Blogs and Stories
My Father, The Inglourious Basterd
He made his way through his hometown in Northwest Germany and found that his family’s house had been used as Gestapo headquarters. As he drove, he was unaware that on May 8, the Germans had officially surrendered. As Manfred passed through German-held territory, some enemy soldiers asked if he would take them prisoner. He came across a wandering group of British prisoners of war. “Wait ‘til you see what they have done to the Jews,” one told him.
When Manfred arrived at the Terezin camp, prisoners crowded around the jeep. Weak and dispirited, they were too stunned to utter a word. He found an inmate who directed him to his parents—emaciated and indeed hardly recognizable. As his father recounted their experiences, which included a stay in the notorious Belsen camp, his father told him that Jews would never get revenge for what had been done to them. “We cannot be that cruel,” he said.
For a man like Ganz, World War II is neither a distant nor amusing memory. He doesn’t seem likely to be engaged by Tarantino’s comic-book violence. “To me, the reality was brutal enough,” he says. Ganz allows that Tarantino “has the right to express his fantasies.” But he would much prefer that the real story be told.
"I'm a Jew myself,” Tarantino’s longtime producing partner Lawrence Bender told me, when I asked about the film’s ultra-violent premise. “When Quentin gave me the script, I said, ‘I thank you as a fan, I thank you as a producer, I thank you as a member of the tribe.’ I said, ‘This is like a fantasy when you were growing up—what you'd want to do.’
"Quentin's not trying to de-humanize or make less of real people that did fight. This is purely out of his imagination. People that are leading figures in Jewish organizations—I haven't heard one negative from a powerful, opinion-leading person in the Jewish arena."
The Weinstein Company has shown Inglourious Basterds to the Anti-Defamation League, which endorsed the film as “an allegory.” I don’t know if it’s that but certainly the film is not one that can be taken seriously. Except that in the past couple of weeks, I’ve mentioned it to some people—a friend who’s not in the business and a very sophisticated Hollywood producer who hasn’t seen the movie yet. And they both asked the same question: Is it based on a true story?
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.
GPatton
Glorious Bastards! Heros, all of them! George Patton
kirkles
I met Peter Masters ten years ago. Quite a guy.
milarepa
Inspiring. Thank you for sharing your father's story and that of his brave friends. Glorious indeed.
DavidBarron
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.
nickh35
I guess you never saw "Legends of the Fall"? Brad Pitt scalped some Germans in that movie as well... maybe it was his idea...
dglass9280
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
cathtray
Kim Masters tells an amazing story that should be brought further to light.
SDMichael
The real story is far more interesting than Tarantino's trite fantasy promises to be. Thanks for sharing.
marinersarenumber1
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!
dlas1935
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.
WestVillager
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.)
ZeGerman
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.
Liberty4all
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.
Msbeachwood
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.
kilchis
These stories are humbling to me,40 years after my time in Viet Nam. These were strong,decent,valorous men.
tzveyah
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!!
downbytheriver00
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.
tankertodd
Thanks for sharing this phenomenal story. After watching "Defiance" I would rather see the true story.
WestVillager
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.
katlia
terrific article, thank you. like you said, the real story is better.
wonkguy
"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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