Figure 1.--A HBC reader reports that the Polish film "Zmory" is a first rate film in all respects. The film showcases a wide variety of boys' fashions. The setting appears to be about 1900.

You can also slect the movies available on HBC by using this alphabetical movie listing. At this time only a few movies have been analized by HBC for clothing information, but more pages are being added all the time.

ZPG - (US)

World governments declare a 30-year ban on bearing children to achieve a zero population growth, but one couple decides to defy the law.

Zapped - (US, 1982)

A high school age whiz kid displays telekinetic powers and uses those powers to master baseball, fight bullies, and win girls. Scott Baio, Willie Aames.

Zebra in the Kitchen - (US,1965)

Jay North movie about a boy who has to move to the city. He insists on bringing along his cougar. If I remember correctly he wears longs.

Zendegi Eda Me Darad -

See "And Life Goes On".

Zero de conducte (France, 1933)

This French black and white movie from Jean Vigo was released in 1933. It was a short film only 43 minutes. It depicts life in a repressive life in a boarding school and the eventual revolt of the boys. Because of the attacks on the French educational methods, the film was banned in France for 16 years after 1945. Many of the boys wear shorts and knee socks. There are also some berets. French boys' college. There are boarders and day-pupils, I would say between 9 and 14 years old. It is not a religious college but I cannot say whether it is private or public, but the fact that it had boarders suggest that it was a private sdchool. The movie finishes with the revolt of four boys throwing things to the guests from the roofs during the college fête. A precursor of the British public school movie If. Jean Daste, Robert LeFlon, Du Veron.

Zero Hour/Stunde Null (Germany, 1977)

A wonderful German film directed by Edgar Reitz about the period in Germany immediately after the fall of the Third Reich. The story concerns Joschie, a former member of the Hitler Youth, who has fallen in love with America and American flying. He wears an American flight jacket over this short pants and as well as boots with white knee socks rolled down to his ankles. Joschie intends to find Nazi buried treasure in a cemetery near Leipzig, left by the retreating Nazi soldiers. He has heard that such a place exists but he doesn't know the exact location. He meets Isa, a refugee girl, in a house near the cemetery, and together they hunt for the treasure and find it--a cache of medals and jewelry, which of course they hide to keep it secret. It is just the moment when Germany is being divided up into occupation zones. They are in the part to be taken over by the Russians, and when the Russian soliders arrive, Joschie almost causes a mass execution because he had fired a shot to warn Isa to keep the treasure hidden. The soliders spare the victims, however, because they think the shot was fired because the boy and girl are in love. Together Isa and Joschie decide to take the treasure and escape to the American zone where they expect that they will be welcomed warmly. They walk for hours. But when they finally cross into the American area, a jeep pulls up alongside the pair; the soldiers search Joschie's pockets, discover the valuables, and confiscate them together with his flight jacket. They ride off with Isa in their jeep leaving Joschie disillusioned and alone on the country road. A very sad and ironic ending. Anette Junger played the part of Isa; Joschie was acted by Kai Taschner.

Ziemassvetku Jampadracis (Latvia, 1996)

This is an unpretentious little film that has the ring of authenticity about it and deals in as sensitive away about an ordinary family during the holidays. The title means something like (difficult to translate) "A Christmas Turmoil" (seems to be closest). Other translations could be: "A Christmas Alarm", "A Christmas Commotion", or "A Christmas Flurry" or something like that. This movie was filmed in Latvian and translated into Russian and widely broadcasted during Christmas in othgeer European coutries as well. The movie is a family drama set in 1935 when Latvia was an independent country--before they were invaded by the Soviet Union. The boy in the film gets into trouble and his mom makes him wear short pants and long stockings which he objects to because he thinks that he is to old. It is not a big punishment for him, but he is not at all happy about it. Finally his mother forgives him and he is able to wear long trousers for Christmas.

Zmory (Poland, 1979)

A HBC reader has provided some images from Zmory (1979). The story line seems to revolve around the young lad and his care through to late teens. The period is hard to pin down -I reckon about 1910 as there is no suggestion of war or motor cars and in one picture the womans dress seems about right for the time. He has provided several images which provide costume detail. There were few full-length figure shots mostly head and shoulders and scenic but it is a first rate film in all respects. One tiny detail he thought interesting in one close up portrait of the very smart boy is the hair clip.

Zoo in Budapest - (1933)

A young orphan hiding out in a zoo encounters an escaped tiger.

Zoya - (US,1995)

This was one of those awful Danielle Steel made for TV movies. I thought there might be a nice street scene during the Paris scenes, but not one boy in shorts or smocks. Then the movie moves to the States. They have two kids, one is Nikky, the nice boy from Dave's World who is about 10. He is shown about in scenes set about 1929 and amazingly he is in longs, ridiculous for a well-to-do boy in the late 1920s, especially with a European mother. You would have thought that as much as Steel obsesses on fashion that she could have given a little thought to the boy's costuming. At least for part two he is in a nice short pants outfit with knee socks. There are several scenes with him in short pants. I wonder what he thought about the outfit? Unfortunately, the film then quickly advances 10 years. At least the film moves fast enough that there is quickly a new son, Matthew, who wears shorts is shown as a toddler and a 5-year old in shorts. In the next scene he is off to boarding school, as a teenager in longs.

Created: January 30, 2000
Last updated: 12:53 AM 1/22/2012