AICN has published their set report from Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” and while it’s nowhere near as coherent or as thorough as the set report written by Tarantino Archives a few weeks ago, it does still reveal some interesting elements of the production.
Those that have read the outrageous, thrilling and over-the-top script (most of us) know that the film is broken into five chapter sequences and know how it all ends, but has that final chapter changed somewhat or greatly?
Written by AIC, Harry Knowles, probably the most notable item in the long-winded scrawl of an email-like post is his claim that “the final chapter of that script has changed excessively” as it’s apparently “more violent & heroic.”
[ps, excessive obviously means “too much,” beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree, which would make what Harry’s saying a pejorative. What we believe he’s trying to say is, it’s changed significantly.]
How has it changed violently and heroically? Knowles doesn’t qualify that statement at all. The aim of the production obviously is to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and he notes while that tight turnaround does “sound highly unlikely,” he says the production is a tightly knit operation and that editor Sally Menke has “been working non-stop with Quentin to hone this beast to a finished flick” (something we assumed from minute one; there’s no way you’re going to make Cannes if you’re not editing while you’re shooting). To facilitate the editing speed needed, Tarantino’s evidently shot the film in order – generally an unusual practice on film sets.
There’s not much else in the piece that’s super revealing, but apparently the propaganda film within the film, “Pride of The Nation” (“Stolz Der Nation”) is 20 minutes long and was screened in its entirety for Knowles and others (it’s only shown in bits and pieces within the larger framework of ‘Basterds’).
Directed by ‘Basterds’ actor Eli Roth, ‘Pride’ is apparently a very persuasive piece of Nazi propaganda work and the Jewish Roth joked to Knowles that his grandparents would be “rolling in their graves,” if they were to see it.
Other than that, there’s not a whole hell lot of details, but as we suspected, Omar Doom (“Death Proof”) appears to have a pretty small role.
The part that leaves us feeling the most hopeful is a thought that soundman Mark Ulano impresses upon Knowles. Many people have (unwisely) complained that the casting of the film has been too weird and too obscure and that the movie doesn’t include enough names or Tarantino mainstays, but Ulano says the relatively unknown cast has really helped bring the movie alive.
“Mark spoke strongly about how different that casting process has resulted in what he feels are extraordinary performances. But more than that, to him it is the tone in which [QT’s] directing the film. That the movie is emotional, visceral and indeed… funny as well. It isn’t slapstick, but there’s something just fun about this film he feels.”
Is it just us or is he saying to us worried with the Brad Pitt performance in the trailer, “Hey, don’t worry, it’s not as campy as it appears, but it is fun.” We could live with that, so yeah, we hope so.
I think Pitt’s performance should be funny and fun but not as over the top as what we see in the trailer. If the movie accomplishes that, it will benefit a great deal.