Blogs and Stories
My Father, The Inglourious Basterd
Quentin Tarantino's ultra-violent Nazi revenge movie may have plenty of drama but the real story is even better. Kim Masters on the heroic band of Jewish commandos known as X Troop.
My father was an Inglourious Basterd. Actually, he was the opposite of that. But he was a Jewish commando in the British Army during World War II.
And for my father, this fight was very personal. A native of Vienna, he belonged to a secret unit made up of refugees from the Nazis. They went on reconnaissance missions in enemy territory; they stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day; they shot at, blew up, captured, and interrogated German soldiers.
CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW OUR GALLERY OF PETER MASTERS AND X TROOP
They didn’t take scalps or carve swastikas into anybody’s forehead.
Those fanciful elements are present in Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s cartoonish tale of an American death squad made up of Jewish soldiers. Their commander (Brad Pitt) exhorts them to bring him the scalps at least 100 Nazis each. Soon after, the Tarantino violence-porn begins.
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Until he was 16, my father led a sheltered life as a fairly assimilated middle-class boy. He was artistic and could recite German poetry from memory—but he also played soccer and skied. By 1938, however, he was dodging Nazi hooligans in the streets. The millinery business that his aunt and mother owned had been confiscated. There were constant threatening phone calls and every knock at the door was terrifying.
My father’s enterprising aunt Ida made it to London, where she worked tirelessly to arrange for the rest of the family to leave. In the end, my grandmother, my father and his sister took a night train through the heart of Germany to Paris. From there, they went to England, where they found themselves destitute but far more fortunate than many family members who did not escape.
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Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
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Kim Masters covers the entertainment business for The Daily Beast. She is also the host of The Business, public radio's weekly program about the business of show business. She is also the author of The Keys to the Kingdom: The Rise of Michael Eisner and the Fall of Everybody Else.
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Kim Masters covers the entertainment business for The Daily Beast. She is also the host of The Business, public radio's weekly program about the business of show business. She is also the author of The Keys to the Kingdom: The Rise of Michael Eisner and the Fall of Everybody Else.
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Kim Masters covers the entertainment business for The Daily Beast. She is also the host of The Business, public radio's weekly program about the business of show business. She is also the author of The Keys to the Kingdom: The Rise of Michael Eisner and the Fall of Everybody Else.
Glorious Bastards! Heros, all of them! George Patton
I met Peter Masters ten years ago. Quite a guy.
Inspiring. Thank you for sharing your father's story and that of his brave friends. Glorious indeed.
Mr. Tarantino is obsessed with excesses of violent action. I was with him until the scalping. Scalping? Really? Have some class.
Nonetheless, great article, I'll keep it in mind as I watch this work of fiction.
I guess you never saw "Legends of the Fall"? Brad Pitt scalped some Germans in that movie as well... maybe it was his idea...
Thank you for writing a touching story. As a former soldier and the father of one now serving it is wonderful to hear the truth sometimes. Thank You
Kim Masters tells an amazing story that should be brought further to light.
The real story is far more interesting than Tarantino's trite fantasy promises to be. Thanks for sharing.
An incredible story, and thanks to all that have served in previous wars - my great grandfather in WWI, my grandfather in WWII and my step-dad in Korea. Respect and honor to those that serve!
This is another in a long list of great stories that are abused by Tarantino. When will people stop supporting his habit of demeaning the human condition in all his films.
Killing Nazis will always appeal. I support his right to be exploitative, as I'm sure you do too, but I agree. I may find it more difficult to support his approach when it comes to turning this story into, basically, a video game.
(I should probably wait until I see it to make a final judgment.)
I will go and watch the film and i am quite certain i will like it.
What bothers me is something else:
When somebody talks about killing Nazis, they talk about killing my grandfathers, my granduncles, parts of my family important to me.
That is what will bother me. The knowledge that i, had i lived in 1939, would have volunteered and fought for my country (because, what can you do, when you are called? You cannot really pick and choose when you are willing to do your duty and when you will not do your duty) and today people would cheer when somebody depicts torture of people like me, abuse and so on and paints it as something righteous and fun.
This film has nothing to teach anybody about the 3rd Reich, the Horrors of the time or the justice and justification of and in war.
As an 'italo western in occupied France' as Tarrantino put, i will love it. As WWII-movie with a message i can only condemn it.
Its a movie. Lighten up. If you dont like the violence, watch something else. but save the pretentious arrogance for the next enviro-doc you see.
You are right; it is just a movie. It is because the subject matter is historical, that viewers may make the dubious assumption that it is fact.
These stories are humbling to me,40 years after my time in Viet Nam. These were strong,decent,valorous men.
Not all men! especially on the special forces groups in the british millitary during WWII!!! Jewish women also signed up, served, and were parachuted in on operations like these!!
Great article Kim. WW2 is such an important event in human history, I wonder if it's appropriate for film makers like Tarantino to make films that are not serious and solemn about it? The trailer played last night on TV and my 14 year old son (who WON'T be seeing it) asked me not about the story but rather why there was so much violence in the trailer. He's a smart and sensitive kid who has the proper reverence (I think) for WW2, but I wonder if the rest of us (from whatever generation) will think about this time when we see, if we see, this movie?
There are so many great books about WW2. For those of you that want to read more about WW2, and especially the Holocaust, I highly recommend "The Lost" by Daniel Mendelsohn. Well written, heart breaking, and focused on a small enough set of personalized individuals such that you take a serious interest in the author's quest.
Thanks for sharing this phenomenal story. After watching "Defiance" I would rather see the true story.
Besides totally minimizing the actual horror lesson, the comments from every public figure from Pelosi to Limbaugh likening everyone else to a Nazi makes Tarnatino's vision quite timely.
Evidently it's even more important now to keep this event in context. This article is a great example of one to keep.
terrific article, thank you. like you said, the real story is better.
"Quentin Tarantino's ultra-violent Nazi revenge movie may have plenty of drama but the real story is even better."
Anything is better than a quentin tarantino movie
Amazing story. I will look for the book
Why the incorrect spelling of "inglourios basterds"?
Great story, but what did Master's think of the movie? Just read a great review from a Jewish perspective http://www.heebmagazine.com/blog/view/2039>http:
Well written article. There are plenty of people that do not want to think about what happened in the wars that they participated in. Fact One: money is made off of other peoples hardships. Fact Two: Tarantino did not make this movie to show the full story of the "X Troops". He made this film, because he had an artistic ideal stemming from the "X Troops". Documenteries are made to tell the facts, Movies are made to stuff the pockets of its producers.
All in all a terrific story of heroism in the fight against the Nazi's. Good writing Kim, and thank you for the facts!
It's going to make one hellova violent video game.
A story that relates to this is the special section of the Parachute Regiment the British army established with the idea a defeated Germany would result in an insurgent campaign against Nazi die-hards. They recruited Jews from London's tough East End and trained them as special forces. In the end the Germans had had enough of war and Hitler and went down quietly.
The Jewish Paras arranged to meet up for beers and trip up to watch Tottenham Hot-spurs (London's Jewish supported soccer club) at the start of the first season after the war. They met at a convenient pub on Ridley Road planning to take the train together one stop up to Tottenham for kick off.
To their shock the remnant of the British Union Of Fascists had also decided to meet up in the same street and were parading outside the pub.
Lets just say the scene would have made good material for Mr Tarantino. The fascists were lucky to be rescued by the police.
Strangely enough one of the tough young Jewish men in that group was hairdresser extrordinair Vidal Sassoon!
Hackney is still proud of that day.
Well, leave it to the British to turn even war into an ingratiating and sensitive ego-stoke.
Listen, my family were Jewish Americans. Originally Jewish Germans, and Jewish Italians. And my granpappys were war heros too (and yes, including Normandy). And I'm sorry, but war is not 'elegant'. You DO NOT treat creatures that hunt down, enslave, torture, rape and murder human beings, especially children, elegantly. You want a long, 'probing', 'sensitively' written tale of WW2? Maybe a nice romantic drama? (which there already are). Well, I say snoooooooze. And I also say that rolling over after having such atrocities performed on one is disgusting. I mean, the Nazis continue to win if you're just going such a pansy about it. Like the kid on the playground that is constantly pummeled, instead of sucking it up and laying a nice shiner on their bully.
And an even bigger point: I do not want ANYONE ANYWHERE who thinks burning little girls alive, torturing, degrading etc. is going to be easy. I want them to see films like these and live in fear of the brutal retribution before they even commit the crime. Its called preventative measures.
Besides, I know the story, and its not fair. I prefer the ending where a Jewish Kid gets to blast Hitler's face off rather then the beast enjoying the luxury of cyanide and a pistol with his girlfriend. Seriously?
Quentin Tarrantino is a Genius. And guess what, the 'violence-porn' pales in comparison to real life. If Tarrantino can bring one person out of the apathetic ignorant dark fairly land in which people are not mutilated and murdered every damn day of existence then he's done his job well. PS Give to a charity for the love of...
And Finally, to the German: YOU LET IT HAPPEN!! You voted him in!!! And don't give me that enlistment BS about 'vell i haft to, vhat else can i do??' that is the talk of a silly coward. Because what YOUR ancestors could have done is FIGHT BACK when their neighbors were hunted down and murdered like dogs.
Yes, and that is the word of the rude, crude, American who would like to see justice served.
Kim,
Thank you for your story.
This movie is a horrible abomination. It plays up to a fantasy that has NO basis in reality whatsoever.
Despite your father's experience, most victims of the Holocaust were powerless to do anything about their predicament. Nazis rejoiced in their demise. Very few were punished. It is really too bad that young people will watch this movie and think that such things could have happened,
The truth is much more facsinating and powerful than anything Quentin can come up with......
Thank you for the article, Kim. I'm a Viet Nam veteran and always aware that the truth of war is much more sobering and damaging to the soldiers involved, as opposed to a Hollywood fantasy. Those who have never served will never know the horror of it. That's how you wind up with Dick Cheney's mental illness (still dislike all those jingoistic draft dodgers, sorry).Easy to talk tough on TV or in a movie. In a war: not so much.
I saw the film yesterday and enjoyed it for what it was - an animated comic book. What your father and his brothers did was something quite different. Even old veterans weep at the telling of true heroism. I did.
My distant cousin Peter Nagel, now deceased, was born in Germany and also became a Jewish Commando in the British Army. He was quite a hero. To read about his exploits at Bruneval and St Nazaire.. Google "Peter Nagel Bruneval", and follow the link.
Bonag2
I cant believe you guys. This is a movie and nothing more. I wonder how many of you have actually seen it and are patrons of the cinema. This movie is NOT meant to be historical or remotely accurate in any way and it does NOT take itself seriously. This film is brilliant not just because the story, which is fantastic in that it retells the story in a way where all these terrible NAZI war criminals get what they deserve and in a very entertaining manner, (instead of escaping to south America or a number of other places, or killing themselves) but for the dialogue and Tarantino's genius ability to draw you to the edge of your seat one moment and make you laugh the next. If you want an accurate movie about WWII go watch Saving private ryan. You guys missed the point, go watch the movie for what it is, a movie and a very well done one for that.
Thank you.
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