Okay, I have to be honest here . . . to the best of my memory, this is the first Quentin Tarantino movie I’ve ever seen. I did see that episode of C.S.I. he directed, but have never seen any of his movies. Based on what little I know about his movies, I have to say that I doubt I’d like many of his movies. I LOVED Inglourious Basterds though!
Initially, I didn’t want to see this movie. My ethnic background is German, but I doubt that had much to do with not wanting to see the movie. I like Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger, but not enough to make me feel like I HAD to see the movie. I also really, really find the spelling mistakes in the title of the movie to be super-irritating. Like so irritating that I would have continued to stand on principle alone and not seen the movie. Honestly, I saw it only because a friend at work saw it and loved it so much that she saw it twice. That told me it had to be good, and since she recommended District 9 to me, and I ended up loving that too, I decided to check it out.
The movie, for those who don’t know, tells the intersecting stories of several different people in Nazi-occupied France during WWII. The movie tells these stories in a series of chapters, each one revealing more of the connections between the characters. The movie is violent, and takes great pleasure in its violence. Aside from the first 20 or so minutes, the movie is fast-paced and makes no apologies for its in-you-face-ness. The actors and actresses are clearly enjoying themselves, and it comes through in their performances.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the movie for me was listening to the different languages. There’s of course a lot of French and German spoken, along with English, and some Italian. As I mentioned earlier, my heritage is German, however I don’t really speak any German (after 3 years of Saturday German school that I had to be dragged to, kicking and screaming, but that’s a different story). I don’t even care for the SOUND of German, usually. But listening to the German in the film was a pleasant surprise for me because I ENJOYED it, and I found that I did understand more than I thought I would. Having taken French all through high school, I expected to enjoy listening to it being spoken, and wasn’t let down at all.
I found that all the actors and actresses in the movie did a great job. Brad Pitt, last seen in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, follows up the role of Benjamin Button with another truly memorable character – Lt. Aldo Raine. The man is handy with a knife and he isn’t shy about showing off those skills!
Diane Kruger, playing a German actress by the name of Bridget von Hammersmark, owns the role! Being German herself, it was a great pleasure listening to her speak her native tongue and hold her own with the men. This character, compared to her character in the National Treasure movies, is way more interesting and well-utilized.
Melanie Laurent, as the young Jewish woman Shosanna Dreyfus, was a revelation. She was captivating to watch, and I found myself cheering for her at every turn. I couldn’t help but think that I recongized her from somewhere, but after reading over her credits on imdb, I can’t say I’ve ever seen her in a movie before. I hope, after seeing her performance in this movie, that I see more of her in the future!
Finally, I have to mention the actor who played the character Col. Hans Landa. Before seeing the movie, I’d read reviews stating that Christoph Waltz was fantastic in the movie, and his performance exceeded my expectations! His performance had me absolutely riveted to the screen. If his work in this film isn’t recognized at the Academy Awards, it will be a crime!
What about you, readers? Have you seen Inglourious Basterds? What are your thoughts?
Kim's Entertainment Blog 