Every journey begins with the first step. My cinematic
journey needed to begin with the perfect movie. I wanted this blog to be a
vehicle for discovering new films and honing my ability to voice my thoughts,
so I considered choosing a film I had never seen before. After a few days of
hemming and hawing, I decided a better decision would be to choose a movie I’ve
probably seen more times than any other: Inglourious Basterds.
Basterds is tied with Blazing Saddles for my all-time
favorite movie. Not only do I have all the English lines memorized, but I have
the translations of the French and German scenes memorized as well. If I had
the time to watch it every day, I probably would. Many Quentin Tarantino fans seem to regard it
as one of his lesser movies. I can understand why, since I think the movie is less
Signature Tarantino than his other films, but I think that’s what makes it
better. I’m admittedly not the most loyal Tarantino fan. While Reservoir Dogs
easily makes my top ten list, I find Pulp Fiction to be extremely overrated.
This was my first time watching a Tarantino movie since I saw The Hateful Eight
in 70mm. I liked The Hateful Eight, but my feelings were more along the lines
of “I liked it despite x, y, and z.”
So what exactly do I love about this movie? To put it
simply, I love how entertaining it is. Watching the movie is just so fun. The film’s second scene opens
with Lt. Aldo Raine giving a passionate speech to his soldiers about what their
mission is. Through a thick southern drawl he tells his men, “We’re gonna be
doing one thing, and one thing only: killing Nazis.” This perfectly demonstrates
the tone of the film. It’s a World War II movie, but it’s not. It’s serious,
but it’s silly.
Tarantino skillfully weaves together multiple stories set
against the backdrop of 1940’s Europe. Every single character is written well, and
the cast is phenomenal. Sgt. Donny Donowitz’s brashness is as engaging as Col.
Hans Landa’s spine-chilling charisma. Shosanna Dreyfuss’ quest for revenge is
equal parts heart-breaking and exhilarating. The excessive violence in the
movie is cartoonish, which makes it amusing.
No amount of raving can do the movie proper justice. It’s
best to just immerse yourself in the action-packed, lovingly crafted, three
hour romp through a fictional World War II. You’ll come out on the other side ecstatic,
energized, and ready to bash in some fascist skulls.
