A Captivating Film Utilizing Theme and Techniques

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2013)

IMDb Film Review: Inglorious Basterds The film Inglorious Basterds, released in 2009, was written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by both Tarantino and Eli Roth. Starring Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Walz, and Diane Kruger, the film tells the fictional story of two Nazi assassination plots during World War II. This film utilizes action, violence, and a number of sound and editing techniques to deliver an enjoyable and breath taking film for the audience.
Throughout the film, we watch as Shosanna, played by Melanie Laurent, comprises a plan to take down the Nazi leadership when they view a Nazi propaganda film in a Parisian cinema which she operated. This plan was in the attempt to fulfill a personal vendetta, as she narrowly escaped assassination by Colonel Hans Landa, also known as "The Jew Hunter", played by Christoph Walz. Another key character Lieutenant Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt, also plans to take down the Nazis in the cinema, in order to fulfill his quest of eradicating the Nazi force in the war. The film followed Raine and his crew of Jewish-American soldiers as they seek to "take no prisoners." Raine and his men work with actress Bridget von Hammersmark, played by Diane Kruger to get a seat in the cinema for the propaganda film showing, in order to be in the position to execute their plan. Shosanna and Lieutenant Raine's plan inadvertently join forces the night of the film showing. Although the plans are not executed as intended, with Shosanna, Bridget von Hammersmark, and Raine being discovered by Colonel Landa, they were successful in the end as the cinema burned. As an added bonus, Landa fooled by Raine and had the Nazi swastika carved into his forehead at the end of the film, marking him forever (IMDB, 2013).
A prominent theme, or unifying central concern, in this film is the struggle of human dignity. This theme involves a conflict between two sides of human nature (Boggs, 2009, p. 27). This theme is displayed over and over again, as we see the struggle of Shosanna, Bridget von Hammersmark, and Lieutenant Raine, each supporters of the Allied Forces, to overcome the Nazis.
In depth sound and editing techniques helped Tarantino and Roth bring this film to a superior level. The separation of the film into different chapters is a signature move of Tarantino, and, along with voiceovers and instrumental music, helps the audience transition from one scene to the next. The violence shown on screen (and sometimes heard off screen) seems especially realistic and more gruesome through the use of three dimensional sound. A superior level of clarity in the sounds of stabbings, gunshots, and baseball bats bring an almost horrifying amount of realism to the film.
The effects and theme in this film are reminiscent of other Tarantino films, including the ever popular Pulp Fiction (IMDB, 2013). The violence and graphic nature of the films, as well as the struggle of human nature help each of the films deliver enjoyment and captivation to their audiences.
References: Boggs, Joseph M., and Dennis W. Petrie. The art of watching films. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
IMDb. (2009, August). Inglorious Basterds (2oo9) - IMDb. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/
Tarantino, Quentin . Inglorious Basterds. (2009). Universal Pictures.