Sometimes one get’s just overwhelmed with the prospect of writing a review for something like Inglourious Basterds. This was the move I was looking forward to all summer, and indeed my very high expectations for the film left me feeling just a little detached for probably over half the movie. What I was seeing was excellent, but how could it compare with expectations. In addition to this, Tarantino’s style is so stylized and idiosyntric, that it almost necessitates an extra layer of internal processing to transcend the gap between his aesthetic and the stories emotional core or thematic essence. I sound like I’m being critical here but I don’t mean to me, I loved this movie, I’m telling you right now it gets Grade A. But I do feel overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to encapsulate my many thoughts about the film, and though the same could be said about The Night of the Hunter (which I also only recently saw) and any number of other films that I’d love to have long conversations about, when it comes to a Tarantino’s film this desire almost always seems a more urgent one.
I saw the film with my sister, it was her first Tarantino’s film, and though I had some trepidation about bringing her to see the movie (she was the one who brought up her desire to see it) I’m glade I did. It is fun to watch someone watch their first Tarantino film, especially the moments when you can see that they’ve caught on and are getting it. My only regret was not seeing the movie with a larger audience, because Tarantino films seem as though they’d resonate with large crowds very well.
The film can be analyzed many ways, as indeed I’m sure its meant to. This may not make a lot of since if you haven’t seen the movie, but this is a film about film. It’s about how we relate to film, the conventions of film, the study of film, how it can filter perception, and its role as a vehicle for both dreams and disillusionment (and its all rather overt about this). It’s a revisionist World War II film, in the truest sense. It is a revenge fantasy. It is an acting show case. It is a loud meditation. Tarantino thinks it might be his masterpiece, and its certainly his biggest smash on all fronts since Pulp Fiction. Anyway I’d love to talk about it more, but I wouldn’t now where to begin. But if you’d like to start a conversation about it, just feel free to leave a comment.
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I also really enjoyed this film. I liked the way the whole thing tied its self together from beginning to end.
I had a somewhat negative impression of Terantino films before seeing Inglorious Bastards because my only exposure had been the Kill Bill Series, which, needless to say, I didn't particularly enjoy.
This film though connected to my humanity. While I knew it to be fiction I found myself at times wanting it to be true and enjoying the development of the story.
I also have to mention that the glove guns (you won't know what I am talking about unless you have seen it) have peaked my interest and I want to build a pair just for fun.
I also feel compelled to mention that the opening sequence is still in my memory. I thought it was very well done and did a great job of setting up the rest of the movie.
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