Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds - Film
Brad Pitt Stars in Splendidly Brutal Revenge-Fantasy Set During WWII
Aug 21, 2009
Immediately the tone of the film is set by its Spaghetti-western styling, complete with dramatic music score and cinematic pacing. The thoroughly engrossing Inglourious Basterds storyline is divided into multiple chapters, starting with Chapter One: Once Upon A Time In Nazi-Occupied France.
Contemptible Half-Breeds Vs. The Third Reich
The scene opens in the bucolic French countryside. A dairy farm is visited by a Third Reich officer, Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Renown as The Jew Hunter, the colonel cordially interrogates the equally-genial, but careful French farmer about his missing neighbors, a Jewish family.
Landa explains to the dairy farmer that he possesses the ability to think like Jews, who he akins to rodents. While, ultimately, the resolute Frenchman is broken by the intimidating Nazi, a sole family member of the hiding fugitives manages to escape.
These following chapters consists of the exploits of the Inglourious Basterds, and a plot to slaughter top-ranking Nazis, by a women who owns a movie theater.
The Inglourious Basterds is a secret squad led by a former moon-shiner from Tennessee, Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), and his team, comprised of Jewish-American soldiers. Raine, and his militia, terrorizes the Nazi army by scalping their captives, save one, which Raine personally brands scarlet letter-style.
The Schemers and Plotters of Inglourious Basterds
Pitt is a delight to watch and listen to in every scene as the Apache-blooded OSS team leader. Aside from Pitt, Inglourious Basterds is intriguingly cast with a young horror director and, mainly with little-known, but talented ensemble of European actors.
Eli Roth, an indie producing director best known for Cabin Fever and his Hostel torture series, plays Basterd member Sgt. Donowitz AKA the baseball bat-swinging Bear Jew. As an aspiring producer/director, Roth took many minor parts and stand-in opportunities so he could study how directors work with actors. Roth, in his first principal acting role, has a stand-out violent scene that surely will forever memorialize him on film.
But, the film's most impressive performer is Christoph Waltz. Waltz, an awarding-winning German TV actor, portrays the clever Sherlock Holmes-type Nazi detective. Also noteworthy are Melanie Laurent as an escaped Jew hiding in plain sight, Daniel Brühl as a young, harassing Nazi war hero, and Diana Kruger as a beloved German movie star and double agent.
Cast and Crew of Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds stars Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Brühl and Til Schweiger; with a special appearance by Mike Myers as a British general.
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Cinematography by Robert Richardson. Edited by Sally Menke. Production designed by David Wasco. Art direction supervised by Sebastian T. Krawinkel. Costumes designed by Anna B. Sheppard.
Produced by Lawrence Bender. Executive producers are Lloyd Phillips, Erica Steinberg, Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein. U.S. distribution by The Weinstein Company.
(Running Time: 153 min)
(Rated: R, for Strong Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Sexuality.)
(Language: English,German, Italian, French and some English subtitles)
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