SPOTLIGHTS
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| Inglorious Basterds Review |
| Posted by Erik Luers on 08.27.2009 |
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First and foremost, Quentin Tarantino's new film, Inglorious Basterds, is about the art of filmmaking and film culture. Packed with a plethora of verbal references(including G.W. Pabst, Louis B. Mayer, Leni Riefenstahl, and the Kino Eye), visual (Landa's crew riding slowly towards a French family's house as if in preparation for a duel, the use of heavy metal font to introduce certain characters like pulse pounding rock stars), and musical (the film seems inspired by Ennio Morricone and David Bowie), this film is all about, as Pauline Kael titled one of her books, Movie Love.
The final act takes place almost entirely in a beautiful French moviehouse, and of all the terrible acts of violence that occur onscreen over the course of two and a half hours, perhaps there is none the more mortifying than the destruction of three hundred and fifty 35MM film prints. Film preservationists and archivists may walk out of this film very depressed.
Using the bookend chapter titles that he has become somewhat famous for, Tarantino presents a smart and sophisticated drive in, midnite movie sleazefest. Those that are accusing Inglorious Basterds of being historically inacurate are totally missing the point; this director isn't interested in World War II, but rather the opportunity of working within the WWII movie subgenre. More than Death Proof, this film is an ode to 1970s Grindhouse cinema.
What a great cast too! Every German and French actor in this film is superb, and if there was ever a film to award an ensemble acting prize to, this is it. Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger (known to American audiences for a multitude of film projects)deliver showy supporting performances, while funnyman Mike Myers shows up for a brief but well played cameo. The two standouts however are Christoph Waltz and the sexy and exotic Melanie Laurent.
Waltz creates a Landa that is twisted, scary, and sincere, a bizarre combination that makes his characterization all the more effective. His opening scene goes for a good fifteen to twenty minutes, and every second is uncomfortably frightening and dreadfully still (Tarantino has some great lengthy dialogue sequences in the film, and what a joy it is to watch them play out at their own speed; i.e. the basement/bar sequence). And Laurent is a woman out for revenge, at times saddened and filled with immense hatred for the men who murdered her family. Laurent is an extremely compelling actress to watch. With her old movie star looks and demeanor, she is first rate.
The film is gory, but in a good, practical way. Using Howard Berger and the KNB EFX Group (legends in the blood and guts movie makeup department, about a tier below Tom Savini), each scalping and stabbing looks a little too real and a little too fake. In other words, it's perfect for the genre.
So too is this film. Inglorious Basterds is quite content with what it is, a homage to the pro American war fantasy films of yesteryear. At times it goes so far over the top, it could touch the moon. As a historical drama, it isn't factual, but damn if it isn't compelling fiction. Inglorious Basterds is as much a fan of movies as you are.
Final Rating: 9/10 |
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