Inglourious Basterds (Tarantino, 2009)

[ak]

Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino | USA | 2009
153 min



This film should not be taken seriously. How could it be taken seriously when its director is Quentin Tarantino whose reputation as a post-modern filmmaker or ‘film DJ’ is now fully entrenched in the public consciousness? Inglourious Basterds is the sixth film from this American auteur and it is polarizing: some think it is his best film after Pulp Fiction, while others declare it to be his worst — the bestowing of such labels is normal routine when discussing Tarantino who, undoubtedly, relishes fervent debate in his name. And to define this filmmaker’s movies as self-reflexive and indulgent would also be missing the point because it is Tarantino’s intention to be self-reflexive and indulgent. He loves cinema but clearly loves the attention he gets even more. (See? After six sentences we have yet to talk about the movie itself — QT, you’re a fox, yo!)

Inglourious Basterds opens with the title card "Once Upon a Time," signaling a fantasy (every Tarantino film can be said to be a fantasy, title card or none.) The story takes place in France in the early 40s, during WW2, as Hitler commissions Nazis to seek out Jews and inflict, what’s the word, genocide on them. The man in charge of the job is Gestapo Col. Hans Landa, played by Christopher Waltz who is extremely delightful. With Waltz playing the devil (or his minion, Hitler being the undisputable Satan personified), Tarantino is able to showcase his formidable talent at writing dialog, creating entire scenes out of mere conversations about milk, cheese, rats or Jews as rats. But remember, folks: Tarantino is a film DJ, so it only fair that Waltz’s Col. Landa is not an original creation — look at Inspecteur Jean Lavardin in Chabrol’s Cop Au Vin or the Superintendant in Melville’s Le Samourai to understand his origins. Tarantino has watched many movies and he has paid attention to them. The average movie viewer will be none the wiser; still, wasn’t it Jim Jarmusch who said "Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere"?

Inglourious Basterds has structural problems, but it is a perfectly amusing little romp in visual eye-candy: Tarantino turns the wheels of mise-en-scene, effortlessly moving the camera to breathe life into what is essentially “chapters” of people talking each other to death. And this being a 'Quentin Tarantino film,' there is also an eclectic international celebrity cast which includes Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine, the hillbilly leader of a group of Jewish-American soldiers called the Basterds whose mission is to kill and scalp Nazis. Pitt, who is not a great actor, is actually surprisingly effective as a caricature and provides genuine laughs.

When all is said and done at the end of Inglourious Basterds, world history will be rewritten in the halls of a burning cinema, as Tarantino channels his inner voice into Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine who proudly proclaims to the audience, "This might just be my masterpiece." After such shameless grandstanding, does our opinion of Mr. Tarantino or his new movie even matter?

[kaytee]

I am with Fizz on this, a great movie watching experience. Tarantino is back at what he does best, long monologues with taut dialogue and brilliant acting. We should definitely see a Oscar Nom for Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz who plays Col. Landa, not only does he amuse and brings a chuckle everytime he is on screen but he is also menacing which is clearly shown to us from the first scene of the movie.

[spoiler]
I loved the 3 monologues of the movie, the first scene, the scene in the restaurant with the pie and the basement bar scene. For me those were value for money, funny, created tension (I was literally on the edge of my seat with goosebumps) and very Tarantinoisque.[/spoiler]

[fizz]

Basterds was more fun that most movies released this year and not so surprisingly, all of the best scenes feature the cruel, vicious and extremely charismatic character of Landa, who should just be given the Oscar straight away. Walking into the film, knowing very little about the story and even less about him Christopher Waltz as an actor - I was very pleasantly surprised. I think the best chapter is first one. The very opening scene itself is marvelous. A long shot on a farm, Nazi men on bikes in the near distance, and a Spanish spin on Beethoven's Fur Elise, credited to Ennio Morricone, really set the dreadful/playful tone of the film. I think, yes, this is a real return for QT and I haven't enjoyed one of his films this much since Jackie Brown. I think I might go see it again.

[kaytee]

Here is a trailer for Nations Pride

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/QJgAfnmL9Us&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/QJgAfnmL9Us&rel=1</a>

[madali]

Inglourious Basterds (Tarantino, 2009)
IMDB Link

Towards the end of the movie, the top official Nazis are attending a premiere of “National Pride” in occupied Paris, a film within in a film about a German sniper that was responsible for killing hundreds of the enemy soldiers. He has become a celebrity in German and a film was made on him. The scenes of the film we see are nothing more than the sniper shooting the enemies with the German audience cheering and loving it.

Go back to the beginning. Hans, a German official that specializes in locating Jews, is sitting with a French farmer equating German’s feelings towards Jews being the same as man’s feelings towards rats. He mentions that he does not mean the Jews are rats in the negative, propaganda manner, but that German’s dislike Jews to some instinctive, almost irrational feeling and want it to be destroyed. It does not need to be logical. If you are supposed to dislike something, then you can find yourself cheering violence against it, even when you might not be a violent person.

Okay, now time to talk about the secret group of Jewish-Americans in France hunting down Nazis and brutally killing them, the Inglorious Bastards. They are cruel, vicious, brutal, and have no remorse. The audience members, watching this film and viewing the scalping and the murder of prisoners of war, cheers and loves it.

3/5

[shariqq]

lol!!! Great observation dude!

[kaytee]

lol at Mad, only you dude only you can think of that.

[ak]

That's a good observation and insight, Mad. It is a very suitable theory for Americans who are, ironically, the makers and consumers of this film.

Nazis + American Basterds + Violent Cinema = Terrible Irony.

[ozzylogic]

Excellent film, gets a 4/5 because I found it absolutely crazy and fun!

[animatedude]

[kaytee]

Nice, think you guys should just give this to me as the future winner of the Oscars Prediction Contest.

[shariqq]

Lol!! I dare say that you might not be the winner

[ayaa1977]

I finally caught up with Inglourious Basterds and I think it might as well be Tarantino's masterpiece. It is an excellent excellent film. Some part of it are absolutely brilliant, like the first chapter which was really amazing. Those 20 minutes alone were cinema gold. Not since Anton Chigurh have we seen an iconic evil on screen such as Hans Landa, played to a rare perfection by Christoph Waltz. He is a bad guy but from a totally different type, at the heart of it, he is just another bureaucrat who is doing his job and doing real damn good, he is detached from his emotions and with a funny streak, and you would buy into the deal he makes at the end of the film. The Only part that left me with a question mark was when he broke his cool and showed real passion at the end of Diane Kruger's Hammersmark integration scene, and I still can't fathom how I feel about it.

One scene that went for way too long, and that what added to its strength for me, is the scene at the bar. It kept going on and one so we the audience can feel the restlessness and uncomfortable that the players must have felt, so when the scene came out to the showdown at the end, it was such a relief to get it over with. We could finally let out a sigh and breath even after such a bloody outcome.

I really loved all the players especially the German and French cast, Melanie Laurent as Shoshanna was just brilliant, and the scene where Landa integrates her was just a testimony for how great those two are. Throughout the scene she is fighting to maintain her composure, and the moment Landa leaves she broke down, it was just amazing. I also has a theory, I think he knew who she was, being the amazing detective that he is, and I think ordering a glass milk for her is just his way of expressing that, of course we later know about his agenda, and that is why he let her go on with her plan, but that is just a theory.

Brad Pitt was loads of fun, and the only one who I disliked was freakin' Eli Roth who was just bad with the one expression on his face that he had for every freakin' scene, thank God he wasn't there for long.

Bottom-line, a great film that has a repeat viewing value, and if it end up winning the Oscar for Best Picture I would be glad. I can't wait to see it again. 4.5/5

[ak]

I also has a theory, I think he knew who she was, being the amazing detective that he is, and I think ordering a glass milk for her is just his way of expressing that, of course we later know about his agenda, and that is why we he let her go on with her plan, but that is just a theory.

It is a good theory.