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Inglourious Basterds/Headscratchers: Difference between revisions
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****** Landa's plan was not smart at all. It was dumb. Aside from the fact that Shosanna did most of the actual work (so the High Command died less because of his treason, and more due to his incompetence), any idiot could see his final fate coming. It was obvious that the Basterds were likely to betray him, given their record, and aside from that the Allies had no reason to keep their word, and the rest of the world wouldn't be too accepting of a guy who is responsible for the deaths of countless innocents, and would see through his treason. Even if there was an official veneer of acceptance, he would be widely reviled, and he is deluded to think otherwise. Pretty sure the Nazi insignia he got cut so deep that it probalby killed him too.
******* I think you're all underestimating Landa's importance. For a start he is the security man of the Nazi high command. Whilst Hitler is dead, the war still isn't over and he might have picked up loads of important and useful things over his time in the post. Secondly and more importantly think of the propaganda. A high ranking Nazi was actually an Ally the whole time? That would have a massive effect on the war(especially for the remaining German troops who would no doubt recognise Landa), Landa would probably be on every Allied war leaflet from here to Poland, something which Landa was no doubt aware of (and Raine, who somewhat spoiled it with his "masterpiece") and looking forward to.
******** Hitler died with the rest of the High Command and with other prominent Nazis; the German war effort was in serious trouble, to say nothing of the fact that many military leaders in Germany had been actively plotting his death for years and would likely sue for peace. Either way any info Landa gave them wouldn't have been especially important. Regardless, Landa was ''not'' an ally "the whole time" and only turned to save his own ass and because he thought he would be a hero; that and the idea that he'd be on "every Allied war leaflet from here to Poland" just brings up the earlier issue about Jews and others who are less willing to forgive him, to say nothing of historians and others who would shortly be tearing his reputation apart, especially if they discover what ''really'' happened and that events didn't play out like he imagined at all. [[Rewarded
*** Unless Aldo cut "deep enough" to pierce his skull (and through the thickest, toughest part of the skull), no, it wasn't going to kill him. The forehead is skin and bone, and even carving it up as Aldo did is very unlikely to make him bleed to the point of death--especially considering Aldo has been "practicing" and would probably have a fair idea of how to make it hurt, last, but still be survivable.<br />It's actually an old pro wrestling trick: Any time you've seen someone bleeding from the head, it's real--they slip them a razor, and they make a small cut in their forehead. It bleeds, but is still plenty safe.
* Perhaps it was just [[Translation Convention]], but Shoshanna recording her last message to the Nazis in the theater in English seems monumentally pointless. If you're going to tell your enemies why they're about to die in a fire as a final act of evil gloating, isn't it necessary for the audience to ''know what the hell you're saying'' for it to have any value? Though I suppose her options were rather limited if she didn't know any fluent German speakers who were opposed to the Nazis.
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** Also, though it's probably just my own mind coming to this conclusion and not an active thought of the crew - but can you imagine how ''infuriating'' it would be knowing you're about to die and having the perpetrator infront of you explaining her reasons...but you can't understand a damn word she's saying? Would drive me up the bloody wall. And then I'd die, presumably.
** This was handled slightly better in the German dub, as most of the English parts were dubbed in German, which at first seemed annoying, but then again, some parts would work much better that way. First, the conversation between Hans Landa et Perrier LaPadite was in German. Switching from French to German, Landa's native language, makes much more sense than switching to English and seems less suspicious. Throughout the whole movie then, Shoshanna would have understood German, and consequently, she would have recorded her message "for Germany" in German, which, again, makes much more sense. However, I think she assumed that the "most important Nazis" would be able to speak English, or at least understand it.
** Also, and I know this isn't what you mean at all, but she said it in English so that we, the English speaking audience, could look right into her eyes for that performance instead of reading subtitles. Tarantino's done this before, in ''[[
** She assumed Landa was there, and since he had been able to kill her family because they didn't speak English, she wanted to show him that she does now.
*** That seems the most likely answer. She may hate Hitler because he's, well, Hitler, but her primary target would have been Landa. She probably would have missed him either way. He seems shrewd enough that without the Basterds' plan in motion he would have found out about hers and let it carry on, using a similar line of reasoning when she questioned him. And presumably toy with her up in the booth until it was time to bug out. In the unlikely event he thought she posed no more threat and left her alive, she would likely [[Hoist
* Considering he's from Boston, doesn't it seem strange that a right-handed batter would compare himself to Ted Williams?<ref>Williams was left-handed.</ref>
** A. I don't know why you needed to spoiler tag that. B. I hardly find that strange at all.
*** That wasn't a spoiler tag. The
*** If it bugs you it bugs you, but I just don't see how it's remotely strange that a Boston-bred baseball fan would model himself after Ted Williams. It seems completely natural, actually. I'm right-handed, and when I played Little League I imitated the stance and swing of David Justice, a lefty. Williams was a hero to Boston baseball fans.
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** He enjoys tormenting his victims. Notice how he comes into all of these situations knowing the truth, but still being polite and forcing people to act nice back to him while he slowly, slowly lets them know that they're fucked.
** This point wasn't missed by Tarantino -- in fact, in the original script, one of Landa's soldiers ''did'' ask him why he didn't shoot the girl. His response was something to this effect (lifted from the script, the transcriber's horrible spelling included):
{{quote|
* Just how sturdy was that baseball bat? After busting a few skulls with it, wouldn't any ordinary baseball bat have broken? Then you need to find a new baseball bat, in occupied France. Good luck finding a sporting goods store.
** I have only anecdotal evidence to support this theory, but baseball bats were made better 60 years ago, and they were much, much heavier than wooden bat used today. Today, they are made to hit the ball far, and it's no worry if they break, because you can replace them cheaply and easily (and we do). It was only recently that batters figured out that faster bat speed (using a lighter bat) hits farther, and not a big, heavy bat. My grandfather's bat is still in our garage, looking no worse for wear for all the seasons it played, but it's fucking heavy as hell.
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*** Actually no, the Gestapo didn't pull his gun out until the Brit's error.
* Why does the security at the cinema for Hitler, Goebbels, Goering and Bormann consist of two soldiers standing outside the balcony door? One may have expected to see a few guards in the foyer and outside the cinema doors.
** In answer to my own question I suspect the entire film is actually a drug fueled revenge fantasy on the part of Emmanuelle, who was actually captured in chapter 1 and is being experimented on in Auschwitz (the ''[[Brazil (
** Hubris, again, is a likely answer.
*** I would have thought that Hubris would manifest as a totally OTT security presence I'm so important I need all these guards
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** Or the tiny little fact that The Wilhelm Scream itself exists only on our side of reality, whereas in-universe that scream is just... well... happening. How many different screams are there in the world that don't sound like any others?
*** Well yeah, of course a movie set before the Fifties wouldn't be barred from using it, but the [[Fridge Logic]] comes with a movie ''[[Show Within a Show|made]]'' before the Fifties.
** What I'm saying is that, as far as the people making "Nation's Pride" are concerned, they're not using the Wilhelm Scream. Only Quentin Tarantino is. It's not like that guy in ''[[
* I totaly sympathize with Landa's hysterical reaction to the "mountain climbing" excuse for a broken leg. Hello! You could tell you broke a leg by ''falling down the stairs''! Last time I checked there definitely were stairs in Paris! The Basterds looked at least half-competent, how could the make such a stupid blunder?
** In the previous scene, Aldo mentioned that she was going to be doped up the eyeballs so she'd be able to ignore the pain of her gunshot wound. If she'd been "all there," she'd probably have come up with something a little more plausible.
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** The internet hadn't been invented yet. People couldn't just ''get'' information and pictures of people back then.
** Yeah, considering his moniker and reputation, they were probably expecting a seven-foot behemoth with eyes of coal and scars all over him. They'd never dream this fucker would be him.
** Hey wait a second. Remember how Stiglitz was introduced? With the grindhouse letters, the guitar lick, and [[Samuel L. Jackson]]'s narration? They show Stiglitz making the headline. ''Dude's face was on the paper''. Now they might not have the Internet back in the '40s but they sure do read newspapers? This "only heard of him" thing doesn't explain it that easily.
** Well, that would imply that everybody in the German Army has read that single news paper article.
** It follows that if there's a dangerous killer on the loose and somebody has his photograph, every publication would include it.
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* One thing that bugs me is the fact that after the four years in the beginning Hans Landa is still a Colonel, I mean he's obviously very good at what he does and has connections in high places so shouldn't he be promoted to General?
** Generals don't go out into the field to do anything, though--in the modern military, a General doesn't lead from the front. As I understand it, Colonel is the highest rank in most militaries that are still allowed to go out into the field and get their hands dirty. Landa was much more valuable to the Nazis if he's allowed to do what he does best than he would be sitting in a base somewhere delegating duties.<br />Look at [[Stargate SG-1
** There are colonels today who are very good at what they do who have spent more than four years as colonels. Being promoted from a prestigious position to an even more prestigious position is by no means an easy feat.
** I understand your reasoning but this was sixty years ago and not all Generals were desk jockeys back then and Landa didn't really go out to the field either so I can't see why he shouldn't be a General, however I have been thinking about it and I think the reason is that Tarantino wanted a [[Colonel Badass]] .
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** This may be a little bit of a surprise to you (...if you spent the whole movie with your eyes closed and your ears plugged), but the Basterds are, as a rule, pretty damn fucked up themselves. Even if Stiglitz ''was'' just a psychopath, he would've fit right in regardless.
** No, it's no surprise at all that a group of men unaffiliated (at least, officially) with any government, lead by a blood-thirsty man with an unexplained scar on his neck, are fucked up. But they have a mission, are shown to be intelligent, and presumably have a strong streak of survival. Deciding to break out a man who turned on his own for no obvious reason is a good way to hinder their mission and possibly pointlessly end their own lives.
*** It's possible that they were there to do something else, happened across Stiglitz in confinement, and went 'Hey, he might be useful, or at the very least be another body to soak up bullets'.
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