool toy store, if not a little creepy! The Tin Soldier isn't the most shining example of a movie that I rediscovered from my childhood, but I like it, it has its good qualities and is sweet and well worth dusting off once in a while. This thoroughly forgotten film is admittedly a creaky old rust bucket, but its heart is in the right place! ❣

i think this movie was shot in 3 days, and was made for about eight dollars and fifteen cents. it's loaded with plot holes, anachronisms and 10-14 year old kids delivering cliché, over the top lines that even most adults wouldn't attempt. Beyond that, whoever wrote in the 'street gangs" clearly has no idea what a gang is ... and probably hasn't ever been anywhere near a street either. if you truly loathe yourself and just need to inflict some pain. then watch this movie. however, if you at all value your sanity, and do NOT enjoy repeating the words 'this is the worst movie i've ever seen." then do yourself a favor and watch something... ANYTHING else.

A little boy dreams to life a toy tin soldier who just happens to love a ballerina toy.

The tin soldier becomes somewhat of a father figure to the young boy.

The climax of the movie pairs the soldier and the ballerina.

If this is the best that Jon Voight can deliver (directs himself) then his career has fallen to the lowest depths.

AVOID this one like the plague

I watched this movie awhile back. I had missed the first 30 minutes of it, but instantly fell in love with it.

It was very charming and cute. And it had been the first time I really seen Jon Voight in a movie, besides Anaconda. Which he played a bad guy in. (Jonathan Hyde also stars in Anaconda and I feel he, like Jon, is a great actor.)

I must admit this movie does have its spotlight of decency, but sometimes it falls in the category of, "Corny and childish." I'm a true child at heart, so I find this movie remarkable, others may not think so, this movie definitely isn't for everyone. Just those who actually like fairy tales, and toys coming alive, friendship and love. That's what it's really all about and I can relate to it in some way. It's a fantasy movie, nonetheless you have to have fun with it. Because that's all it is about -- fun.

Out of 10 stars I give it 8. I recommend it to all the children at heart. This movie is truly heart warming! ///_~