In what ways can Inglourious Basterds be considered postmodern? (2000 words)

Inglourious Basterds consists of many postmodern elements taken from a variety of different films and concepts. Quentin Tarantino uses elements taken from his films or other films that he finds inspirational. Some elements are clearer than others as some can be very subtle but still very effective. The title of the film was adapted from the original war film Inglorious Bastards. This is just one of many postmodern elements that Tarantino has used.  This particular film can be considered postmodern in many ways and these elements are used consistently throughout.

In Chapter 1 of the film, Tarantino adds postmodern elements from different films which can either be immediately spotted or some not as clear. The opening scene can relate to the opening of The Sound of Music as the scenery is very open and uplifting. The vibrant colours and realistic setting displayed creates a calm atmosphere which soon fades due to the arrival of Colonel Hans Landa. This spacious and noticeable setting leads to the idea of a typical fairy-tale opening and also links to the name of the chapter ‘Once Upon a Time in Nazi occupied France’. The backdrop is very eye catching to viewers that have seen The Sound of Music and they would be able to associate that setting to the opening scene of Inglourious Basterds which is located in France and looks quite similar to the Austrian location in The Sound of Music. By having this fairy-tale reference in the title it sets the film up as unreal so this is an example of hyper reality.  The tension gradually increases by the music that is played which sounds like a mix of classical and the Spaghetti Western music. By combining these two elements, it shows that Tarantino has taken something original and made something new and creative out of it.  The Spaghetti Western music originates from films such as The Good The Bad & The Ugly. This is a 1966 Italian/Spanish Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. The finale to this film shows the three men involved in a gun fight and the iconic music plays to create tension and leads the audience to believe something bad is about to happen. This element works the same in Inglourious Basterds as the music is used in scenes where an event is predictable so by hearing this music it leads the audience to believe that something is going to happen momentarily.  The Spaghetti Western music creates an interesting contrast to the genre of the film as the two are quite different and you wouldn’t expect to hear it in any other war film. Tarantino uses similar shots to Leone in the forest and cellar scene and this is where the postmodern aspect is enhanced.

Another obvious element that Tarantino uses in this film is the use of yellow text. This feature is very consistent in all of his films so this creates a clear link and adds an effective contrast to other war films where text is usually white. By using yellow text it emphasises that it is a Tarantino film so therefore acts like a trademark technique. The setting used in the first chapter is quite controversial. There are times where the backdrop could be argued to either be painted or CGI has been used. An example is when Colonel Hans Landa enters the Alpine house for the first time and there is a view through the window which shows the backdrop outside. I believe in this shot the backdrop is painted as it does not look as realistic compared to the scene outside of the Alpine house. The painted backdrop is self reflexive as the text refers to itself as another text. A common element that can also be seen in this film is the idea of making the set clear to the audience that it is a construction. This shows Tarantino creating humour and making it clear to the audience that it is just a film which in a way takes away the realistic aspect of the story because the set is very basic. The way the camera moves between different locations emphasises that the set is just a construction and is not real. For example when the camera shows the Colonel and Perrier LaPadite having a conversation at the table in the cottage, the camera gradually moves down under the floorboards to show the Jews hiding underneath. This technique is also used as a bird shot view moving over the Colonel and Perrier LaPadite which exposes the ceiling, beams and construction equipment over their heads. This therefore makes it clear to the audience that it is just a film.

Another postmodern element which can be seen at this stage in the film is the shot of the doorframe with the door wide open. This has an intertextual link to a 1956 film called The Searchers by John Ford and this shot was used as it is one of the most iconic scenes of all time. The scene in The Searchers shows the man walking through the door and into the desert and the similar scene in Inglourious Basterds shows the girl running out of the door and through the fields. Humour is also expressed frequently throughout the film and could be categorised as a black comedy as you could laugh at scenes that would not normally be humorous if it wasn’t a film. When Perrier LePadite smokes his pipe and then the Colonel lights his pipe, there is an obvious difference between their statuses as the Colonel’s is much bigger. Some of the murders could also create laughter for the audience as they are so dramatic and graphic; the characters show no emotion for their actions. Another part of this humour is when we see characters speaking a number of different languages. We as the audience find this very amusing as we can find out background information on characters and how intelligent they can be by communicating in different ways to avoid people overhearing their conversations. The Colonel and Perrier LePadite begin by speaking in German but then switch to English to avoid the Jews underneath the floorboards listening to what they are saying.  The Colonel can speak many different languages and another example of this is where the Basterds pretend to speak Italian at the premiere and they are confronted by the Colonel as he can speak fluent Italian. This is also amusing for the audience as it creates an effective contrast from more serious emotions that they have experienced from the previous gory deaths. This element enhances their personalities and it is obvious to the audience that they clearly aren’t Italian.

In Chapter 2, we are introduced to Aldo Raine for the first time and Brad Pitt’s acting and Tennessee accent is very over the top. The accent is exaggerated and he is portrayed to be very dominant and intelligent. His facial expressions are also amusing because it emphasises his strong accent. Hitler is also introduced in this chapter and his personality is also extremely exaggerated. He could be described to be quite pathetic because he is constantly angry and he is wearing a cape as he was having a portrait painted. This parody creates quite a realistic depiction of Hitler. In the Hugo Stiglitz scene, Tarantino uses a voiceover involving Samuel L Jackson to narrate the murders that take place by the Basterds. This particular scene also has a link to another Tarantino film, Kill Bill as he uses the same text displayed and similar deaths. The Spaghetti Western music is used once again in this chapter to continue the tension building up but there is also the use of Blaxploitation music. This has an intertextual link to the 1971 film Shaft directed by Gordon Parks. The Shaft soundtrack album by Isaac Hayes was a huge success and the film was considered a prime example of the Blaxploitation genre. Blaxploitation was very mainstream and targeted an African American audience. The scalping that takes place in this chapter by the Basterds also has a link to The Searchers that was previously mentioned as this method was used in the film. By taking this element and using it in the film allows the audience to associate the two films. In The Searchers, the men would put the scalps on a stick to demonstrate the number of deaths but by showing the Basterds simply scalping the Nazis has the same effect.

In Chapter 3, we are introduced to more main characters such as General Ed Fenech, Archie Hicox and Winston Churchill. We also find out more about Shoshanna. General Ed Fenech played by Mike Myers has an exaggerated English accent which we as the audience find quite funny and stereotypical. Rod Taylor who plays Winston Churchill is shown briefly as Tarantino finds his work very inspirational so was determined to feature him in the film. Taylor came out of retirement so therefore had no Screen Actors Guild card. Tarantino once again uses text on the screen to inform the audience of any important characters such as Goebbels. The sound of the electric guitar from the Blaxploitation track is played and used as a motif several times to introduce specific characters. This is another example of postmodernism as it shows Tarantino adding the element so makes the link from previous texts. The Spaghetti Western music is played as Shoshanna organises the letters on the cinema marquee. The music used in the Hugo Stiglitz scene and the Bear Jew scene sets the tone. An older war film such as Saving Private Ryan has less music and more sound effects which makes the story more realistic. Tarantino includes popular culture references relevant to the time that the film is set and this is a common convention that he uses consistently in his films. This way it appeals to a wider audience as they can relate to the topic because it is what everyone is talking about. Archie Hicox could be compared to Noel Coward, an English director and actor and is known for his wit and flamboyance. He was featured in the film In Which We Serve in 1942. Clearly Tarantino finds this particular actor inspiring so takes elements of the character’s personality and adapts it into something new but still quite similar.

The British are portrayed to be very posh, arrogant, witty and they always have an answer for everything. This is the opposite of the Americans such as Aldo Raine who is much more laid back and knows what he wants. Tarantino is also known for including films within a film and this is a popular postmodern element to use. In Inglourious Basterds, he adds a public information film about nitrate film which Samuel L Jackson also does the voiceover for. This is an effective element to include as Samuel L Jackson’s voice is quite recognisable and the public information film can allow the audience to relate to it. In chapter five David Bowie’s ‘Cat People’ sound track is played whilst seeing Shoshanna getting ready for the premiere. This sounds very stereotypical of the 80’s so creates an interesting contrast to the actual time period that the film is set in. Like the other music that is played in Inglourious Basterds, you would not expect to hear this in any previous war films so this also shows Tarantino using postmodern elements. The scene where Frederick and Shoshanna shoot each other includes many postmodern aspects. It creates a very obvious link to Romeo and Juliet and the slow motion emphasises the contrapuntal music. It also makes the scene more emotive and extends their deaths which highlights Shoshanna’s regret of shooting Frederick because he is a ‘hero’. The birds eye view shot of them both dead on the floor is very similar to Romeo and Juliet so the situation could be described as a messed up romance. This particular scene plays with reality and image and shows their unrequited love.

There is a strong intertextual link to the Odessa Steps and its Descendants scene. This involves the shot of a soldier being shot in the eye which is very recognisable to the audience of those that have seen it. This shot features in Nation’s Pride, the film that is played at the premiere in Inglourious Basterds involving Frederick Zoller. This postmodern element is very common in war films so this link is very relevant. Tarantino also takes elements from a previous war film which is Where Eagles Dare in 1968. This is very similar to Inglourious Basterds in the way in which there are multiple excessive and graphic deaths where the Basterds show no emotion and they just see it as a job and enjoy killing Nazis.

Other Influential references in Inglourious Basterds include elements from True Romance in 1993, Inglorious Bastards in 1978, The White Hell of Pitz Palu, Mitchell and Webb Nazis, Max Linder, Leni Riefenstahl, The Untouchables steps scene, Battleship Potemkin, Sergeant York, Van Johnson, Nations Pride and The Odessa Steps and its Descendants.  The music is probably the most noticeable postmodern element in this war film as it is so different to what is used in other war films and there is usually a lot less used. Tarantino has been described to ‘dig into’ his record collection to take soundtracks from previous films or artists that he found inspirational. One soundtrack that is featured is Slaughter by Billy Preston. This is used in scenes where tension is either being created or a death has just occurred.  A similar soundtrack that is played is The Devil's Rumble by Davie Allen & The Arrows.  

Inglourious Basterds can be categorised as a postmodern war film because it is so different to a traditional war film. It is much more graphic, the Basterds assume that they will win, it is more humorous, there is more to the story such as flashbacks and has disjointed narrative, there is more of a focus on the characters, there is text on the screen, the characters have a consistent immaculate appearance, there are voiceovers, there are self reflexive elements and Tarantino also manages to include his foot fetish which can be seen in many of his films.

One theory that can be applied to Inglourious Basterds is Jacques Derrida's theory, a French philosopher. They proposed that “a text cannot belong to no genre, it cannot be without a genre. Every text participates in one or several genres, there is no genre less text.” This goes against postmodernist thinking as genres in a traditional sense are not helpful as text. They are diverse in nature. The main genres that can be seen in Inglourious Basterds are black comedy and war. Levi Strauss came up with the idea that writers or directors construct texts from other texts by a process of addition, deletion, substitution and transposition. They called this bricolage. Each of the postmodern elements that have been previously stated all fall into these four categories in some way. Examples of addition are the Blaxploitation music and the fairy-tale aspect. These were taken from previous films and simply added into Inglourious Basterds as they can be recognised immediately. Deletion is used as this film is very different compared to other films such as Saving Private Ryan. Tarantino takes elements out and in Saving Private Ryan you see more of the journey and fear of the soldiers, their feelings and emotions, human frailty and there is also not as much shooting or battles. For the substitution of features, Tarantino uses yellow text instead of white text, he substituted the title of the film and also the David Bowie soundtrack rather than playing music that would normally be relevant to war films. Transposition is used with elements taken form The Searchers, Spaghetti Westerns, The Sound of Music, framing and Tarantino also changes the end of the war. Gerard Genette was another French structuralist and developed the term transtextuality. This was developed into 5 sub-groups although only four apply to film. The first subgroup is intertextuality. Tarantino uses a lot of this as he constantly makes links other films and material. The second is the idea of architextuality so the film is designated as a war film by Tarantino and the audience. Metatextuality is explicit or implicit commentary of one text on another text for example when Zoller talks about the film Sergeant York. He believed that he is the German Sergeant York and then also goes on to talk about Nations Pride. Hypotextuality is the relation between text and hypotext. Examples of this include The Searchers, Blaxploitation, the public information film, Spaghetti Western, war films and Hitler.

Inglourious Basterds can be considered postmodern in many ways. Overall the elements Tarantino takes from films and records shows him recontextualising aspects and creating something new. He either takes elements that he either likes or finds relevant and adds them, or simply substitutes them for something else. I think this is very effective and the choice of postmodern elements that he uses works very well with the genre of the film and helps enhance the actors and actresses personality which makes the film so unique because it is not what you would expect.