Insight of a Spaghetti Western through the eyes of a girl
Ultimately, Inglourious Basterds gives audiences around the country tremendous insight on the satire of a spaghetti western. The satire of a spaghetti western features American leads and foreign supporting cast. “The genre traditionally is a western fare, but the Spanish settings are very distinctive” (Hughes, 2004). The distinctive traditional settings in Inglourious Basterds include: decaying old houses, desecrated bodies, and a lawless land. Also, “magnificent scenery, action sequences, and stirring music that leads to extreme graphic violence” (Hughes, 2004).This sequence of events is intertwined within this film, and keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Further, “the good, the bad, and the ugly” (Interview, 2009), meaning consequently, in the film there are both good and bad characters, but the seemingly good characters are not so perfect. Inglourious Basterds sets a perfect precedence for the satire of a spaghetti western.
Nevertheless, Tarantino puts his own unique spin on a spaghetti western through the film Inglorious Basterds. The film is starring Brad Pitt as a commanding officer of a bush whacking, gorilla, Nazi-scalping squad of Jewish American soldiers, known as “The Basterds”. Furthermore, The Basterds invade Nazi-occupied France during World War II, scalping and killing any Nazi’s that the squad comes across. Meanwhile, a young Jewish girl escapes with her life as she watched her family get gunned down by Nazi soldiers. In the long run, the young girl takes a flaming revenge on the Nazi’s who killed her family.
Uniquely, the film Inglourious Basterds, has a hair raising graphic violence that leaves audiences across the nation with a turned stomach as The Basterds scalp the Nazi’s. Further, the film questions morality; trying to distinguish between good and evil. However, the audience watches Brad Pitt as the good character to only have the characteristics of evil. Also, the music plays a stirring role in this film because it intensifies killing scenes. The extreme impulse build-up of music leads audiences to assume that a gruesome killing is about to happen. Finally, exaggerations in the final show down makes this film a remarkable spaghetti western.
For the most part, graphic violence in a spaghetti western has an inescapable presentation of detail. Essentially it does not allow audiences to escape into their imagination, but only to see the vulgar actions of the violence. Tarantino sets a scene of graphic violence; the scene starts out with The Basterds scalping many Nazi soldiers. As the audience watches, three soldiers are on their knees lined up with their hands on top of their heads. The Jewish Lt. Al Do Rain (Brad Pitt) calls the Nazi sergeant to him, in slow motion the sergeant walks toward the Lt. and solutes. Then Lt. Al Do Rain introduces members of his squad and interrogates the Nazi asking multiple questions. Consequently, when the sergeant respectfully refuses; Lt. has the Nazi sergeant’s head bashed in with a baseball bat.
Uniquely, Tarantino uses this scene of impeccable graphic violence to intertwine the film as a spaghetti western. The cinematic enhanced graphic gore in this scene puts a shock factor on audiences across the nation. The camera moves slowly outward focusing on the entire surroundings where the sergeant is being beaten. This movement makes the audience feel as if it were realistic, placing them there at that very moment. Also, the audience can almost feel the blood spatter on their faces, and hear the delayed sound, from the crack of the bat on the hitting the sergeant’s skull. Further, camera movement, sound, and appalling graphic violence pull this scene together to revolt audiences everywhere.
However, morality is a massive question in this film for the audience. Brad Pitt being the assumingly good character, but showing immorally bad characteristic traits as the Lt. The scene of morality in the film starts by, the Lt. Al Do Rain bringing The Basterds into a jail full of Nazi soldiers. Further, killing all Nazi’s in the squad’s way of reaching their goal of busting out an inmate. This inmate had ultimately been arrested for multiple murders of Nazi higher ranking officers. Lt. Al Do Rain feels the addition of the inmate to his squad will enhance his squad, and to reach the goal of scalping many Nazi soldiers. Furthermore, a Good character mainly does the right thing because it is what is expected of the character. Brad Pitt and his squad killing multiple Nazi’s makes audiences think twice, wondering which character is really the good one. However, “the good, the bad, and the ugly” (Interview, 2009) justifies morality in this film, for the audience. There really is not a good character, only mistaking a character for being good.
Intensified music for any film scene contributes to a successful thrill for the audience. The scene that shows great intense music in Inglourious Basterds, starts at the beginning of the film. Consequently, colonel invades La Patie’s home looking for a stowed away Jewish families. As the colonel interrogates La Patie, the music intensifies at a more rapid pace, gains a greater volume, then colonel steps outside, and calls his squad of Nazi soldiers in. Finally, the squad surrounds the floor where a Jewish family lay under and shots killing all, but one young girl.
Furthermore, the music in this scene plays a key part, being physically inserted to make the audience aware of the characters in the scene. Also, music in this scene is a source to introduce a visual or reference of what is about to occur. Ultimately, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats, as the thrill of the scene is in progress. Further, the intensified music ties this film to the satire of a spaghetti western.
Finally, the final show down of exaggeration has many psychological twists. The scene starts out with the Nazi’s coming to a young girl’s cinema to see a premier of a film. However, all the meanwhile, the young girl has plotted to exterminate the Nazis in her cinema. The young Jewish girl locks all the Nazi’s in her theater and burns them to death. Inevitably, the young girl does this to take revenge for the deaths of her family. The way this scene is setup, camera moves, angles such as close ups, eye shots, and choice of music, which gives the audience a dramatic exaggeration of events. The ironic effect or climax of exaggeration in the scene entangles the film to the genre of a spaghetti western.
Ironically, this film gives an exclusive individual view on a typical spaghetti western film. The graphic violence through-out the film, leaves the audience with a gut wrenching feeling of fright. The film also, leaves audiences questioning who is really admirable and who is corrupt; as a Jewish American soldier invading France killing any Nazi’s his squad can find. Furthermore, the intense music builds up; creating an adrenaline rush for the audience. Finally, the over fated exaggeration of the final show down; the piercing acceleration of revenge connects the film to the satire of a spaghetti western.

References

Bender, L. (Producer) & Tarantino,Q. (Director). (2009) Inglourious Basterds [DVD]. United States of America and Germany: NBC Universal
Hughes, H. (2004). Once upon a time in the Italian west filmgoers’ guide to spaghetti western (e-book), Retrieved from: http://discover.linccweb.org/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?
Interview with Tarantino,Q. (2009). Tarantino blends humor, carnage again in “Basterds”: NPR: Retrieved from: http//www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112085605