Siena Fam
4/29/2020
LTGR – 270
Video Essay Outline
Slide 1: Intro:
Quentin Tarrantino uses his film, Inglorious Basterds, to critique America’s appropriation of Holocaust memory. The silenced American histories such as the genocide of Native Americans, the enslavement of African Americans, and the oppression of Jewish Americans have been displaced by an increasing Holocaust commemoration in the United States. This film uses a wide array of characters to represent different groups that have been discriminated against throughout history in order to rewrite historical events in a way that gives triumph and an alternate ending to oppressed populations both in Germany during WWII and historically in the United States.
Throughout this essay I will highlight six scenes that exemplified the intertwined and silenced histories exemplified within the characters that pertain to both German and American history.
Slide 2: Scene 1 – 21:21 – 24:12 – Lineup
The first scene shows Aldo Raine “Aldo the Apache”, “putting together a special team” of 8 Jewish American soldiers. He explains his argument that all Nazi’s must die, no Nazi is a good Nazi, “Nazi ain’t got no humanity. They’re the foot soldiers of a Jew-hating, mass-murdering maniac, and they need to be destroyed. That’s why any and every son of a bitch we find wearing a Nazi uniform, they’re gonna die”. He presents the comparison to Native American genocide and is using the victimization of the Native Americans to help them fight for Jewish liberation by using Native American resistance methods, “I am the direct descendant of the mountain man Jim Bridger. That means I got a little Indian in me. Our battle plan will be that of an Apache resistance.” References scalping of Native Americans in the Southeast to achieve the status of warrior and to appease the spirits of the dead. In turn, the whites would also practice scalping in response to Native American scalping and voices that, “When you join my command, you take on debit. That debit you owe me…personally. Each and every man under my command owes me 100 Nazi scalps…”. The use of Jewish American soldiers in the Basterds and the references to the victimization of Native Americans, an “Apache resistance”, and scalping is significant because it rewrites history to be in favor of those that were taken advantage of.
There is a personal aspect to the group, Aldo Raine is Native American and is avenging the genocide against them. The Basterds is a group of Jewish American soldiers who are fighting to avenge the hate and the stigmatization of their religion.
Camera angle –> The camera in these scene first is angled looking down at the group, with Aldo Raine entering from the right, the camera then moves in front of Aldo as he announces his intentions and introduces himself, the camera moves with Aldo from behind the soldiers and visualizes the significance and power Aldo Raine will hold within the film. The camera continues to switch between being behind the soldiers and behind Aldo as he is addressing them. As Aldo continues his speech about how the Germans will know the, they will talk about them, and they will fear them, you can see the soldiers and especially Donny Donowitz (Bear Jew), getting excited or rather amped up to begin their mission to kill Nazi’s. Tarantino shot on film to create an older medium of cinema relevant to the time period of the film, the colors are gray and dark because the subject of the film and this scene are dark and violent, about death and genocide.
Slide 3: Scene 2 – 26:27 – 38:00 – Woods
This is where we are first presented with the imagery of scalping, with the Basterds surrounding 3 remaining Nazi soldiers left, set in the woods in a large ditch. The imagery lets the viewer know that these 3 soldiers have no way out, the Basterds show no mercy. Aldo calls for the Nazi Sergeant to approach him, and the camera shows him walk in slo motion and looking around to show the surrounding Basterds and to create his feeling of despair. The Sergeant salutes Hitler before Aldo tells him to sit down. Aldo introduces Huge Stiglitz and the scene cuts, to return to Aldo saying, “Can I assume you know who we are.”- Sergeant – “You’re Aldo the Apache.” Raine tells the Sergeant, “Whether you leave this ditch alive is entirely on you…”. The location of a ditch is significant and ironic because it is historically where victims of genocide are left. Aldo asks the Sergeant for the location of another group of Nazi soldiers in an Orchard down the road, the Sergeant refuses. This is when Aldo Raine introduces Donny Donowitz, the “Bear Jew”. Aldo asks if the Sergeant knows who he is and the Sergeant responds, “He beats German soldiers with a club.” – Aldo – “He bashes their brains in with a baseball bat…”. Since the Sergeant refused to divulge information of Germans in an Orchard, Aldo calls the Bear Jew. The camera and imagery of this scene is shown going back and forth between the Sergeants face, the tunnel, Aldo, and the other two German soldiers. There is a knocking from the Bear Jew in the tunnel and his bat, creating suspense. The music played is godly yet dark and intimidating but as the Bear Jew emerges from the tunnel, war music plays. After the Bear Jew beats the Sergeant to death he starts cheering, as he’s stepping over the Sergeants body, “Teddy Fucking Williams knocks it out of the park! Fenway Park is on its feet for Teddy Fucking Ballgame! He went yard on that one! On to Lansdowne Street!”. This brings the American history of baseball, the German thought it was just a club but Aldo corrects him and says it is a baseball bat. The Bear Jews victory speech is referencing Boston baseball, this is significant because the northern United States is were slavery was first abolished and is a more progressive place on human rights historically in the US. After the Bear Jew beats the Sergeant, one of the Basterds shoots one of the soldiers and the last one remaining tells the Basterds the position of the other Nazi troop, how many there are, and the artillery they are carrying in order to save himself from being killed. The scene cuts to the survivor talking to Hitler who asks him if they marked him as they did the other survivors and the soldier says “yes”, the scene then cuts back to the woods where Aldo is talking to survivor about what he will do with his uniform, he says he will burn it, but that doesn’t bode well for the Basterds which is why they brand him with a Swastika. This branding is foreshadowing to the last scene with Hans Landa and Aldo Raine because we see Donny telling Aldo that he’s getting pretty good at that. Aldo confirms that, saying that it’s just practice.
Slide 4: Scene 3 – 56:12 – 59:45 – Hans Landa & Shosanna “Emmanuelle” meet again
This scene takes place during the lunch regarding moving the Nazi premier to Shosanna’s theater. He is talking about how the black man who works at the theater will not be able to operate the projector because the Reich Minister, “…wouldn’t want the success or failure of his illustrious evening dependent on the prowess of a n****…”, he says if the event is to be held at her theater, he will have to have nothing to do with it. Shosanna “Emmanuelle” and her black husband, Marcel, are reminiscent of the racism and discrimination that related to slavery and segregation in the United States and Nazi Germany that are still prevalent today. It is ironic because in the end Marcel gets the last say because he is the one who lights the cigarette and burns down the theater. Another significance to this scene is that Hans Landa orders milk and crème during their conversation at lunch. The imagery when the crème comes and the camera switches from the spoon scooping to the plate, spoon scooping to the plate, reminds the audience of the first scene and how Hans Landa killed Shosanna’s family on the dairy farm and that she is Jewish hiding from the Nazis yet is brought into business with them.
Slide 5: Scene 4 – 1:25:00 – 1:27:10 – Operation Kino, in the basement with unexpected Major playing game
During Operation Kino three of the Basterds are undercover as Nazi’s with Bridget Von Hammersmark in the basement tavern and they are unexpectedly accompanied by a Nazi Major in the bar, they begin playing a game like Heads Up. The Major is ironically King Kong, his guessing game resembles both the story of King Kong and American slavery, “So… my native land is the jungle, I visited America, but my visit was not fortuitous for me, but the implication is that it was for somebody else. When I went from the jungle to America, did I go by boat?” – “Yes” – “Did I go against my will?” – “Yeah” – “On this boat ride, was I in chains?” – “Yeah” – “When I arrived in America, was I displayed in chains?” – “Yes” – “Am I the story of n**** in America?” – “No” – “Well, then, I must be King Kong.” – “Yes!”. This scene is significant because the story of King Kong is based on that of American slavery.
Slide 6: Scene 5 – 2:23:20 – 2:23:52 – Shosanna’s film message during premier
Shosanna’s “message to Germany” during the Nazi premier presents the significance of point of view to the film, the point of view of Shosanna’s face above the Nazi’s, stealing their power, and reversing the premier’s efforts in propaganda. The imagery of Shosanna’s giant face on the screen before the theater is burned down shows the extent of revenge deserved for the Jewish people. This was Shosanna, a Jewish women’s plan, and Marcel, a black man, is the one who threw the cigarette that caused the fire. This offers an alternate ending to avenge racism, genocide, and discrimination against Jewish and African populations who were discriminated against in both the US and Germany. Having Shosanna’s face on the big screen gives her the power of propaganda rather than the Nazi film that was premiering. When Marcel throws the cigarette, the slow motion imagery of the cigarette flying is heart stopping, because the viewer knows that if this were to happen in real life the war would have ended. This scene shows the effort Tarantino makes in trying to give an alternate ending to populations victimized both in WWII and Nazi Germany but in US history as well.
Slide 7: Scene 6 – 2:27:00 – 2:29:37 – last scene with Hans Landa, Hermann, Aldo Raine, and Utivich in woods
When Landa officially surrenders to Raine, Utivich puts Landa in handcuffs and Raine shoots Hermann, who Utivich then scalps. Raine explains he is the only one his superiors need and tells him he made a good deal to end the war and that he layed out a pretty good life for himself post-war in the US. Raine’s little speech about how well Landa has layed out a life for himself post-war and that he understands that one day Landa will be taking off his SS uniform. Taking off his SS uniform will allow him to dissolve back in to society, silencing his history as a ruthless SS officer. This is when and why Raine brands Landa with a Swastika, and remarks to Utivich, “This might just be my masterpiece.” The last camera angle is facing up at Utivich and Raine, promoting the importance of point of view and showing how the Jewish, American, Native American, and African populations came out on top and were avenged with this last scene. The scene is again, giving ethnicities who were taken advantage of a fantasy of coming out on top. This scene reverses the roles between enemy and victim. The camera in this scene focuses strictly on the characters left, because the war is over the last thing to address is Hans Landa. Before when the Basterds branded someone they didn’t show it, but they show Raine branding Landa, signifying the reversal of roles. The last angle faces up at Utivich and Raine, showing them on top. This is where Raine says that this just might be his masterpiece, coming full circle to the scene in the woods where we are first introduced to Aldo’s practicing of branding.
Slide 8: Conclusion
Through Tarrantino’s revision of historical events he promotes recognition to America’s reluctance of confronting its past of the genocide of Native Americans, the enslavement of African Americans, and the oppression of Jewish Americans. He utilizes Americas Holocaust commemoration by exploiting Americas own violent history through the characters in the film and how each of them contribute a story or plot to rewriting history to avenge racism, genocide, and discrimination seen in silenced American and German histories. The film offers oppressed populations a chance to reverse roles between enemy and victim.
