Okay, leaving aside the whole alternative history angle, not one goddamn thing in this movie made any sense at all. Hitler leaves his bunker to attend a movie in occupied France? He only has two guards to protect him?
During the “Bear Jew” scene, a crack commando yells his head off while beating his Nazi victim to death while his comrades scream cheers at him? They’re in German territory!! Do the Basterds think the whole Nazi army has suddenly gone deaf and won’t come after them?
So in a basement tavern where there’s a party going on at another table, an SS Officer sits down with the Basterds and their double agent and talks with them for twenty minutes. The Basterds shoot the SS guy in the balls and there’s a two second flurry of movement and everybody in the room drops dead. Sure, I guess everybody shot everyone else, but in two seconds? It just looked completely stupid.
Everyone is fluent in four languages and speaks effortlessly between them. All except the rock stupid hillbilly commander who doesn’t even try to hide his accent.
Could someone explain how to do the spoiler function? I don’t think I gave any major points away here, except maybe for the tavern scene. But that whole thing could’ve been left out of the movie, and it still would’ve made just as much sense, which is none at all.
And what the hell are all these interminable talking scenes in what’s supposed to be a taut thriller? I’m not some CGI addict who can’t stand talking scenes in movies, but goddammit give the characters something interesting to say. And make it make sense for the era for cryin’ out loud. The head SS guy says to the movie star with a cast on her leg, “Did you hurt your leg from kicking all that ass in German cinema?”
People didn’t say “kicking ass” in the 1940’s and mean how we say it nowadays. That was just a stupid line that broke the whole disbelief suspension function right there. And this movie needed all the disbelief suspension it could muster.
Stupid stupid movie. And it’s got an 8.3 rating on IMDB. Christ, I guess Tarantino can get away with anything.
Oh boy… I agree with your topic…but not your reasons. It’s not a historical drama which nearly all of your arguments originate from a desire for it to be a historical drama.
I was on the edge of my seat during both the opening scene with Landa and the farmer, and the tavern scene. I can see how someone would find the tavern scene a little boring, but I thought the building tension during the opening scene was amazing. And then when Landa reveals that he’s known the entire time that the Jewish family is under the floorboards . . . it was like someone punched me in the stomach. Plus, there’s the added bonus of actually having an explanation as to why the German and the Frenchman are speaking English, unlike similar set-ups in most movies, where foreigners speak English for no apparent reason: the hidden family won’t be able to understand their conversation and won’t have a chance to flee.
Fantastic movie, one of my favorite ones from that year.
Who was fluent in four languages? The Basterds barely spoke any. The best being Stiglitz, who spoke German, because HE WAS A GERMAN. The rest only spoke English. They even make a joke of this as the prepare to wing going the the premier as an Italian camera crew:
Lt. Aldo Raine: Well, I speak the most Italian, so I’ll be your escort. Donowitz speaks the second most, so he’ll be your Italian cameraman. Omar speaks third most, so he’ll be Donny’s assistant. Pfc. Omar Ulmer: I don’t speak Italian. Lt. Aldo Raine: Like I said, third best.
The only ones who speak multiple languages are Bridget Von Hammersmark and Lt. Hicox, who are both actors turned spy.
Hicox was actually a film critic, not an actor, but the point still stands. And even he only spoke English and German. That would be two languages, not four.
I’m actually not sure why the idea of characters who speak multiple languages is so offensive to the OP. Lots of Europeans speak two, three, or even more languages. It’s perfectly realistic that Von Hammersmark was fluent in English, French, and German but Raine could only speak English.
I actually really enjoyed this movie, but it had one plot issue that I couldn’t get past, even when I was willing to accept everything else:
Nobody in that restaurant scene recognized Hugo Stiglitz! He was one of the most hated men in Germany! One of the grunts in the Jew Bear beating scene recognized him right away and said “every one in the German army knows him.” Apparently everyone except the soldiers in that restaurant. OK, maybe the soldiers were drunk, but what about that clever Gestapo dude? Stiglitz got caught after murdering a dozen Gestapo officers, and since escaped and is on the loose, and you’re telling me the Gestapo officer who sat down and played “guess the card on my head” sitting right next to him didn’t recognize him?!
I’m beginning to doubt the accuracy of Pulp Fiction too. Five years? I’ve only had my watch up my ass for one year, and let me tell you it is not comfortable.
It’s a rare movie that doesn’t. And it should at least make some coherent sense, before it can be a groundbreaking pioneering masterpiece that is its own genre.
