Inglourious Basterds, (2009) - Quentin Tarantino
An analysis by Hope Newton & Ethan Delaney
In this essay we will be discussing the many aspects of film in a 4:55 minute long clip from Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film, Inglourious Bastards. In particular we shall be focusing upon the clips editing, use of language and our personal responses to the clip along with other aspects of the mise-en-scène.
The film is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, shot by Robert Richardson, edited by Sally Menke and stars Mélanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus (the lead protagonist), a Jewish refugee in Nazi-occupied France who has pursued a career of a cinema proprietor after she only just escaped the brutal murder of her entire family as a young adolescent by Colonel Hans Landa (Der Jude-Jäger: The Jew Hunter). A few years following her escape, she meets Frederick Zoller outside her cinema, a German war-hero actor who arranges a Nazi-studded premier of his propaganda film at her theatre as she takes his interest. With the prospect of an theatre room being filled with her enemy, she plots an act of bloody vengeance with a group of Jewish-American solders led by First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt).
The scene we will be analysing occurs a quarter of an hour towards the ending of the film and is, for the most part, set in the projection room of the theatre whilst the Nazi party are viewing the film.
In this five minute scene, the same colours are constantly reoccurring: red, white and black. Red in film typically represents blood, danger, love, war, power, strength and passion, all of which are not only present within the entire film, but within this scene itself. White, on the other hand, is associated with light, innocence, purity and perfection, all of which could be used to represent the character of Shosanna, however instead, she is dressed in an all red dress, as if to not only just appear as if she is on the Nazi's side, but to also represent the fact that she poses a great threat to those within the theatre. Funnily enough, the majority of those in the theatre are sat in red seats thus signifying danger and blood, and are also wearing black which has connotations of death. Along with death, black also has strong connotations of anger, evil, power, sadness and wealth, all of which once again match the state of those who decide to wear it.
The scene opens up with a mid shot of Frederick entering a corridor (after politely asking to leave the theatre room for a brief moment). In this corridor lies a cold blue carpet of which could be used to represent a feeling of sadness within in the character and of which would seem very evident in this case as he walks down the carpet with an unamused grimace amongst his face, whilst the camera tracks him backwards. The light in this corridor is of a moderate key with spots of high key due to overhead spot lights and side lamps, of which I think are only occasionally shone to firstly suggest his belief of a 'Heaven' being present above him and, secondly, his uncertainty in whether or not he will be eligible for considering his support of the Nazi party.
As he walks down the curved corridor (of which could be mirroring the twisted nature of those who stand within it), the tracking shot of Frederick cuts to a zooming in shot of the film projector wheel spinning in order to build an increasing momentum and tension within the scene. In addition to the tension being built with the increase in speed being shot, the classic horror music of the scene is also starting to pick up as numerous French horns and drums start to kick in as the bell of the film projector rings (signifying a necessary change of film and symbolizing the beginning of a blood battle, as if a round of boxing were to take place). A couple of seconds later, the scene cuts to a shot of Shosanna peeping her head out of the projection room window, overlooking the theatre as she flicks the first projector to the second).
There are no jump cuts within this whole scene, therefore it proposes the thought in my mind that this scene is taking place in one moment in time. This would mean that the shots of Shosanna's true lover and partner in crime, Marcel (who's smoking behind the stage in front of a huge stack of flammable film and the projection, ready to set the place on fire) is taking place as the same time.
The transition of the first projectors blue tinted light fading into the darkness and the others turning on is also shown after the audience sees a close up of Shosanna taking a brief moment to pause before pulling down on a large leaver, and by doing so Quentin implies that she is ready for her plan of vengeance to take place. Up until this brief pause, the length of the cuts in this scene have been accelerating (the result is basically a montage of shots), suggesting that she is taking time to think about her decision. However, following this break, the length of each shot starts to decelerate, of which I think is a great technique as this indicates that the scene will not be rushing into action just yet. And it doesn't, instead the first piece of dialogue in the scene takes place as Frederick walks up to the projector room, knocks on the door, of which Shosanna responds with 'Who is it?' to which Frederick says his name. The fact that Frederick only said his first name indicates to someone who has not yet viewed the entire film that they both know each other. After Frederick replies, Shosanna quietly whispers the phrase 's**t' in apparent discomfort which we think helps the audience better understand the characters views towards each other.
As she opens the door to reveal Frederick patiently waiting, he jokingly demands that he gets his money back due to the lead in the film (himself) being an 'awful actor' in order to lighten her and the audiences mood (this does not work as she too now has a frown upon her face) following the build of suspense which was cut off (literally) as she opened the door as the music immediately cuts off. The abrupt ending of the dramatic music quickly allows the tone of the scene to change ourselves from feeling worried to calm whilst still remaining intrigued.
One thing leads to another during their conversion at the door as Shosanna continues to tell Frederick that he absolutely cannot come backstage (he is supposed be in the theatre, unknowingly about to be burnt alive Marcel) and thus he looses his temper and barges the door open and starts to tell her how she has no right to speak to him after what he has done for her.
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