Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino’s films usually have several different stories going on at once. Each story has its own main charters, and in the end all of the stories come together to create a fantastic film experience. Inglourious Basterds is no exception to that style. The film has three main stories going on, and each story has its own focal characters. In one story you have Lt. Aldo Raine, in another story you have Shosanna Dreyfus, and in the final story you have Col. Hans Landa. With his excellent use of characterization Tarantino finds a way to portray each of his stories in a way that draws the audience in, and holds on to their attention throughout the film.
One of Tarantino’s uses of characterization comes in the character of Lt. Aldo Raine who is played by Brad Pitt. Pitt’s spin on this character makes him one of most memorable of the film. Pitt’s poor version of a good ole boy southern accent makes for some very entertaining scenes. Lt. Aldo Raine is introduced to the audience towards the beginning of the film when he is giving a speech to his soldiers. This speech has one of the films most memorable lines, “Each and every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps. And I want my scalps. And all y'all will git me one hundred Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred dead Nazis. Or you will die tryin'.” This speech really does an outstanding job of setting the tone for Pitt’s character and what the audience is to expect of him for the rest of the film.
Another great use of characterization comes from the character of Shosanna Dreyfus who is played by Melanie Laurent. Tarantino does a great job with this character because she has conflicts with several different characters, and these conflicts help to bring the film together. Laurent does a fabulous job with this character. Dreyfus, because of her looks and all around natural beauty, comes off as somewhat innocent, and someone the audience cant help but fall in love with. In one scene Dreyfus is speaking to a French film developer and she says “You either do what the fuck we tell you, or I'll bury this axe in your collaborating skull.” This really helps give the audience the idea that Dreyfus is not as innocent as she looks, and she is going to get whatever she wants.
The next fantastic use of characterization comes from the character of Col. Hans Landa who is played by Christoph Waltz. Landa is by far one of the most remember characters of the film. Waltz does an excellent job with the role making Landa evil, yet charming. Right from the very beginning of the film Landa is quickly set as the villain. Tarantino’s use of Waltz’s character throughout the film brings a lot of conflict and drama for the audience to enjoy. One of the films most suspenseful scenes comes when Landa is sitting at the table with Dreyfus. Right before Landa gets up from the table he says, “I did have something else I wanted to ask you, but right now, for the life of me, I can't remember what it is. Oh, well, must not have been important.” This lets the audience know that Landa knows who she is, and helps to set up the rest of the film.
Quentin Tarantino always does an excellent job taking the audience for a ride with his use of characterization, and this film is no different. From start to finish the audience is drawn in and feels a connection with the characters. Inglourious Basterds is full of great examples of characterization, and each one is equally as important as the next. Without one of these great characters the film simply would not have worked. Once again Tarantino treated his audience to something uniquely different from most of today’s films.

Works Cited
Inglourious Basterds. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Universal Pictures, 2009. Film.
Petrie, Dennis, and Joseph Boggs. The Art of Watching Films. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill,
2012. Print.