¶ … Inglourious Basterds A modern day auteur, Quentin Tarantino has continuously revolutionized how cinemagoers experience films. By embracing his various passions and interests, and incorporating them into his films, Tarantino has proved that genres and styles do not have to be limited by culture, and in the case of Inglourious Basterds (2009), historical accuracy. Because of his postmodern approach and his unique viewpoints and style, Inglourious Basterds is a welcome addition to Tarantino's cinematic canon.

Inglourious Basterds (2009) is a contemporary spaghetti western style film that is set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. The film recounts the story of a motley crew of American soldiers, known as the Basterds, who set out on a mission to kill as many Nazi soldiers as possible. The Basterds are joined by rogue-Nazi soldier Hugo Stiglitz, who, like the Basterds, has taken matters into his own hands and has done everything in his power to destroy the Third Reich. While these men work in conjunction with each other, unbeknownst to this clandestine group, Shosanna Dreyfus is also plotting her revenge on the Third Reich, specifically SS Colonel Hans Landa, who is infamously called the "Jew Hunter" (Inglourious Basterds, 2009). This film features a wide range of well-known actors, which include Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Julie Dreyfus, and Harvey Keitel and Samuel L. Jackson -- whom only provide voice-overs;...

The collaboration between these actors adds a sense of authenticity to the film, as Tarantino is able to effectively demonstrate how different cultures interact with each other. Furthermore, by having many of these actors speak in their native tongue, German, Tarantino is able to show a realistic portrayal Nazi antagonists juxtaposed against English-speaking protagonists. In this sense, language is used as a tool to help identify good forces and evil forces.
In order to portray the interactions and relationships that these characters have with each other, Tarantino divides the film into self-contained chapters whose narratives run parallel to each other and eventually collide at the film's climax, Shosanna's and the Basterds' separate but simultaneous attack of high-ranking Nazi officials, including a historically inaccurate assassination of Hitler, at the screening of Nation's Pride, a Nazi propaganda film (Inglourious Basterds, 2009). Another trademark that Tarantino masterfully employs in the film's narrative is the homage he plays to former cinema icons. These icons include Ennio Morricone -- whose influence can be heard in the film's soundtrack, Mexican B-movie actor Hugo Stiglitz -- who has a character named after him played by Til Schwieger, and references made to filmmakers Enzo G. Castellari, Antonio Margheriti, and Edgar G. Ulmer. Other Tarantino signatures include a close up shot of bare feet -- seen in films such as Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (2003), a Mexican standoff -- seen in films such as Reservoir Dogs (1994), and a cameo appearance by the…