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INGLORIOUS BASTERDS |
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Every time I see a Quentin Tarantino film, I wonder what happened to him in Knoxville
that gave him such an...interesting slant on filmmaking. Seriously. His first film "Reservoir Dogs" was about the most normal
of all his films. Then came the outstanding "Pulp Fiction" that breathed new life into John Travolta's career. But did anyone really understand the film? Okay, "Jackie Brown" was very good and pretty straightfoward. But then "Kill Bill Part I & II"
pretty much was way out there! "Sin City" was a blast and then his "Grindhouse" pretty much summed him up. Crackpots, blood, disjointed stories, and
even more blood. Now comes "Inglorious Basterds", Tarantino's take on a non-historic World War II movie. What the hell, the Nazi's were
'out there' why not chop them up! |
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"Inglorious Basterds" is actually two films in one - a Tarantino specialty. It's like he gets bored with one story and has to
add in another for good measure. This time it's about Jewish Nazi killers during the war in occupied France. You're correct if you have realized there were no Jewish Nazi killers in France but that's part of the fun of "Inglorious Basterds".
Tarantino creates his own version of history. The first group is lead by Brad Pitt's character Lt. Aldo Raine - a half Apache Southern American who struts around
with his jaw jutted out like General MacArthur. He has a team of cut throat Jewish assassins that run around killing Nazi commanders. After the kill, they scalp them and
collect their scalps in a strange sort of contest. He tells them at the very beginning they owe him 100 Nazi scalps each. This segment is pretty straightforward if not downright gory. They kill and slice with no mercy. You'll crack up over Pitt's quips like: "We in the Nazi killin' business. And let me tell ya, business is a boomin'!" |
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The other half is a little more involved. It features Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus, the owner of a
move house in Paris. She has come up with a plan to invite all of the German military elite to the theatre for the premier of a German propaganda film. She has
every intention of blowing up the theatre as soon as the Germans settle in. It becomes more interesting when she learns that Hitler will be in the audience. Aldo and Shosanna converge and mayhem breaks loose. "Inglorious Basterds" is broken into five chapters sort of like "Kill Bill". Each chapter switches back and forth between the two conspirators.
It adds a certain balance between Shosanna's more subtle approach and Aldo's slice and dice method. But because of the subtlety of Shosanna's plan, three of the first four chapters are
about her plan. But it works; especially if you are a Tarantino fan. Those who find his work a headache need not apply. "Inglorious Basterds" is over-the-top at the very least. It will not bore you though it may have you momentarily confused. But
everything ultimately comes together - "Resovoir Dogs" style!. Native Americans may be somewhat upset with the depiction of Native Americans as savages... but that's Tarrantino.
Pitt is comical at best as he is the most unconvincing Native you can imagine. You will fall out out your chair laughing when he tries to impersonate an Italian - with a clearly Southern American drawl. But again, somehow it works. Perhaps because we know what an important role
"Inglorious Basterds" is a fun farce. It is not historical but more hysterical! --GEOFFREY BURTON
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