<p>I saw Inglourious Basterds tonight and it far exceeded my expectations and I found that I disagreed with some of the issues brought up by film critics. </p>
<p>I thought, based on what I read, that it would be a purely revenge fantasy playing out, but that’s not how I experienced it. While there was an element of revenge, there was also the element of “what if you could have stopped Hitler and it involved murder – would you do it” theme that I found intriguing. Was what she planned really morally wrong or did it have the potential to save untold lives? What about what Brad Pitt’s character planned? Of course, she had revenge as part of her motive, but the opportunity fell into her lap – she didn’t go looking for it. Would it even have been moral for her to have done less? Could she have done it with a purer heart - sure. But would it have been a greater crime to have let them come and then leave?</p>
<p>The acting was really great. The guy who played Hans was riveting and scary. There was an unrelenting tension that did not let up for the entire film. That first scene was chilling. I kept wondering why they switched to English – thinking it a cheap way to make it easier for the audience to understand, but then the motive was revealed and it made it so much more intense. The scene where she has strudel with Hans was harrowing, the scene in the tavern excruciating as it took so long to play out and that shoe scene was so well done. I’m not a huge QT fan and I turned away for all of the graphic violence in this movie, but I thought it was really a great film.</p>
<p>I also found this movie to be very absorbing, and there was absolute quiet in the theater while the movie played. Christoph Waltz was simply amazing as Colonel Landa. </p>
<p>I am also not a fan of QT, except that I love his choice of music used in his movies. I only went to see this one because everyone else in the fam was going. But I am glad I did.</p>
<p>I LOVED this movie.
I can just imagine Q Tarantino pitching this movie to Harvey Weinstein.
"thats right…Im going to kill Hitler in my movie. Not only am I killing him in my film. Im going to kill him in a movie theatre WITH FILM. " heheheh</p>
<p>And so many great allusions and tributes to WWII films of the fifties and sixties!</p>
<p>Thoroughly enjoyed the Kill Bill movies and Pulp Fiction. But I couldn’t quite make the leap into QT’s crazy world with Inglourious Basterds. Oh, I enjoyed the great dialogue, the sheer hutzpah, the very good acting, the movie references, the fun music and cinematic excitement of it all. But for me, the very unfunny reality of WW2 kept intruding on this rollicking fantasy. Psychotic Germans really did hunt Jews, rather successfully; Hitler and his closest cronies didn’t die at the hands of revengeful Jewish killers but by their own hand, in hiding, and rather quickly and painlessly; the OSS, if it hunted for German officers at all, probably wasn’t doing it to kill or to brand/punish-for-life, but more likely to offer safety and cushy jobs in the States in exchange for military/technical/science expertise. Maybe I’m too old, and my personal life history too closely and directly affected by WW2. In the end, deep down, this movie churned my stomach a bit, and it had really nothing to do with the bloodshed on screen.</p>
<p>kATALIA-- I think most of the negative reviews were also from your point of view. My caveat to friends who haven’t seen the movie is that if you can’t let go of real history for a few hours, then there is no way you are going to be able to enjoy this revenge fantasy. After all, he does begin the film with “Once upon a time…”.</p>
<p>HATED PULP FICTION!! absolutely LOVED INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS!! Great acting, etc…</p>
<p>Totally agree with everything said in posts #1-3… and I am a Holocaust/History teacher…“Once Upon a Time” was a great way to begin and set the stage…</p>
<p>I actually saw the movie a second time yesterday with my husband and one of my sons, after having seen it alone. I realized I missed a couple of key things the first time around. I had been prepared to dislike the movie the first time I saw it. I saw it because I had some time to pass waiting for one of my kids, and it was the only movie playing in an old-fashioned single movie theater nearby. Anyhow, I was prepared to dislike it because of the reviews I read and the points that katliamom makes. I’m Jewish and my own family history is very directly impacted by the events of World War II. But I really liked it. As my son pointed out, it was a Holocaust movie that conveyed he awfulness of the Holocaust without ever so much as mentioning a gas chamber. The first scene was enough to know that awful things were being done to Jews. There was an element of “rolicking fantasy” in the scenes with Brad Pitt, that is true, but it was very clear, all the way through the movie, who the bad guys were. The movie reminded me of Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America” which takes history in a different direction when an anti-Semite becomes President of the U.S. as Hitler is rising. It’s a thought-provoking premise to change history in a book or movie. I know this film is not for everyone. I realize some people need the horrors of WW II to only be portrayed very grimly but I did not feel it minimized the awfulness of the War. It just chose to focus on a very specific angle in a fantasy scenario. I</p>
<p>"It’s a thought-provoking premise to change history in a book or movie. "</p>
<p>EXCELLENT POINT. Inglorious Basterds is about art, power, and artists (directors to be specific). Film is more than a subtext here.
Why does Tarantino kill Hitler in his movie? BECAUSE HE CAN. Some times the reality of art is all that’s left to us. I found that strangely moving.</p>
<p><em>SPOILER ALERT</em>
mimk6, I agree that Tarantino conveyed the holocaust very effectively in IG. That opening scene with the farmer and Landa was stunning. And later in the movie, Shoshanna eating strudel with Landa: supremely tense. </p>
<p>musicamusica,
“Why does Tarantino kill Hitler in his movie? BECAUSE HE CAN. Some times the reality of art is all that’s left to us. I found that strangely moving.” – nicely put.</p>