Inglourious Basterds Review

A spaghetti western is a movie about the American West made cheaply in Europe, usually by an Italian producer and director. They were typically thought to be inferior to American westerns. However, though the movies were low budgets, some directors used innovative techniques to create a revolutionary styles of film. During its period, this genre did not recieve much attention, but its reputation grew in the 1980s. They are more action-packed than American westerns; there is less dialogue and music is a critical component used to create tension.

 Tarantino uses this genre to emphasize the "mythology" of World War II, rather than the reality. By doing so, he mirrors Western style with the use of intense scenes that involve the exchanging of gunfire. Tarantino may be using this style to create a new way to portray war in his own way. Several key elements are used by Tarantino to distinguish his film into the spaghetti western style. These include music, the standoffs, dialogue or the lack of it. Tarantino uses tense music, such as in the opening shot to minimize the focus on the current happenings and to create anticipation on what is to come, as was common in spaghetti westerns. Furthermore, there are several different standoffs in the film stylized as a western standoff. The scene in the tavern is probably the closest in the one Nazi man vs many Americans. Through his usage, Tarantino both creates action and subversion because the one does not win over the many. Dialogue is also masterfully set in Basterds. Tarantino uses language cleverly. Often, it is not actions that give away a characters, but rather the way in which they talk. In spaghetti westerns, there was an added focus on what characters say because dialogue was limited and, thus, valued. Tarantino uses elements of spaghetti westerns to add additional definition to his film.

Tarantino includes many subversions in his film. Firstly, many of the main characters he introduces are immediately killed off. For example, Stiglets is shown as  a great victory for the Americans, so as a symobol of victory, we would expect him to be present for the entire film as  a representation of hope, but he is almost immediately killed. This contradicts audience expectations and leaves them on edge for more. In addition, though the movie centers around a war, Tarantino puts equal or greater emphasis on language rather than action. His use of language is unique and surprises the audience who is again forced to pay closer attnetion.  Lastly, Tarantino's plot itself is a subversion because though his film is rooted in history, the plot is not consisted with the actual history. Rather, Tarantino focuses on the fiction, deviating from the traditions of a war film.

Lindberg and Scherpschutter. "The Spaghetti Western." The Spaghetti Western Database. N.p., 10 Nov. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.