Basterds

Mélanie Laurent at a premiere for Inglourious ...
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A few days ago I watched again Inglourious Basterds.

What a masterpiece of mashup cinema! Only Tarantino is so able of mixing pieces of film history and rearranging them to form a unique tale. That’s it: unique story telling. Through a compelling art and master craft Tarantino builds a very well told story, which is what cinema is almost all about. And he does so with bits and pieces of the films he likes.

So, I was again surprised and amazed at the beauty of the scene in which Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent) kills Frederick, her hopeless pursuer and lead actor of the nazi-propaganda film they are showing at her cinema theatre in Paris. Shosanna, the woman who once, when she was a girl, had escaped from the nazi killings at the beginning of the film, now shoots Frederick. Then there’s this climaxing scene with such rethorical but beautiful music. Like in a Western, a bit slow-motioned Shosanna reaches out -almost to repentantly take care of the man, who then shoots her back in a flashing surprise. No second thoughts are admitted in Tarantino’s cynical world. It’s like this, no objection taken. The rethorics of music superimposed on the rethorics of the war-hero movie being shown, superimposed on the rethorics of Shosanna’s feelings, noble but in a way so predictable, so built-in in the woman, she cannot do anything but fall. Still, she manages to win in the end.

It’s sublime Tarantino!

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About Antonio Vantaggiato

Professor, web2.0 enthusiast, and didactic chef.
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3 Responses to Basterds

  1. antoniovantaggiato says:

    You're so absolutely right. About both things. The first scene is so great, and the language thing, true. Great authors always work many levels at once, this is why we find watching (or reading) again their work so compelling! Au revoir, Shoshanna!

  2. antoniovantaggiato says:

    You're so absolutely right. About both things. The first scene is so great, and the language thing, true. Great authors always work many levels at once, this is why we find watching (or reading) again their work so compelling! Au revoir, Shoshanna!

  3. jimgroom says:

    Funnily enough, I too watched Inglorious Basterds again just a few days ago. And like you, I was taken by Shoshanna. I really love her character, and I particularly love the shit of her in the Red dress at the window superimposed on Julie Christie from the movie poster of Doctor Zhivago, she is in the same thoughtful position, and the subtle homage is gorgeous. And I also like the over-the-top homage as well, but sometimes people forget he is always working on both levels.

    And after this time through I find my self yelling “Au revoir, Shoshanna” again and again at odd moments. That opening scene is really a work of art in every possible sense: cinema, literature, music (Morricone!) acting, you name it.


    “Au revoir, Shoshanna!”

    Another note, and you may have just inspired a post, this movie is all about language. I mean all his films are, but this one takes it to the next level by having at least three languages going at any given time, and sometimes four.

    Amazing, gotta be one of the best films of the last 20 or 30 years that I have seen. I liked Inception well enough, but it's no Inglorious Basterds.

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