In what ways can Inglorious Basterds be considered Postmodern

In what ways can Inglorious Basterds be considered Postmodern?

After the 1960’s it can be said that the film industry moved away from modernism and films with utopian ideals and general, large story lines. Instead it can be argued that there was movement towards a postmodern era, in which films today can still be catagorised, such as Inglorious Basterds. Post Modernism upsets the mainstream conventions of narrative structure and characterisation whilst films which are catergorised as postmodernism often use Hyper-reality as a means to define what is actually real. It can be seen that these characteristics can be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and this is what makes it an exemplar of PostModern work.

Postmodern elements run throughout the film; through each of the chapters given. Inglorious Basterds can be seen as postmodern due to elements in chapter one.

The first of these elements is that of his use of yellow text. It can be seen that Tarantino’s use of yellow text is Postmodern because it breaks conventions of text on screen, which usually consists of white or black subtitles, very rarely are they a colour; especially yellow. It is this yellow colour which is a second reason that this is an element of Postmodernism. it can be said that the use of yellow text for subtitles is a homage to his other work; for example Kill Bill. This is Postmodern as it reminds us that this is his piece of work and we as an audience are being told that this was created by Tarantino and thus we are reminded it is a text.

A second reason that chapter one of Inglorious Basterds can be defined as Postmodern is because of the Fourth wall. It can be seen that breaking the Fourth Wall is a postmodern element used by Tarantino throughout this chapter of the film. This is exemplified firstly via a birds eye shot of the room revealing the beams and thus the set and secondly by a pan down through the floor to where the Jews are hiding, rather than a normal cut which would have been expected by the audience. Again these are features of Postmodernism as Tarantino has gone to lengths to remind us that we are watching a film and not letting us become enthralled by the narrative.

Intertexual references within the first chapter are the third reason that Inglorious Basterds can be considered Postmodern. The intertextual reference is that of The Sound of Music and in particular the scene links strongly to the famous ‘The Hills are Alive with the sound of music’. This has been done so that the link is as recognisable as possible. This can be considered Postmodern as it adds an element of fantasy into the narrative-this coupled with the fairy tale title at the beginning allows the film to move away from the general story lines of modernist films and create something niche and unreal. To this point the theory of Levi-Strauss can be added. He believes in the theory of ‘bricolage’-that all texts are are constructed from the debris of other, socially recognisable texts.It can be seen that the use of The Sound of music back drop has been added by transposition from one film to another.

The use of music within chapter one is the fourth reason that the film can be considered Postmodern. It can be seen that Tarantino has deliberately taken the music from a Spaghetti Western and re-contextualised it to allow it to fit his own film. It can be seen that this is postmodern as it reveals the directors influence and helps to build drama and tension within the scene.

Elements of Postmodern film continue through chapter two. One element which makes the film Postmodern in chapter two is that of the acting. This links to that of both Brad Pitt and the actor who plays Hitler. In consideration of Pitt it can be seen that his acting is over done and at points it can be hard to take him seriously. This feature is also extended towards Hitler, who is portrayed as sulky and pathetic. This element of acting can be considered Postmodern as it links to hyper reality, presenting these characters to the audience as real when in reality it be hard to find anyone as characteristic. This parody of characters; especially Hitler can be termed hypotexuality as coined by Gerard Genette. This is when the text is a parody or has parody elements to it of a previous film. The portrayal of Hitler within this scene can be seen as a parody of the one portrayed in Downfall.

A second reason that Inglorious Basterds is considered Postmodern is because of how the main scene in the woods is established and written as a Spaghetti Western. It can be seen that the camera angles used and the position of the characters across the hill couple with the music is Postmodern. This can be considered Postmodern because of how it is a direct intertextual link to the penultimate scene in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, allowing the audience to associate the film with another.

A key element in chapter two which makes the film Postmodern is that of the voiceover. It can be seen that by using Samuel L. Jackson as the voice, the film gives direct links to Tarantino himself, whilst when the voice over is coupled with the writing on the screen it can be seen that it is a feature used to remind the audience that they are watching a film. This can be seen as Postmodern as it removes the audience from the narrative and allows Tarantino to present key elements of the film via a cameo role by his friend.

A fourth reason that the film can be considered Postmodern is because of the intertextual links provided to us in chapter two. It can be seen that within the Stiglitz scene there is the use of recontextualised Blaxploitation music which intertextually links to the film Shaft. Whilst within the woods scene there is the link of the scalping to western films and the baseball bat to the USA. This can be considered Postmodern as it allows the audience to be reminded of previous films during Inglorious Basterds and this constantly reminds us of Tarantino’s direction during the making of the film.

A final reason that it can be considered postmodern is because of how elements break the Fourth Wall. It can be seen that this is exemplified during the woods scene when the camera angles are focused upon the faces of the actors, and a high depth of field is used to blur the backgrounds. This is considered Postmodern as it allows the actors to appear to be communicating into the camera and thus through the screen to the audience. This is another medium through which the audience can be reminded that the film is a film.

Within the third chapter there are key Postmodern elements. The first of which is that of the electric guitar track from Blaxploitation films used when we are presented Goebbels. This can be considered Postmodern as it is a motif which is continued through the film several times. This continuation is a feature not often used in modernist films and thus it can be considered Postmodern.

A second element which is Postmodern is that of the public information film. This is a feature which is commentated by Jackson; again a motif which continues through the film. Not only this, but the short clip is British, giving no obvious reason why it should be portrayed to the audience. The Postmodern element of this feature is that of how it is unexpected; but is used as a different medium through which a vital component of the plot can be explained. Whilst there are not as many Postmodern elements within chapter three, those that are presented to us are definitively Postmodern.

Within the chapter Operation Kino the Postmodern elements are centered upon the British. This is exemplified in numerous ways including how the British have perfect accents whilst each British character has a witty retort. The character played by Fassbender is over the top and charming. This is seen as Postmodern not just because it plays upon American stereotypes of the British but it also portrays Hitchcox as a binary opposite to Brad Pitt’s character. Giving opportunity for the audience to compare the two whilst removing the film from modernist counterparts. it does as within a modernist film’s general storyline we would expect characters with binary opposite mannerisms to be enemies; however it Inglorious Basterds they are allies.

A second Postmodern element which again runs as a motif throughout the film is Tarantino’s use of Rod Taylor to play Churchill purely as a Cameo role. This can be viewed as Postmodern as it is a motif which aligns itself alongside Tarantino’s use of Jackson for the voiceovers.

Within the final chapter there is one key element which must be considered Postmodern. It can be seen that this is the projection room scene involving Shoshanna and Frederick Zoller. One reason this can be considered Postmodern is because of the music used. It can be seen that there is a deliberate use of contrapunctual music. This can be viewed as Postmodern as the audience is uplifted by what is romantic and pleasant music whilst we are also privy to a shocking scene in which both the characters die. It can be argued that this is Postmodern as it is a feature not used within previous modernist films.

Secondly, it can be said that there is a intertextual link to Romeo and Juliet within the scene in which both characters die at the hands of the other. This can be considered Postmodern as it allows a tragic ending and links the film towards that of a love story.

A final reason why the film can be considered Postmodern is because of Tarantino’s use of slow motion. Whilst it can be argued that previous modernist films have used slow motion; it can be said that Inglorious Basterds is different because of how the slow motion is used as a means to extend the tragedy of the scene. It extends this tragedy as it allows the audience to focus upon the death of Shoshanna; arguably the main character and gives the audience time with which to reflect upon how despite the fairytale beginning; the ending has no links to a happy ending.

However, aside from this scene, there are numerous postmodern elements. The first of which is that of how a 1980’s David Bowie song is played over the top of the first scene. This goes against what is expected of a specific genre; such as a war film. It can be seen as Postmodern as the audience would be expecting period music or classically scored orchestra music, whereas in Inglorious Basterds the audience is presented with an intertexual link to the 1980’s.

A final element of Postmodernism given in Chapter five is that of a hyper-real ending. It can be seen that the ending cinema scene in which all the top Nazi commanders die can be seen as hyper-real as it goes against what is real, changing what has happened and presents it to the audience as reality. This is Postmodern as it gives direct links to Hitler’s earlier scene in which he is presented as a hyper-real character. plus it can be seen that in traditional war films, there would have been a desire to remain true and stay the course of history.

Therefore it can be seen that Inglorious Basterds is a Postmodern film; one which portrays key elements which define this.