Packed with so many Ennio Morricone music cues it's almost like a revenge western supplanted to Nazi occupied France. Idea of elite troupe of Jewish soldiers killing and scalping Nazis brilliant, as is the way the stories converge - the revenge plot of cinema owner Mélanie Laurent, involvement of Jew hunter Christoph Waltz, sabotage attempt from Michael Fassbender, German double-agent Diane Kruger, story of young war 'hero' Daniel Brühl and the Basterds themselves. Moment of Hitler and Goebels being machine-gunned to death by two Jews is wonderful indeed, and as history-defying as Quentin's take on the Sharon Tate murders.
But also a film buffs' film - though we are of course horrified by the destruction of 300 classic (and probably mainly French) films - with its German film stars, cinema and film plots (the war hero becomes a film star, and there's a film-within-the-film), references to German films and filmmakers. Max Linder was a lesser known but enormously popular silent comedy actor; Emil Jannings did return to the Nazis in the war; L'Assassin Habite au 21 is a 1942 comedy thriller from Henri-Georges Clouzot, etc.
Woltz is particularly brilliant at going from dangerously charming to ruthlessly evil in a second, won Best Supporting Actor Oscar and BAFTA. Well acted film throughout. Scene with Woltz and Laurent brilliant. Full of brilliant scenes, in fact. With Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Til Schweiger, Sylvester Groth (Goebbels), Martin Wuttke (Hitler), Rod Taylor (Churchill), Léa Seydoux, Jacky Ido.
The second credit after Quentin's is editor Sally Mencke - it was her final film with him. She was Oscar and BAFTA nominated (lost to The Hurt Locker, Bob Murawski and Chris Innis). Photographed by Robert Richardson in Panavision and on celluloid, production design David Wasco.
I hadn't seen it since 2010, and that is inexcusable.
Shot at Babelsberg Studios near Berlin and in Paris.
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