Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discussion

[Trekker4747]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

I have no major issue with violence in films, but the scalping and swastika cutting was unnecessary, at the very least the film loses nothing from doing it off camera. Similarly Eli Roth beating that German soldier to death with a baseball bat. Just nasty, especially when the guy seemed like an honourable soldier

These parts worked for me.

1. The scalping: It was done becaust the Basterds were supposed to be this inhuman force working through Europe to put fear into the Nazis' hearts. What better way to give them that fear than to scalp their bodies and what even more glorious way to make that poetic than to make his team a bunch of Jewish kids?

2. The swastika cutting. Necessary. As Pitt said, he wanted everyone to know their released soldiers were Nazis when they re-enteted private life. They're Nazis. I've no sympathies.

3. Beating the German soldier/commander to death? So what. Yeah he was an honorable German soldier but he was still a man part of a military going around capturing, killing and imprisoning people because of their religion. He was a Nazi. Beating him to death with a bat is too good for him.

 

[Starkers]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

I have no major issue with violence in films, but the scalping and swastika cutting was unnecessary, at the very least the film loses nothing from doing it off camera. Similarly Eli Roth beating that German soldier to death with a baseball bat. Just nasty, especially when the guy seemed like an honourable soldier

These parts worked for me.

1. The scalping: It was done becaust the Basterds were supposed to be this inhuman force working through Europe to put fear into the Nazis' hearts. What better way to give them that fear than to scalp their bodies and what even more glorious way to make that poetic than to make his team a bunch of Jewish kids?

2. The swastika cutting. Necessary. As Pitt said, he wanted everyone to know their released soldiers were Nazis when they re-enteted private life. They're Nazis. I've no sympathies.

3. Beating the German soldier/commander to death? So what. Yeah he was an honorable German soldier but he was still a man part of a military going around capturing, killing and imprisoning people because of their religion. He was a Nazi. Beating him to death with a bat is too good for him.

See that's the other thing that was so worrying about the film, the notion that all Germans were Nazis. That's about as factually accurate as calling all Americans Republican!

As I know one reviewer said, essentially Tarantino turned the Jews into characters no better than the Nazis. The bullied becoming the bully. Hell maybe it was a subtle dig at Israel...

And it would have been nice to have seen more of this swathe of destruction the basterds caused--seriously I have a hard time figuring how a bunch of such incompetant idiots could remain at large for more than a few days...especially with men like Landa around.

 

[Lindley]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

Saw the film yesterday. Entertaining.

See that's the other thing that was so worrying about the film, the notion that all Germans were Nazis.

I didn't see that. But the movie was set in France----not going to be a lot of Germans around who aren't soldiers. (There was the actress.)

And it would have been nice to have seen more of this swathe of destruction the basterds caused

Agreed, that aspect of the story was too much tell, not enough show. Still, the thing was 3 hours long as it was.....

All the parts played by actors of the correct nationality and all the French and German is subtitled.

Except, apparently, the name "King Kong". Didn't get a close enough look at the other cards to see if they were in German or not.

 

[Kelso]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

I believe that King Kong was still called "King Kong" in Germany... as indicated by this poster.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Trekker4747]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

It was odd to me that in the opening scene when they're speaking French that the subitiles subtitled the characters saying "Oui." as "Oui."

That just seemed... goofy.

 

[Tomato]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

I fell asleep during the first half. I guess that explains what I thought of the movie.

 

[Starkers]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

Saw the film yesterday. Entertaining.

See that's the other thing that was so worrying about the film, the notion that all Germans were Nazis.

I didn't see that. But the movie was set in France----not going to be a lot of Germans around who aren't soldiers. (There was the actress.)

Well the point is that not every German soldier was a Nazi, as I say it'd be like suggesting every American soldier in Vietnam was a democrat. Plenty of civillians would have been members of the Party but plenty of soldiers wouldn't have been--thats my understanding anyway.

Remember, using the Basterds definition of a Nazi, the current Pope would have a swastika carved on his forehead

Want to kill German soldiers in combat, fine, want to scalp them after they die, fine...but beating to death an unarmed man on his knees who was just doing his duty as a soldier left a poor taste in my mouth and made the Bastereds no better than true Nazis. I've overanalysing entertainment I know, but that scene just didn't sit right with me.

 

[Deckerd]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

See that's the other thing that was so worrying about the film, the notion that all Germans were Nazis. That's about as factually accurate as calling all Americans Republican!

And that's the only non-historical quibble you have?

 

[Starkers]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

See that's the other thing that was so worrying about the film, the notion that all Germans were Nazis. That's about as factually accurate as calling all Americans Republican!

And that's the only non-historical quibble you have?

Well the rest of it seemed pretty accurate...Hitler was killed in 1944 by a torture porn director right?

 

[Deckerd]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

As Pingfah said on another thread, some kids will think this is how it all went down.

Thas it the sound of inevitability as someone once said.

 

[Lindley]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

Well the point is that not every German soldier was a Nazi, as I say it'd be like suggesting every American soldier in Vietnam was a democrat. Plenty of civillians would have been members of the Party but plenty of soldiers wouldn't have been--thats my understanding anyway.

I see your point, but I'm not sure I agree with it. In war there are never clear-cut "good guys" and "bad guys", but WW2 came closer to that than most. Anyone who fought on the German side deserves some share of the blame for the actions of the Reich. Not an equal share, but some. I have no problem with them marking any soldier they chose to release.

Beating the unarmed man was more questionable, but I can understand why they did so. First, they needed information. Second, their objective was to create terror. Beating him to death served both of those goals. It may not have been the best way to serve them, and I'm not sure I agree with it; but I do understand it.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

As Pingfah said on another thread, some kids will think this is how it all went down.

Thas it the sound of inevitability as someone once said.

It's the True! Secret history, I tells ya. And Winston Churchill was an American GI just like in that documentary Churchill The Hollywood Years.

 

[davejames]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

Beating the unarmed man was more questionable, but I can understand why they did so. First, they needed information. Second, their objective was to create terror. Beating him to death served both of those goals. It may not have been the best way to serve them, and I'm not sure I agree with it; but I do understand it.

Actually I thought it was a really nice touch that Tarantino made that soldier as honorable as he did. He could have easily made him into some sadistic, cartoonish monster, but instead he went for something that makes the killing feel a lot more real and hard to watch-- and makes the Basterds look a little less noble in the process. Kind of a brave choice if you ask me.

Hell, next to the french farmer in the beginning, that Nazi soldier might just be one of the most sympathetic characters in the entire movie! lol

 

[Tomato]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

Well the point is that not every German soldier was a Nazi, as I say it'd be like suggesting every American soldier in Vietnam was a democrat. Plenty of civillians would have been members of the Party but plenty of soldiers wouldn't have been--thats my understanding anyway.

I see your point, but I'm not sure I agree with it. In war there are never clear-cut "good guys" and "bad guys", but WW2 came closer to that than most. Anyone who fought on the German side deserves some share of the blame for the actions of the Reich. Not an equal share, but some. I have no problem with them marking any soldier they chose to release.

I don't know about that. They had conscription so it wasn't like they could decline to fight. The Wermacht <--sp?? wasn't the main driver for the atrocities it was mainly the SS.

An 16 Nazi Youth soldier isn't as responsible as a 32 year old SS officer.

 

[Lindley]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

I don't remember. Was that boy an officer or an enlisted man? I don't think conscripts would be officers in many cases.

 

[Trekker4747]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

I don't remember. Was that boy an officer or an enlisted man? I don't think conscripts would be officers in many cases.

I believe the boy was enlisted I think some leeway should've been given on "branding" him.

 

[Starkers]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

Seriously what does rank have to do with it? By that token a Captain who sees no action and sits behind a desk in Paris is more guilty than a private operating the Zyklon gas chambers?

I guess it makes it easier to think of the Germans as all being evil Nazis, when in actually the majority of them were ordinary men who either signed up to their nation's armed forces or were conscripted. That's what makes what happened in Germany in the 1930s & 40s so truly terrifying. Aside from the obvious exceptions, the majority, even working in the camps, weren't phycotic killers, they were people just like us. And if they could do what they did, would we under similar circumstances?

If you think by 1944 any German had much of a choice about what they did then I'd like to hear what the alternative was?

The one good thing about the baseball bat scene is that at least it shows me I haven't become so desinsitised to film violence that things like that don't bother me anymore, and I'm quite glab about that.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

Seriously what does rank have to do with it? By that token a Captain who sees no action and sits behind a desk in Paris is more guilty than a private operating the Zyklon gas chambers?

I guess it makes it easier to think of the Germans as all being evil Nazis, when in actually the majority of them were ordinary men who either signed up to their nation's armed forces or were conscripted. That's what makes what happened in Germany in the 1930s & 40s so truly terrifying. Aside from the obvious exceptions, the majority, even working in the camps, weren't phycotic killers, they were people just like us. And if they could do what they did, would we under similar circumstances?

If you think by 1944 any German had much of a choice about what they did then I'd like to hear what the alternative was?

The one good thing about the baseball bat scene is that at least it shows me I haven't become so desinsitised to film violence that things like that don't bother me anymore, and I'm quite glab about that.

Thing is, I have no doubt our side could be as brutal as their side, and a lot of people in the fight wouldn't have made the distinction between Nazi/sympathisers and people there against their will or truly believing they were fighting for their country.

Also there's the fact that most people will do anything an authority figure tells them to do, even if they think they shouldn't be doing it.

 

[Starkers]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

^There's the fear element as well. Say the wrong thing to the wrong person in Berlin and you'll be getting the late night knock on the door. It's amazing, given what Nazi Germany was like, that there were actually still decent people plotting and fighting against Hitler.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Re: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt) Grading/Discus

^There's the fear element as well. Say the wrong thing to the wrong person in Berlin and you'll be getting the late night knock on the door. It's amazing, given what Nazi Germany was like, that there were actually still decent people plotting and fighting against Hitler.

Which is why I have no problem with the fact American soldiers were being "as bad" as Nazi's, because I do/can believe that in war people do act in terrible ways because they demonise the other side in order to do their jobs, and in some cases they are just psychos in the first place.
Just look at some of the terrible things done in the name of "The war on terror" by "the good guys".