Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds: A Manipulation of Metacinema / Edition 1

by Robert von Dassanowsky

Overview

This provocative and unique anthology analyzes Quentin Tarantino's controversial Inglourious Basterds in the contexts of cinema, cultural, gender, and historical studies. The film and its ideology is dissected by a range of scholars and writers who take on the director's manipulation of metacinema, Nazisploitation, ethnic stereotyping, gender roles, allohistoricism, geopolitics, philosophy, language, and memory.

In this collection, the eroticism of the club-swinging and avenging "Bear Jew," the dashed heroism of the "role-playing" French and German females, the patriotic fools and pawns, the amoral yokel, Lieutenant Aldo Raine, and the cosmopolitan, but psychopathic Colonel Landa, are understood for their true functions in what has become an iconoclastic pop-culture phenomenon and one of the classics of early twenty-first century American cinema. Additionally, the book examines the use of "foreign" languages (subverting English and image), the allegory of Austria's identity in the war, and the particularly French and German cinematic influences, such as R. W. Fassbinder's realignment of the German woman's film and the iconic image of the German film star in Inglourious Basterds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441138699
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/28/2012
Pages:	332
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 5.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Robert von Dassanowsky is Professor of German and Film, and Carnegie/CASE Professor of the Year (Colorado) at U Colorado, Colorado Springs. Publications include Austrian Cinema: A History; Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America (ed); New Austrian Film (ed. w/ Oliver Speck) and Hofmannsthal's "Der Schwierige" (ed. w/Martin Liebscher). He is also an independent film producer.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Locating Mr. Tarantino or, Who's Afraid of Metacinema? Robert von Dassanowsky
1) The Grand IllousionSrikanth Srinivasan
2) Exploding Cinema, Exploding Hollywood: Inglourious Basterds and the Problems of Cinematic ConventionImke Meyer
3) A Slight Duplication of Efforts: Redundancy and the Excessive Camera in Inglourious BasterdsChris Fujiwara
4) Inglourious Music: Revenge, Reflexivity and Morricone as Muse in Ingloruious Basterds Lisa Coulthard
5) Lulu's Menorah: Seeing and Nazi-ingJustin Vicari
6) Vengeful Violence: Inglourious Basterds, Allohistory, and the Inversion of Victims and PerpetratorsMichael D. Richardson
7) Inglourious Basterds and the Gender of RevengeHeidi Schlipphacke
8) Reels of Justice: Inglourious Basterds, The Sorrow and the Pity and Jewish Revenge Fantasies Eric Kligerman
9) ‘Fire!' in a Crowded Theater: Liquidating History in Inglourious BasterdsSharon Willis
10) Is Tarantino serious? The Twofold Image of the Auteur and the State of Exception Oliver C. Speck
11) Disruptive Violence as Means to Create a Space for Reflection: Thoughts on Tarantino's Attempts at Audience Irritation Alexander D. Ornella
12) Counterfactuals, Quantum Physics and Cruel Monsters in Tarantino's Inglourious BasterdsWilliam Brown
13) "What shall the history books read?" The Debate over Inglourious Basterds and the Limits of Representation Todd Herzog
Notes on Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds leaves readers with a very powerful statement that is capable of displaying what every controversy addressed in this book was aching to illuminate. Von Dassanowsky has composed these articles in such a way that the book is capable of defending every reason behind Tarantino's directorial choices and representation of history.” —Taylor Woodell, Film Matters

From the Publisher

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds leaves readers with a very powerful statement that is capable of displaying what every controversy addressed in this book was aching to illuminate. Von Dassanowsky has composed these articles in such a way that the book is capable of defending every reason behind Tarantino's directorial choices and representation of history.

Film Matters Taylor Woodell