2025 and it is now six years since Quentin Tarantino’s Once upon a Time in Hollywood was released so whilst we await his tenth and rumoured to be last film a number of his films are being released on 4K UHD blu-ray and to that end we have 2009’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ a film that has spellcheck going berserk… or should that be burrsurk. It was his sixth film and was a much needed return to form after the critical and commercial flop of Death Proof that made up the Grindhouse double bill with Robert Rodriguez superior ‘Planet Terror’.
It would be his ‘men- on-a-mission’ movie that starts with Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) narrowly escaping the massacre of her entire family by the SS, and flees to Paris and forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Meanwhile, a guerilla band of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), are waging a bloody war of attrition behind enemy lines but Europe remains beneath Nazi boot heels. Believing themselves unstoppable, the leaders of the Third Reich assemble in Paris for the premiere of propaganda epic Nation’s Pride. The location? Shosanna’s cinema. With all the rotten eggs in one basket, “The Basterds” join forces with British Commando Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) and German film star/undercover allied agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) to infiltrate the premiere. Their plan? Blow up the basket…
Inglourious Basterds is an audacious revisionist take on Hitler and his regime and yet it’s climatic moment was a scene of ultimate wish fulfilment preceeded by a number of brilliantly written scenes perhaps best of all the introduction of Colonel Hans Landa played pitch perfectly by Christoph Waltz in a role that made him an international star and landed him the first of his two Oscars ( the second would also be for Tarantino’s next film Django Unchained).
This Limited Edition release has a number of terrific bonus features that includes:
2 DISC Inglourious Basterds LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS
- Limited edition ‘Operation Kino’ packaging with new art by Dare Creative
• 60-page ‘Films & Filmmakers’ collector’s book with writing by film critics Dennis Cozzalio and Bill Ryan
• Double-sided fold-out poster
• Replica Nation’s Pride Premiere programme booklet
• La Louisianne beermat
• 3 postcard sized double-sided art cards
• Strudel recipe card
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative
DISC 1 – FEATURE
- High Definition Blu-ray
(1080p) presentation
• Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by film critic and author Tim Lucas
DISC 2 – EXTRAS
- What Would Sally Do?, a new interview with editor Fred Raskin
• Blood Fiction, a new interview with special make-up effects supervisor Greg Nicotero
• Doomstruck, a new interview with actor Omar Doom
• Making it Right, a new visual essay by film critic Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film
• Film History on Fire, a new visual essay by film scholar Pamela Hutchinson, author of BFI Film Classics Pandora’s Box
• Filmmaking in Occupied France, a new interview with film scholar Christine Leteux, author of Continental Films: French Cinema Under German Control
• Extended and alternate scenes
• Nation’s Pride
• The Making of Nation’s Pride, an archival featurette
• Roundtable Discussion, an archival interview with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and Elvis Mitchell
• The Original Inglorious Bastards, archival featurette
• A Conversation with Rod Taylor, archival featurette
• Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitter, archival featurette
• Quentin Tarantino’s Camera Angel, archival featurette
• Hi Sallys, archival featurette
• Film Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell, archival featurette
• Trailers
Albeit that no one wants to listen to a Tarantino commentary unless its Tarantino it’s a surprise that he isn’t doing it here. Far better are the new featurettes. ‘What would Sally do?’ is a tribute to editor Sally Menke who had cut all of QT’s films and Basterds would be her last before she tragically died a year after the films release. Narrating is editor Fred Ruskin who has edited every Tarantino film since ( as well as James Gunn’s Guardian’s trilogy). Tying in with this is a number of blooper outtakes where all the actors say ‘Hello Sally!’ direct to camera when a take goes awry. Equally good is Doomstruck with actor Omar Doom who played one of the Basterds and Blood Fiction with make-up effects genius Greg Nicotero who explains how several of the effects were done.
What comes across in these bonus is that both the cast and crew are wholly devoted to the director and absolutely love working for him who in turn goes out of his way to foster a love of movies on set and a party atmosphere when they’re not shooting. It’s as much an exciting adventure for everyone else as it is for the Tarantino to make the film. As Omar Doom himself explains the last day of anyone working on set is always a sad one and it is that love of making movies that shines through here and the archival featurettes only support that.
The featurette’s are all well worth a look but as ever its perhaps the ‘essays’ by critics, theorist and the like that are less successful as really who wants to listen to some anorak wax lyrical which can never replace the gleeful enthusiasm of Tarantino himself.
Either way this is a worthwhile addition to any fans collection certainly if you don’t already have the film. Now Quentin please get around to announcing that 10th film!
related feature : How Christoph Waltz almost gave up on Hollywood…….
related feature : What was Quentin Tarantino’s most successful film at the box office?
Here’s the Inglourious Basterds trailer……
Inglourious Basterds – LIMITED EDITION Blu-ray is available from 13th Jan 2025
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