'Inglorious Basterds': Quentin Tarantino on WWII

Well, Quentin Tarantino finally did it. He managed to squeeze a drop of cognition life into one of his high octane, low budget, blood drenched films. I refer of course to the Brad Pitt Inglorious Basterds, although I don't know if Pitt if the movie refers to Pitt or for his foe. Both apply equally. And I'm being pretty liberal with the term 'cognition'. Tarantino has tweaked a shoot-'em-up to include a splattering of skewed WWII history.

Inglorious Basterds, the title being either a jest at southern dialect or, what is more likely, a garden variety spelling error, is a whopper of a belly flopper on so many levels. First it's unclear who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist, the Nazi prisoners or the southern vigilante brute squad? I know, I know that's a common plot construct. To engage the audience's sympathies with both side, neither side or to present a conflict of interest. To juxtapose characters in such a way as to make us rethink our preconceived notions. The whole 'persecuted become the persecutors' motif. But that technique is also quite sophisticated and I don't think a director of Tarantino's ilk could pull it off. I don't even think that he was trying to.

The historical inaccuracy is just bizarre. I've read comparisons of Tarantinos' Inglorious Basterds to Tom Hanks/ Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. Mention was made that both are fictional accounts of WWII. I hasten to point out the difference between fiction and fallacy. Fiction involves the creation of characters and a plot, such as Saving Private Ryan. Inglorious Basterds is fallacy; taking real people and portraying them in a false way. Not every German soldier was a Nazi. And if Tarantino thinks that they were buffoons as portrayed in the film he's got another think coming. Ruthless and cruel, often. Stupid, no.

Then there's the little matter of poking fun at huge social injustice. Am I the only one wondering which part of bludgeoning people to death is funny? I can laugh at the machinations of Stalag 13 and Hogan's Heroes. I can appreciate the dry,cerebral humor of Dr. Strangelove. I can even appreciate that Tarantino might be trying to show that depravity comes in all nationalities, American, German and Jewish. What I cannot bend my mind around is that there is any humor in sadism and brutality. I won't dignify Inglorious Basterds as a travesty. I reserve that word more legitimate work, not inane drivel. Brad Pitt's fatuous accent was the travesty. And Mike Myers? I ask you...

Either Quentin Tarantino is making a profound satirical indictment about American vigilante justice and movie-goers missed the point. Or as I suspect, the viewing public, in general is devolving mentally. If you choose to see Inglorious Basterds, be prepared; leave your brain at home.