Wednesday 26 August 2009

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS - A REVIEW

As I waited anxiously for the film to start - teeth on edge, check, nerves in tatters, check, shaking hands, check (although I must admit this probably had more to do with the large coke, family bag of maltesers and the 100% chocolate haagen das ice cream I had consumed not long before rather than the movie itself). I prayed for the critics to be wrong, I truly did. I had been looking forward to seeing Tarantino's newest flick with unrestrained glee, then all of a sudden I was hit by this unexpected wave of bad reviews. The last ray of hope in the never ending cycle of films so sickly sweet they could rot the teeth right out of your head in 10 seconds flat had been well and truly quenched. So last weekend with a heavy heart I went to see the so-called 'plotless' INGLORIOUS BASTERDS.

After three hours viewing I left the cinema on a high. Magnificent. The repeated criticism was 'the thin plot' and the confusion created by the chopping and changing between languages and landscapes. (Throughout the course of the film 4 languages are used - English, German, French and Italian). Firstly I will deal with the thin plot critique.......ehem.....hello?!?! ground control to major tom???!! did we go to see the same movie?!?! The plot was thicker than my mothers three day old ox-tail soup and you could build houses with that stuff!!! As a matter of fact I think thats how my father got involved in the construction industry. The plot is your basic Good vs Evil but with such an imaginative outcome that you dont feel bored to tears as you would with your run of the mill war story where Mr. Good sends Mr. Evil running for the hills with his saint like qualities. Mr. Good (or not so good is Aldo and his angry Jews) and Mr. Evil is Hitler and his Nazi cronies. This film is all about grey matter, theres no black and white, just alot of appreciation for the grey stuff (especially with the beautiful Shosanna). Furthermore, the twist in the tale of Tarantino's film is the free pass it gives the Jews into last laugh lane as they bring about Hitler's demise and win their own personal victory as well as saving the world from the Nazi spectre.

Secondly, The language issue, I dont really understand the protests against this.....Hans Landa is the culprit of the majority of the linguistic changes. He speaks french in France to a french man, german in Germany to germans and Italian to peole he is told are Italian!!! This adds to the authenticity of the movie, lends itself to the idea of the multi national reach of Hitler's power and heightens the realism and drama of the work. This film is full of gore, anger, fear, secrecy and best of all hilarity. Only a master such as Tarantino could combine all of the above on a topic as controversial as Nazi Germany. The final scene where Aldo the Apache etches his final swastika into Landa's forehead and declares - Ithink this is my masterpiece- is epic. You know Tarantino, I think your right, you glorious basterd you.

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