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Tag Archives: Inglorious Basterds
What An Inglorious Basterd
Blog Post #4
Personally, I enjoyed how Tarantino made a film set in WWII concerning the Holocaust but also managed to subtly tie in aspects/nods to the history of American slavery and the genocide of the Native Americans. There are multiple characters/scenes in the film that draw audience’s attention to our own country’s shame, while largely watching a movie about European atrocities (see the game from the tavern scene). While Tarantino does his best to draw our attention to our own country’s horrible past, I thought it would be comedic to draw attention to how lazily he seems to do it. As per usual it seems whitewashing, or just general ignorance, has found its way into a Hollywood movie, even a great film touching on a number of controversial subjects such as this. Basically, to sum it up, it feels like Tarantino is trying to “represent” a number of minority groups in this movie, but does so by casting a white guy as the only Native American character, and only casting two black actors (one who literally has a single scene of narration talking about a white guy, and the other has a good bit of screen time but ultimately burns alive). I just thought it would be great to make a meme praising Tarantino for the thought involved but also kind of shaming him for being lazy on the literal representation.
Irony in Inglorious Basterds
Despite the Inglorious Basterds being an empowering group of mainly Jewish Soldiers fighting Nazi’s, the fact that Brad Pitt is not Jewish and leads these men is a bit ironic since Tarantino gave Jewish soldiers only so much agency. The idea of a “Bear Jew” bludgeoning Nazi’s with a baseball is epic. An american emblem killing a soldier who represents the exact opposite of American ideologies… or does he? Scalping Nazi’s grants the soldiers the retribution they deserve while referencing the atrocities the American people and government have subjected Indigenous people to. Even though Brad Pitt’s character claims Native American ancestry I’m calling an Elizabeth Warren. Because even if his character is, Brad Pitt himself is not Indigenous so his character isn’t.
Scalps Scalps Scalps!
The still shows Monsieur LaPadite crying as he just gave up the hiding spots for the Jewish citizens to Hans Landa. This is an important scene because it shows the ruthlessness of the Nazi regime and how they seem to lack morals and ethics for other human rights. The caption, ‘When you don’t get 100 scalps for Lt. Aldo Raine,’ is important as it is a reference to Lt. Aldo Raine and his team of renegade Americans in the hunt for Nazi militia. Lt. Aldo Raine informs his men that they must get 100 Nazi scalps by the time they are done fighting.
Hugo Stiglitz has Fans
During the flashback where the Basterds break Hugo Stiglitz out of prison, they introduce themselves as his fans. One can not help but laugh at such a playful set of words, given the setting and context of the scene. The Americans know and remember him as a celebrity, given that “everybody in the German army has heard of Hugo Stiglitz.” However, Stiglitz’s status as a celebrity to them is like calling him an artist, actor, or performer of anything much more commonplace than Nazi-killing. Teh above meme is made with a humorous imagination of what Hugo’s equally humble reaction could be. After all, his character is quiet and does not tend to do much, save for contributing to the more violent scenes of the film. He likely would consider his deeds a personal hobby, but in a much more laid-back honesty compared to his heralded remembrance by the other characters in the film.
Inescapable Pasts
I chose to use this scene to make a meme of because it shows the reverse of roles, power, and memory at the end of the war. I wrote, “You can take the Nazi out of Germany but you can’t take the Swastika off his forehead”, because this is the scene where Hans Landa is surrendering to Aldo Raine. He says he will give up information and help them end the war as long as he is pardoned for his crimes and free to flee to Nantucket. The symbolism of the Swastika, the Inglorious Basterds, and the mentions of the “Bear Jew” throughout the movie all represent communicative memory. In the film, Aldo Raine knows that as soon as the war is over Nazi’s who have not been caught or killed will be able to shed their uniforms and dissolve back into society. This is exactly what Hans Landas plans to do when he arrives in Nantucket. When the Basterds catch Nazi’s they have two choices; refuse to give up information and be killed or give up information and become branded forever. The symbolism of carving Swastika’s on foreheads in the film represents the Nazi’s betrayal to their party but also leaves them with something to remind them everyday of the horrors they inflicted on others.