~ Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France ~
Last night as it was pay day I decided to treat myself and my boyfriend to a night at the cinema. As I have mentioned before I do not visit the cinema much but thought it would be nice to do something different. The film we choose was the ... Read review
A band of Jewish-American soldiers known as 'The Basterds' spread fear throughout the ... more
Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis, while in Paris a young Jewish French woman who runs a movie theatre is involved in a plot to kill Hitler during the premiere of a movie.
Production Year: 1970 - War - Director: Brian G. Hutton - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Carroll O'Connor, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, Gavin MacLeod
Advantages: Excellent acting, Brilliant comedy, Amazing visuals and great story. Disadvantages: may be offensive to some, Violent
~ Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France ~
Last night as it was pay day I decided to treat myself and my boyfriend to a night at the cinema. As I have mentioned before I do not visit the cinema much but thought it would be nice to do something different. The film we choose was the newest film from Quentin Taratino- ‘Inglorious Basterds’. We have been watching trailers for this film for the last few weeks ... ...was fast, loud and attracted your attention straight away. As we got to the cinema the film which has a certificate of 18 was showing luckily in the next half an hour. This gives you time to look at the over priced sweets and drinks that you have to pay for. My boyfriend had a slight disagreement with the cinema staff as he asked for his military discount which they said they didn’t do anymore. I thought that was pretty harsh as they don’t get much ... more
~ Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France ~
Last night as it was pay day I decided to treat myself and my boyfriend to a night at the cinema. As I have mentioned before I do not visit the cinema much but thought it would be nice to do something different. The film we choose was the newest film from Quentin Taratino- ‘Inglorious Basterds’. We have been watching trailers for this film for the last few weeks and we both said it looked really funny. The trailer was fast, loud and attracted your attention straight away. As we got to the cinema the film which has a certificate of 18 was showing luckily in the next half an hour. This gives you time to look at the over priced sweets and drinks that you have to pay for. My boyfriend had a slight disagreement with the cinema staff as he asked for his military discount which they said they didn’t do anymore. I thought that was pretty harsh as they don’t get much as it is and somehow students are allowed it everywhere. Anyway, the main reason I think we choose this film was because of the director. Quentin having a high standard quality to his films and high reputation had brought out this new war drama/comedy. For me this meant that I had a high expectation of the film. It was also interesting that he not only directed the film but wrote it as well so all this had come from his talent.
INFO
Director- Quentin Tarantino- High respected American director who has won over 40 awards for his films. Some of these include- Sin City (2005), Kill Bill Vol 2 (2004) and Pulp Fiction (1994).
Writer- Quentin Taratino Release Date- 19 August 2009 (UK) Runtime- 153 Mins Certificate- 18 Company- Universal Pictures
PLOT
Inglorious Basterds is a War comedy and drama film starring Brad Pitt. It is set within the Second World War when France was occupied by Nazi Germany. The Jews are being hunted and we see many hiding and fleeing the Germans. A group of American Jews known as the Basterds are chosen to enter France and kill the Nazis. They also scalp their victims. The film is shown in parts, which is separated into what the Basterds are doing and the life of a young French-Jewish girl survived a massacre on her family. She hides her identity and runs a movie theatre in Paris. CAST
There was a great choice in actors and although Brad Pitt was the lead role and eye catcher for the film, it included many other well respected actors. I recognised many of them but couldn’t remember the names but it gives the film a good mixture of talent to work with.
Brad Pitt – Lt Aldo Raine Melanie Laurent – Shosanna Dreyfus Christoph Waltz – Col Hans Landa Eli Roth – Sgt. Donny Donowitz Diane Kruger- Bridget von Hammersmark Mike Myers- General Ed Fenech Martin Wuttke- Adolf Hitler Michael Fassbender- Lt Archie Hicox
OPINIONS
One thing that puts me off a film slightly is a long running time and I was thinking two and a half hours may be a little long, but I was actually quite surprised. To be honest I did not even notice that it was that long. I had very high hopes for the movie and I think that it was achieved. I came out of the cinema pretty satisfied with the two and a half hours I had been in there for. You know what I mean when sometimes you feel like you have just wasted a few hours of your life on a really bad film. I think it was quite hard because I expected a lot from it and the slight let down would have been disappointing but luckily I didn’t have to worry. The film included everything you could think of which will attract a very wide range of audience even though it is certificated at 18. It is an adult film and I think that this was right for the content used. The film does not make apologies for anything and I was actually quite surprise with how much they got away with. Taratino shows his comedy and there is no remorse if he offends. You will either love the comedy or hate it but I will be anxious to see what the film receives internationally. There are some negative reviews of this as it can be seen as far fetched and may offend some. It is a violent, dark but a hilarious film. The action starts straight away with some serious sensitive moments. It does touch on some serious events such as the death of Jews and seeing the Nazi Germany take over the French people’s lives. It was interesting to see how the French people dealt with having to live amongst the Germans and dealt with having to be polite around them. I think it will be one of the best movies made this year. ACTING and COMEDY
The comedy from Christoph Waltz was the best thing in the film and this is shown by the Cannes Film Festival award he received for ‘Best Actor’. His acting was sensational and I loved his character even though he was a high ranking officer of the SS. He was so funny I was in tears after a scene including himself and Brad Pitt. I did not recognise him from anything but he is a fine actor who filled his role brilliantly. Brad Pitt is his usual great self, with great acting and some very amusing comedy. His over the top Tennessee American accent brings another culture to the film and I thought his character was hilarious.
The performance from Melanie is outstanding too. She is a very pretty woman and even though she plays good eye candy, she develops an amazing character. She acts well with coping with different emotions in the same scene and I think she fitted the role perfectly. The ending was quite surprising for her character and I did not expect the events which happened.
The rest of the cast were just as good and they all get a fun part to play. All of them help with the comedy and have different qualities to make you laugh. Mike Myers did not have a big part which I was surprised at, but it showed another added ingredient to make you giggle. You notice him straight away with his Austin powers grin and accent. In a way thought I think just having him on for a short scene was long enough or it would have gotten too much and slightly cheesy.
DIRECTING
The directing was done spot on which is what is expected from Tarantino. He reminds us how bad the Nazi’s were but in a fun yet crude way. He chooses the scenes carefully to give maximum effect. This is shown when we are introduced to the Basterds. He does not any training scenes or parts before the Basterds were needed this means he is able to show the audience everything about this War and focus on the main events. His style is unique and you wonder how he ever thought of this movie. It is different and is nothing like any of his other films. A new fresh idea. He wrote the film in such a way it includes so much emotion and energy.
FILMING and SETS
Every scene was done to perfection and consists of intense emotion. There are scenes of violence and brutal killing and then it cuts to a fun, entertaining narrative. The visuals were very beautiful with the lovely landscapes around France. The 1940’s look was done well and everything was perfect, the costumes, the background, the cars everything. The theatre was lovely and it did give a superb French feel to the scene. I loved the little cafes and bars which Shosanna is seen drinking wine in. She does have a very French look to her. The starting landscapes and establishing shots were beautiful. The farm land in the mountains shows how secluded the family are and isolated from the Germans. The filming was done superbly and I loved watching the difference in each scene. Most of the filming was done in Germany apart from a few scenes from Paris. NARRATIVE The story is just brilliant. It has everything, the comedy, the serious points, and the passion of the Jews and some idea of how bad the Nazi’s were during this time. The story kept me feeling involved the whole time and it included some great twist.
What was really nice about the story was that it did not focus on one protagonist. Even though we see the life of a young Jewish girl after she escapes the clutches of the Nazi’s it shows a lot of characters and more sub plots. It was also very nice to see how many languages they added into the film. Even though subtitles are a put off too many including my boyfriend he found it easy to follow and I thought it was the right way to do the film. It gave it culture and passion. You get to see the difference each culture and how they speak. You had so many different accents it was brilliant to see, well spoken English, American, French, German and the tiny few words of Italian from a brilliant scene with Brad. The French was lovely to hear. I have always been a fan of the language and it was nice to see the French culture in film and what it was like to be controlled by the Germans during the War.
MUSIC
There was a nice mixture of music used to give you a different feel for each scene. It gave a variety of classic French, western American and GOOD POINTS
- Outstanding comedy from all characters especially Christoph Waltz and Brad Pitt. - The four different languages included to give a variety of cultures and attract a wide audience. You may also learn a little German or French. - The beautiful scenery and Mise en scene from the 1940’s. - Great storyline with so much included to keep you interested.
NEGATIVE SIDES
- There are many comments which some may find offensive. - Only two of the Basterds get to the end and get some development with the Nazi’s which I think more could have been included. - Violence may be too much for some. OVERALL
I got what I expected from the film and a hell of a lot more. It was brilliant and defiantly worth a watch. It is fun, entertaining and will have you laughing all the way though. The film is an 18 and this is the right rating. It does include some gory parts that make you cringe a bit and it includes some foul language and crude comments. The scalping is properly the goriest part when you see the Basterds knife away at the Nazi’s sculls. There are always many scenes of people being shot to pieces and killed in quite a horrendous way.
As mentioned before the film is about killing Nazi’s and some may find this too much as there are references to all Germans but saying this, American culture is made slightly fun of too. However, saying this I have found Germans that enjoyed the film, such as this quote from IMDB site- By the way: I think it's a great privilege to watch the movie as a German - being able to understand everything. And the German dialog is written almost as good as the English.In my opinion it is a great film I would recommend it. It will properly be a film I will try and find cheap on DVD when it is released. The film is not just entertaining but it is teaches you about culture and the times of the Second World War.
The film has a rotten tomato rating of- 88% which is a very good rating.
- Website- www.inglouriousbasterds-movie.com
Thank you for reading- Blackmagicstar4 * Aug 09 xx
Advantages: Brilliant acting, writing and directing, opening scene Disadvantages: None worth mentioning
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS == Intro == After the disappointment of box-office flop 'Death Proof', Tarantino needed to return with a film that reminded his fans just why he is perhaps the most prestigious director alive today. Fans of the director are incredibly devout and supporting all his work, and it was about time Tarantino showed us all why. When 'Inglourious Basterds' was announced, opinions were split. For one, they learned that director of 'torture-porn' ... ...the whole, the acting in Inglourious Basterds is superb. == Directing and Writing == Straight from the word 'go', this film displays all the flourishes and directing touches you'd expect from a Tarantino film. Witty and engaging dialogue is constant throughout, and there's a Mexican standoff perfectly directed, as well as a tiny bit of foot-fetishism which never seems to be missing from any of his films. It was a bold decision to have all the French ...
midpikyrozziy 03.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Inglourious Basterds (DVD)
Advantages: Tarantino making grown up films Disadvantages: Still not back to his best
If ever a director has suffered a steep decline from the very summit of Hollywood its Quentin Tarantino. How did we get from Pulp Fiction to Death Proof?? He didn't even have time to plant his flag pole he slid down the other side that fast. What on Earth was that self parody Kill Bill nonsense all about! The geeky ex video store worker who dreamed of becoming an actor but burdened with a face for radio (even Morse code) astounded the independent ... ...uber cool Reservoir Dogs and became the darling of the European film circuit with Pulp Fiction. But since then I have struggled with nearly everything he's done, dare I say it I'm almost bored with the film genius of the reported owner of a 151 I.Q, his Muppet Show yapping mouth going on about the nuance of film somewhat irritating now. With Inglorious Basterds I think he too knows his best days may have passed and this is an attempt to woo back ...
thedevilinme 28.12.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Inglourious Basterds (DVD)
Advantages: Christoph Walz performance Disadvantages: Too many to list but especially Brad Pitt's dire performance
Hollywood's once famous nerdy director crawls out of the glitz to show us his new slaughterfest film, Inglorious Basterds. This guy certainly has a knack for prize dialogue. With the words, "Watching Donny beat Nazis to death is the closest we ever get to going to the movies," Tarantino justifies and condemns at the same time, the bloody violence which taints this WWII event. The Basterds are a troop of hard core American Jewish soldiers whose favourite ... ...orders come from the US army. Form of torture - scalping. The troops leader is no other than Lt Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). Now, he is a nasty piece of work - a bit of an artist on the side - carving swastikas into the skulls of sole survivors who are left after the turbulence of each surprise attack. The tactics used during attacks are should we say a little unpleasant - vindictive and savage; certainly no mention of these tactics in Article 27 of the ...
Praski 19.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Inglourious Basterds (DVD)
Advantages: Acting Disadvantages: Subtitles may put some people off
I didn't really know what this film was about when I heard about it but when I heard it was directed by Tarantino, it was on my 'to watch' list. I built up this idea in my head that the story was about a group of killers who go around killing the Nazi's. I was rather surprised to find out that this isn't the only angle on the film and there is a lot more to it than that. The film is a strange one that is very different than any other war film I seen. ... ...and some rather odd but strong characters and I suppose it reminds me a little of Oceans 11 in certain ways. There are moments when you aren't sure as a viewer how you are suppose to be responding. During certain scenes I wasn't sure whether I should be taking it seriously of chuckling along which appears to be in keeping with Tarantino's style. There were certain scenes that I felt were a little slow. It was clear that Tarantino was trying to build ...
claribella 04.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Inglourious Basterds (DVD)
...has just brought the misspelt Inglourious Basterds to our screens. I have to admit, I was a bit worried about how the master of gangster flicks and street dialogue would do with a war film set in the 1940s, but am happy to report that the boy did good. Inglourious Basterds is a diverse film containing numerous small stories. In some way, all revolve around the Basterds, a group of rebel American soliders who viciously torture and kill Nazis, scalping ... ...Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), who heads up the motley crew. Their mission is to spread fear among the Nazis through their antics, and this they do. It would be silly to explain all the many different sub-plots in this film. Let it suffice to say it's a war film, where the good guys are trying to get the bad guys. OK, so what was it like? Well, in terms of story, the plot is diverse, at times complex, and always well thought out. However, it's a long ...
bruffyboy 05.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Inglourious Basterds (DVD)
Quentin Tarantino's long-gestating, and much anticipated, World War II film is sure to delight fans of his artful touch with dialogue and visuals. Inspired by Enzo G. Castellari's Italian war epic, INGLORIOUS BASTARDS, Tarantino's film is a remake in name only and concerns the resistance against Nazi forces in occupied France. Brad Pitt leads a strong ensemble that includes Diane Kruger (TROY), Michael Fassbender (HUNGER) and filmmaker Eli Roth (director of HOSTEL).
Tarantino swaps fact for pulp fiction; Quentin Tarantino has made a glorious, silly, blood-spattered return (BBC, 21/05/2009)
Every bit as idiosyncratic as the spelling of its title, it's a wonderfully-acted movie that subverts expectation at every turn. And it may represent the most confident, audacious writing and directing of [Quentin Tarantino's] career (Empire, 21/05/2009)
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is a violent fairy tale, an increasingly entertaining fantasia in which the history of World War II is wildly reimagined so that the cinema can play the decisive role in destroying the Third Reich (Variety, 21/05/2009)
DVD Description
A group of hardened Nazi killers stalk their prey in Nazi-occupied France as a Jewish cinema owner plots to take down top-ranking SS officers during the official premiere of a high-profile German propaganda film. As far as Lieutenant Aldo Raine (aka Aldo 'the Apache', Brad Pitt) -- is concerned, the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi. Raine's mission is to strike fear into the heart of Adolf Hitler by brutally murdering as many goose-steppers as possible, or die trying. In order to accomplish that goal, Lt. Raine recruits a ruthless team of cold-blooded killers known as 'The Basterds', which includes baseball-bat-wielding Bostonian Sgt. Donnie Donowitz (aka 'The Bear Jew', Eli Roth) and steely psychopath Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz (Til Schweiger), among others. When the Basterds' secret rendezvous with turncoat German actress Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) goes awry, they learn that the Nazis will be staging the French premiere of 'The Nation's Pride', a rousing propaganda film based on the exploits of German hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl), at a modest theatre owned by Jewish cinephile Shoshanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), posing as a Gentile after the brutal murder of her family by the ruthless Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). As the Basterds hatch an explosive plan to take out as many Nazis as possible at the premiere, they remain completely oblivious to the fact that Shoshanna, too, longs to bring the Third Reich to its knees, and that she's willing to sacrifice her beloved theatre in the process.
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