Inglourious Basterds

[ferris]

How do you account for the remark about Landa's former conquests that Marty mentioned above, then?

I took the remark to be sarcastic and/or suggestive that Landa's conquests might not be women.  He can be gay and not form human connections just easily as he could be straight and not connect with people.  I don't think his sexual preference really changes his character at all.

Yeah - i totally thought of that as well.  Damn.  You guys all have me wanting to rewatch this again today.

[Melvil]

How do you account for the remark about Landa's former conquests that Marty mentioned above, then?

I took the remark to be sarcastic and/or suggestive that Landa's conquests might not be women.  He can be gay and not form human connections just easily as he could be straight and not connect with people.  I don't think his sexual preference really changes his character at all.

Exactly, that's my angle on it as well.

[St. Martin the Bald]

How do you account for the remark about Landa's former conquests that Marty mentioned above, then?

I took the remark to be sarcastic and/or suggestive that Landa's conquests might not be women.  He can be gay and not form human connections just easily as he could be straight and not connect with people.  I don't think his sexual preference really changes his character at all.

I think it would - considering the history of gays and the nazis. If he were gay - maybe his betrayal of the 3rd Reich is retribution (in his mind) avenging the death of a lost lover, his sadistic glee in hunting jews is the survival instinct at it's strongest (abandonment of dignity) and letting Shoshanna live is a momentary lapse of humanity.
Perhaps he was once very much in love and connected to his partner - it was his traumatic past that caused his break with humanity.

This is the beauty of this character, that nearly all options are on the table and possible. Great discussion.

[ferris]

How do you account for the remark about Landa's former conquests that Marty mentioned above, then?

I took the remark to be sarcastic and/or suggestive that Landa's conquests might not be women.  He can be gay and not form human connections just easily as he could be straight and not connect with people.  I don't think his sexual preference really changes his character at all.

I think it would - considering the history of gays and the nazis. If he were gay - maybe his betrayal of the 3rd Reich is retribution (in his mind) avenging the death of a lost lover, his sadistic glee in hunting jews is the survival instinct at it's strongest (abandonment of dignity) and letting Shoshanna live is a momentary lapse of humanity.
Perhaps he was once very much in love and connected to his partner - it was his traumatic past that caused his break with humanity.

This is the beauty of this character, that nearly all options are on the table and possible. Great discussion.

Love this theory and I completely agree with your last comment

[libra_1989]

I would be especially happy if Tarantino dealt with Landa's childhood, adolescent and young adult years, if he ever decided to write a prequel. It would be interesting to see what were the seeds that were planted in Landa's childhood years that caused him to grow into the sadistic person that he is today. At least one thing is certain in that Landa's obsession with milk is apparently leftover from an innocent time (according to Christoph Waltz himself). 

[mañana]

Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

He is so good at building tension with dialogue. I’ve heard people criticize it for being indulgent and tedious, but hey, that’s what QT does best. It may just be a series of little vignettes, but I was with it for the most part, and I’m not so sure that’s such a bad thing anyway. Also, I thought Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, and Brad Pitt were all great. Yes, even Brad Pitt. I liked it quite a bit, but it’s not perfect by any means: Eli Roth is of course awful, the theatre finale was kind of goofy, and it peaks too early with the incredible opening twenty minutes. Also, I feel like I never really got to know the Basterds, in two and a half hours you think their legend could have been better conveyed. I’m not talking about character development, I just wanted a little more evidence of their formidability. Also, BJ Novak just sits on the screen like a lump, why is he there? I’m kind of piling on here, but despite these flaws, the writing and acting is just so engrossing that I really did like this movie. As for the historical inaccuracies, I get why that offends a lot of people, but it wasn’t an issue for me.
Grade: B+

[gateway]

Eli Roth is of course awful

After seeing IB about a half-dozen times in the past week, Roth's acting is beginning to grow on me. I still have some issues with his later scenes (VON HAHMMAHS-MAHK), but his role as a whole works more with each viewing. In particular, I really like what he did with the introduction of The Bear Jew persona.

[zblaesi]

I remember Matty and Adam ridiculing Roth's performance. Unfortunately, I never can seem to tell what exactly makes a "bad" actor - unless it's really obvious.

I thought Roth's sinister grin as Raine described the mission was fitting. I also thought the bat beating scene was decent as well.

Maybe I'm just blind, though. I not only need to learn more about what makes a good shot, but what makes a good actor as well.

[chardy999]

Something mildly interesting I remember: we all know Tarantino has a foot fetish. Twice Landa asks something like "what is it they say about shoes/feet?"

1. Looks like the shoe's on the other foot.
2. If the shoe fits you must wear it.

[FLYmeatwad]

Watched this again last night for the first time since the theatre. You really notice the film's flaws the second time around, which is a shame. It's still pretty great film, and I noticed a few other minor things that completely passed me over the first time, like how the final shot playing on the screen when the theatre doors are locked is a Nazi insignia being carved into wood, which the audience cheers. It's a nice touch. I haven't watched the Nation's Pride feature on the Blu-Ray, so I don't know how coincidental it is that that portion is playing, but I doubt it's there by accident given the film's conclusion.