History, film, and Nazis
In keeping with our interest in cultural criticism as revelatory, Lou Proyect’s very good review of Inglorious Basterds.
In a comment under my review of “Valkyrie”, a movie starring Tom Cruise as a Nazi officer who attempted to assassinate Hitler, MN Roy suggested I look at GW Pabst’s 1955 “Jackboot Mutiny”, another movie dramatizing the General’s revolt. I tracked down the DVD from International Historic Films several months ago (it is not available from Netflix, alas) and placed on a shelf where it gathered dust until I would find an occasion to write about it.
That occasion arrived a week or so ago when I finally got around to viewing “Inglourious Basterds”, a movie that I fully expected to hate. Surprise of surprises, it is the best movie I have seen all year and by far Tarantino’s best. This movie dovetails neatly with Pabst’s since it too involves a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. It also has several allusions to Pabst—and to Emil Jannings—who decided to work in Nazi Germany despite the universal revulsion felt toward Hitler. It was all the more remarkable for Pabst to work in Germany since he was acclaimed for his left-leaning earlier work in Weimar Germany, including a production of “Three Penny Opera”. What would make Pabst want to work in Nazi Germany?
Although Tarantino’s movie is mostly a saga about Jewish guerrillas tracking down and killing Nazi soldiers in occupied France, it has some very interesting observations about the Nazi film industry’s presence in that country. This is a subject that forms the backdrop for Alan Furst’s novel “Red Gold“ as well as Bernard Tavernier’s 2002 movie “Safe Conduct“.
As Tarantino was anxious to point out, the Nazis viewed film as a key…
kathy miriam:
Hi Stan,
I’m sorry that this is so off-topic but i didn’t know the best way to contact you to tell you that I started a blog: Dialectical Spin: Radical feminism in Otherland.
could you add me on the blog-roll: http://kmiriam.wordpress.com/
the first entry is about Obama and the neoracial order, stemming from a ride on a nyc train. You might be interested in guest publishing it here as well.
all the best
Kathy
STAN: Done. Many thanks, Kathy.
27 October 2009, 9:52 amKim Sky:
I read somewhere, wish I could remember where I read it, it is probably not an uncommon observation.
That the whole Nazi thing traumatized the Christian world, etc. Anyone know of articles/books written on this topic?
Lately, I’ve decided to accumulate as many images as possible that re-depict world leaders as Hitler. Obama, Bush, Chavez, Putin, Amadinejad, Sarah Palin — you name it. Yes, a topic that does need to be revisited !!!
Thanx, Kim
27 October 2009, 10:44 amElaina:
Oh goodness.
I saw this movie. Like, actually went to the theater and paid money and saw this movie. And I have to say that I really didn’t think it deserved as nuanced a review as it got here. Whereas Mr. Proyect went in expecting to hate the film and ended up enjoying it, I went in expecting to be entertained and came out feeling assaulted. I “reviewed” the movie on my own blog.
I just don’t see how you can read any more into the movie than this: it’s your typical Hollywood gorefest dressed up in Tarantino’s “good name” and “artful touches”, justifying graphic violence by doing it to objects who happen to be dressed up as Nazis. And the thing is, when you put all THAT to the side and you look at the cinematography, the dialogue that Mr. T is so famous for, and even the slightly amusing comic-book-style random asides don’t merit these awesome reviews. We’ve seen him do all these things in other movies. And we’ve seen other movies that take the ugly of war and spin gossamer yarn around it to make things that are really stirring and beautiful (i.e. Pan’s Labyrinth). It’s so frustrating.
IMHO.
27 October 2009, 4:49 pmSeb:
Never saw the movie, just glad to see Elaina here again
27 October 2009, 5:07 pmStan:
Hey Elaina! I can’t find the link on yer blog for the movie review. Please send. Elaina’s Blog
27 October 2009, 5:25 pmElaina:
Here is the link : http://heavyart.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/post-wherein-i-spoil-ahem-review-a-popular-violent-movie/
27 October 2009, 7:28 pmStan:
Thanks cuz. Not having seen the movie, I am now intrigued by Lou’s historical exegesis (what I enjoyed reading in his review, not having seen the flik), and more than ever prepared to dislike the flik … in no small part because I have never liked QT’s movies. It may have to wait to come out on DVD first.
But as I mentioned with regard to the marxisms earlier, history/class is strong from that perspective, but gender interrogations are generally weak. I can get away with that, because Elaina is herself no stranger to marxism.
28 October 2009, 6:01 ammark:
I paid money as well, actual real unemployment money to see this movie. I agree with everything Elaina says. I was kind of embarrassed with the film. Well, embarrassed that I wasted good unemployment money on it. It has all the things that a Tarrantino movie is expected to have, but the gleeful headbashing of Vermacht soldiers was kind of creepy. No it was really creepy. At the end when it became apparent that the movie was basically an historical fantasy I was even more disappointed. I thought, so what was the point of all that? I didn’t see any new cinematic territory being covered, and the story is a cartoon. It’s impressive that Mr. Proyect could find so much historical facts to entertain us with while reviewing a crappy movie like this. He should write for the NYTimes.
28 October 2009, 11:36 amMarcilla:
Inglorious Basterds = torture porn. Apparently Mr. Tarrantino is under the impression that as long as it is clearly indicated that the one person is “teh naughtzee” and the other is “teh US American,” I will reflexively cheer for whatever teh US American does.
And Brad Pitt’s attempt at Eastern TN accent is reminiscent of Costner’s Louisiana from JFK.
For a time, I considered firing off a dismissively sarcastic suggestion to Mr. Tarrantino that he make a sequel in which a group of Eagle Scouts are sent on a secret mission to flush out Osama bin Laden by tracking down his sister so she can be targeted for punitive rape (make that *very sexy* punitive rape), but I feared that it was much more likely that rather than seeing the error of his ways, he might write back asking me to be an executive producer.
29 October 2009, 9:13 am