The film Inglourious Basterds is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Quentin Tarantino definitely captured me as an audience member; he is without a doubt a very clever director. Having taken a film class prior to Elements of Screen Art, I was able to appreciate the film in a way wouldn’t think I would be able to. The camera angles, the properties used in each scene such as the iconic symbols/artifacts/items used in the film added to the overall impact.
I would like to put a sizeable amount of emphasis on the iconic symbols used.
First, the pipes. The pipes in the scene where Hans Landa was conversing with Perrier LaPadite, although quite humorous, was without a doubt a phallic symbol. It carried the notion of “mine-is-bigger-so-Im-better”. At this point we see LaPadite withdraw his pipe in shame.
The other iconic symbol I found most interesting was the baseball bat. The way I see things, there is only one more thing that is more American than a Ford Mustang, and that is baseball. Baseball is America’s past time. There is nothing else that can refer to baseball other than the bat. Sure we can think of the baseball glove or a ball, but those can’t be used to kill a Nazi soldier. This brings me to my next point. Seeing a Nazi being beat over the head with something so American in that post-ambush scene signifies and emphasizes the Basterds’ power in that situation.
The next symbol of interest was Adolf Hitler’s cape in his introductory scene. Why is this interesting? One, we associate capes with superheroes; more often than not, it’s Superman. Two, Hitler considered himself and Übermensch, when translated into English means Superhuman. Nietzsche who believed that there are humans that are superior to others coined the term Übermensch. For Tarantino to wrap Hitler in that cape was clever of him. It is very nice to know that a director who tackles films involving historical events and personalities knows his material very well.
The last symbol I want to talk about is the number 3, particularly the sign of the number 3 made with the fingers. This was a game changer! I was able to watch an interview with Tarantino regarding this scene. Tarantino mentioned in an interview with MTV that he had a German woman working on set who read the script who then went to her American husband and asked him to make the symbol of 3 with his hand to prove if this was true. She was shocked to find out that it was true. Here is the link if anyone would like to see the video: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1619361/inglourious-basterds-five-things-should-know.jhtml
Overall, I thought the film was very well planned, written and thought through. It made a fan boy out of me. Just to add, Christoph Waltz’ (Hans Landa) performance was absolutely amazing! Tarantino has been a great director and this film is definitely a must watch for any of his fans. I know that I don’t get sick watching this film and I hope no one else does as well.
OOH, THAT'S A BINGO! 