Tarantino's take on WWII draws fire in Germany

Tarantino's take on WWII draws fire in Germany
By Scott Roxborough and Karsten Kastelan Fri Sep 5, 2:04 AM ET


BERLIN (Hollywood Reporter) - Seems you can't even be nasty to Nazis anymore. A leaked script of Quentin Tarantino's World War II drama "Inglorious Bastards" already is stirring up controversy for scenes of vengeful Americans bashing, scalping, shooting and strangling German soldiers.What began as an Internet murmur here went mainstream with a recent newspaper article by Tobias Kneibe, film editor of the Suddeutsche Zeitung, who predicted that the project could have an explosive effect similar to that of Tom Cruise's World War II drama "Valkyrie," which initially was barred from filming in certain locations and already has been savaged in the German media even though it doesn't hit theaters until 2009.
"All the German historians and critics who were left gasping for breath by Tom Cruise and his worthy attempts will be so shocked by 'Inglorious Bastards' that they will savage it on the spot," Kniebe wrote.
Even though he personally likes the script, Kneibe said that "the collision between Tarantino-style pop culture with the themes of the Holocaust and Jewish revenge (the 'Bastards' of the film are Jewish-American Nazi hunters) is unprecedented in Germany and its results are completely unpredictable."
More potential fuel for the fire: Tarantino's pulp fiction version of German history will almost certainly get German state financing. Germany's DFFF film fund gives automatic tax breaks for local shoots, and "Bastards" is set to shoot almost entirely in Studio Babelsberg outside Berlin.
"I don't see how it should not be eligible for DFFF money," said Kirsten Niehuus, director of the Berlin-Brandenburg regional film fund.
The New York-based Weinstein Co., which is producing the film, declined comment, but sources near the shoot said the controversy has had no effect on Tarantino or the German actors connected to the film, who include Til Schweiger, Daniel Bruhl, Christoph Waltz and Diane Kruger.
"Most in the German industry love it that Tarantino's in Berlin," one insider said. "They love it that this kind of popcorn film is getting made here."
Reuters/Hollywood

Tarantino's take on WWII draws fire in Germany - Yahoo! News

 

I haven't seen one Tarantino project yet. It's only my opinion, but his crap, I mean movies, are so focused on violence that they completely lack artistic merit and fall into the same category as pornography and should be treated as such-sold only in shops that also sell "adult toys", lingerie, and assorted exotica.

 

Almost ditto to the above comments. The only film by that guy I have seen several minutes of-and detested what I saw-was a few minutes of pulp fiction. This guy can be compared to martin scorcese and his slimball of excuses that are called; movies.

 

I beg to differ with you guys, I would never put Tarantino in the same category as Scorsese. Their two completely different kinds of directors, I think Scorsese is a very talented director but I also think Tarantino is as well. Tarantino's films appeal to a different audience though, when I go see a Tarantino flick I have a different mindset or expectation then when I go see a Scorsese flick. He is almost in a genre of his own making, Pulp Fiction was just a unique film when it came out and thats why it blew up the box office. Rob Zombie for example is another director who is very talented but his movies are completely different than Scorsese's, he directed one of the trailers for 'Grindhouse' titled 'Werewolf Women of the SS'. It was great! sure it was cheesy and had over-the-top gore but you know thats the fun of it! You can't compare Saving Private Ryan a serious war movie but still a fictional plot to Werewolf Women and the SS another fictional plot. Werewolf Women and the SS is WWII mixed with horror and fiction but so what? That's part of the reason I believe WWII movies will never die, because there is so much you can do with fictional storylines like say Hellboy/Indiana Jones and the upcoming Wolfenstein film. I have written a script intended for a short-film which is a fictional story wrapped inside WWII.






Bring them on!

 

Dark Ice,

I posted this in another thread here, but graphic violence in movies is actually harmful to children and to people dealing with trauma. This is why I consider it pornography and feel it should only be sold in certain places. I'm not saying censor it, but it should be kept from children, and not shown in places where there might be children.

Tarantino is an immature insensitive jerk who makes crap. I don't think I've seen a Scorcese flick, but I avoid violent movies due to PTSD. Seeing graphic violence will cost me two weeks of nightmares, at least.

I don't know what your background is, but most people who hunger for violent entertainment have never done an altruistic act-like join the military and serve, or volunteering at the V.A. If you understood the plight of those who don't need that kind of crap, you would be more sensitive to their needs.

 

With all due respect this is America. We have the freedom to write and shoot movies with graphic violence, and sometimes its necessary I'm sorry. Saving Private Ryan showed the audience the horror of war, Schindler's List for the first time ever showed the audience what the Jews went through in the concentration camps. Now there is that type of violence and then there is the Tarantino/Rob Zombie/Paul Verhoeven type violence but you know what? this is what the rating system is for. If your a parent then you shouldn't allow your children to watch these type of movies anyways, I'm sure they are content with Star Wars like I was at that period in my life. I have no problem with your opinion in-fact I respect it but don't try to impose it on other people or the entertainment industry. -I would never force someone to watch an R-rated film.

 

The only thing I ask myself is; what message is this Tarantino-style pop culture movie with the themes of the Holocaust supposed to deliver to the audience besides pure brutality and horror for the sake of it.

Regards
Kruska

 

And therein lies the problem. Very much like the ancient Romans, Americans want violent entertainment. Torture porn has replaced feeding christians to lions. How far have we come in two thousand years? Not too far evidently.

Back in the 1970's, when Happy Days ruled the ratings, Ralph Malph was writing to a show called "You Asked For It", wanting to see a live human sacrifice. When the show showed up to see the Fonz take on a very dangerous stunt, Ralph was horrified that the show would be so callous as to show his friend in peril.

So, to those who say:"This is America", I have a recommendation, let's show their sister or mother being tortured. They might not want to see it, but someone else will enjoy watching it.

 

Hello Lias_Co_Pilot,

Not just the Americans I am afraid, the whole world is going down the drain.

Regards
Kruska

 

I'm sure this movie will be just like Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. A violent, dark, film noir experience. Being thats its WWII makes my mouth water because thats my favorite and most interested era of all time.

 

Hello DarkIce,

because of all the killings and atrocities that occured during that time?

Regards
Kruska

 

Why aren't I surprised?

 

no because its a very interesting period in history, thats why.

 

I guess it wouldn't be an "experience" with out all the killings, blood and violence would it? I have to admit I liked "From Dusk to Dawn". But then again that movie wasn't based in reality. I wonder if Tarantino could make the movie without all the violence or blood? Or at least tone it down. He does have to make it appeal to those who may like to revel in that kind of thing though. It's not like he is making it for humanitarian purposes. Its all about Profit of course. The more violent he can make it as close to standards that he can the more chance to get more money from those who love it. Videogame mentality and knowledge of history.

 

Tarantino didn't direct From Dusk Till Dawn, but he was in the movie of course. If your going to see this film don't expect rainbows and fairy's flying around. It will be violent, graphic and bloody. -There is nothing wrong with that its a genre of movie-making.​

 

Germany Already Writing Auf Tarantino's Bastards?

Fri., Sep. 5, 2008 12:10 PM PDT by Gina Serpe
Paul Fenton/ZUMAPress.com
Quentin Tarantino is entering Tom Cruise territory.
A script of the director's star-studded, soon-to-film World War II epic Inglorious Bastards was leaked to the German press this week, drawing ire from the nation's media and kicking up a controversy that could reach Valkyrie-level proportions.
The backlash primarily concerns scenes showing Jewish-American soldiers scalping, shooting, strangling and otherwise gorily dispatching Nazi soldiers.
"All the German historians and critics who were left gasping for breath by Tom Cruise and his worthy attempts will be so shocked by Inglorious Bastards that they will savage it on the spot," opines Tobias Kneibe, film editor of Germany's Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, of the film that stars Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Simon Pegg and Mike Myers.
Kneibe, who qualified his critique by saying that he actually enjoyed the potentially offensive material, added that "the collision between Tarantino-style pop culture with the themes of the Holocaust and Jewish revenge (the 'Bastards' of the film are Jewish-American Nazi hunters) is unprecedented in Germany and its results are completely unpredictable."
Unpredictable, that is, in exactly how poorly the film will be received by German critics and audiences.
The long-gestating film revolves around both the rag-tag band of eight Jewish-American soldiers, led by Southern rebel Pitt, as they exact revenge on Nazis in German-occupied France, with each soldier bent on capturing 100 Nazi scalps apiece. It also follows a French girl's personal revenge on Nazis, with the two storylines eventually converging.
While Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill and Joseph Goebbels are all written into the script, accounts that the film isn't overly concerned with historical accuracy seem unanimous.
The Weinstein Company and Universal are coproducing the film, which is expected to film almost entirely in Germany, making it eligible for state financing—another sticking point, as if one were needed, for offended nationalists.
Shooting begins in Berlin on Oct. 13.

Germany Already Writing Auf Tarantino's Bastards? - E! Online

 

Sounds awesome! can't wait for this flick. It will balance Valkyrie for sure.

 

couldn't agree more.

 

I agree with what Otto just posted. It's a movie and if one doesn't like it, he has the choice not to watch it. Like JC, I also liked from Dusk Till Dawn, it had good actors and a very good twist in the story.
I don't have a particular set of directors I prefer or detest. This is a stretch but the philosophy I follow on movies is "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination" or something like that.
There will always be a better or worse movie out there. That's something we all have to live with.