Once Upon a Time.....in Nazi-Occupied France

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.