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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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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
Thank you.
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