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The Inglorious Bastards
2 DVDS/APPROX. 99 MINS/1978/USA UNRATED
2 DVDS/APPROX. 99 MINS/1978/USA UNRATED
10
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A lot of people mistake Enzo Castellari’s The Inglorious Bastards for a remake of Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen. That is putting it lightly,
because the Italians are renowned for grossly ripping off the best and most successful genre films done by the Americans (Escape From New York
– 2019: After the Fall of New York, The Deer Hunter – The Last Hunter, The Warriors / Escape From New York - 1990: The Bronx Warriors),
capitalizing on their efforts for the domestic European market by utilizing foreign faces. Fred Williamson, who’s a reputed ex-NFL star, was more
popular to the Europeans in the late 70’s and 80’s – as an action icon – than he was to his Native Americans, and would later seize control of his
own notability, establishing prominent business relations over in Rome. The Italians revered him, and so did Castellari when he cast him as an
unhinged war-criminal in The Inglorious Bastards.
Set in Nazi-occupied Europe, a group of condemned American soldiers are ushered off to prison to serve sentences for a variety of misdemeanors.
Only they don’t make it that far. Instead, the faction, arguably led by Lt. Robert Yeager (Big Bo Svenson), escapes and heads to Switzerland in an
attempt to evade punishment. Along the way, they wind up volunteering for a mission to steal a warhead from the Germans in the hope of
diminishing their power.
Laden with campy characters, putrid one-liners (“Hey, take it easy, we just met.”), and endless explosions and gunfights, Inglorious is relentlessly
enjoyable. Just like his “Polizio” crime thrillers of the 70’s, Castellari’s production here looks amazing. Filmed mostly in the surrounding countryside
of Rome, including the beautiful, archaic Bracciano castle - the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi - Castellari and his crew achieve such a resounding
fabrication of war-torn Europe that is, for the most part, reminiscent of D-Day at Normandy. However, don’t be fooled. With such a low budget,
Castellari, like all exploitation maestros of the time, uses miniatures to convey something much more realistic. But, it works quite well here.
The body-count here gives Stallone’s latest Rambo a run for its money, with some 250-300 kills. No shit! I couldn’t even give you a near estimate
it’s that maniacal. One thing I was disappointed with, though, was the lack of squibs. There are only 15-20 incidences where you see open wounds
and blood spurting out. In the late 70’s (in Australia), this would’ve been R-rated. Today, you would easily slap on an M-rating. Castellari has
always been fascinated with Sam Peckinpah’s “Balletic Violence”, but here he uses it to a minimum. It’s still effective, though. Oh, and one of the
most memorable scenes is when our soldiers miraculously stumble across a sect of itinerant women. For no reason whatsoever – except to the
adherence of nudity – are ten or so stark-naked beauties frolicking around in a river. Fans of exploitation cinema will absolutely cheer when this
comes around, and when the women start toting machine guns, tits wobbling as the shells hit the turf, you will know where Tarantino got his idea
for that gloriously bizarre television commercial in Jackie Brown. Priceless!
The Inglorious Bastards was popular WAY before Tarantino discovered it when he was poppin’ zits at Video Archives, but, it’s become more of a
cult phenomenon since he decided to remake the bastard himself, in his own way, in his own style. Everyone’s hangin’ to see what he’s gonna do
with the material, who he’s gonna cast, how many people he’s gonna kill, and the enormous amount of press that he’s generated is probably the
reason why we’ve been blessed with this AMAZING 3-disc Explosive Edition, because in all honesty, the extras supersede the film.
Train Kept-A-Rollin’ is a 1 hour and 15 minute exposé with Castellari, the producers, one of the many writers, Williamson, Svenson, and more. This
is a remarkable recollection of the main events, how the film was conceived, the on-set rivalry between Williamson and Svenson, the lack of stunt
personnel, the matte shots used in the production design, and much, much more. Truly amazing stuff!
Castellari visits a few of the main sites in the second, 13 minute documentary, Back to the War Zone. He traverses the same ground used in the
film, and candidly recalls the many triumphs and obstacles that he and his crew faced some 30 years prior; definitely worth a look.
The one that really stands out, though, is the Tarantino conversation with Castellari. Filmed this year, this 38 minute conversation between a
disheveled, porky, hand-waving Tarantino and his idol is so endearing that it’ll almost leave you in tears. Never before have you seen Tarantino so
eccentric and humble, and when the pair realizes, at the very least, that their enduring friendship was founded on the basis of a mere exploitation
film, that’s when you fully comprehend the importance of cinema. It’s just so immensely special! And, Tarantino even recalls when he first met
Williamson at a gas station. Told in his unique story-telling way, this segment is so unbelievably funny and poignant that he could’ve easily plucked
it from a scene in one of his films. He even talks about the film’s title as one of the main reasons why it got him hooked in the first place. Flawless,
and rare!
If you love Italian exploitation films, The Inglorious Bastards will not disappoint. It’s got loads of violence, T & A, bad dialogue, cult actors, and one
of the finest, and underappreciated, Italian directors from that era. But, it’s the extras here that really shine, and lift the actual film into a whole
new category of DVD importance. This is the release that everybody’s been waiting for, and is essential viewing for those who are hangin’ for
Tarantino’s belated opus. I can’t wait to see him rip shit up!
because the Italians are renowned for grossly ripping off the best and most successful genre films done by the Americans (Escape From New York
– 2019: After the Fall of New York, The Deer Hunter – The Last Hunter, The Warriors / Escape From New York - 1990: The Bronx Warriors),
capitalizing on their efforts for the domestic European market by utilizing foreign faces. Fred Williamson, who’s a reputed ex-NFL star, was more
popular to the Europeans in the late 70’s and 80’s – as an action icon – than he was to his Native Americans, and would later seize control of his
own notability, establishing prominent business relations over in Rome. The Italians revered him, and so did Castellari when he cast him as an
unhinged war-criminal in The Inglorious Bastards.
Set in Nazi-occupied Europe, a group of condemned American soldiers are ushered off to prison to serve sentences for a variety of misdemeanors.
Only they don’t make it that far. Instead, the faction, arguably led by Lt. Robert Yeager (Big Bo Svenson), escapes and heads to Switzerland in an
attempt to evade punishment. Along the way, they wind up volunteering for a mission to steal a warhead from the Germans in the hope of
diminishing their power.
Laden with campy characters, putrid one-liners (“Hey, take it easy, we just met.”), and endless explosions and gunfights, Inglorious is relentlessly
enjoyable. Just like his “Polizio” crime thrillers of the 70’s, Castellari’s production here looks amazing. Filmed mostly in the surrounding countryside
of Rome, including the beautiful, archaic Bracciano castle - the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi - Castellari and his crew achieve such a resounding
fabrication of war-torn Europe that is, for the most part, reminiscent of D-Day at Normandy. However, don’t be fooled. With such a low budget,
Castellari, like all exploitation maestros of the time, uses miniatures to convey something much more realistic. But, it works quite well here.
The body-count here gives Stallone’s latest Rambo a run for its money, with some 250-300 kills. No shit! I couldn’t even give you a near estimate
it’s that maniacal. One thing I was disappointed with, though, was the lack of squibs. There are only 15-20 incidences where you see open wounds
and blood spurting out. In the late 70’s (in Australia), this would’ve been R-rated. Today, you would easily slap on an M-rating. Castellari has
always been fascinated with Sam Peckinpah’s “Balletic Violence”, but here he uses it to a minimum. It’s still effective, though. Oh, and one of the
most memorable scenes is when our soldiers miraculously stumble across a sect of itinerant women. For no reason whatsoever – except to the
adherence of nudity – are ten or so stark-naked beauties frolicking around in a river. Fans of exploitation cinema will absolutely cheer when this
comes around, and when the women start toting machine guns, tits wobbling as the shells hit the turf, you will know where Tarantino got his idea
for that gloriously bizarre television commercial in Jackie Brown. Priceless!
The Inglorious Bastards was popular WAY before Tarantino discovered it when he was poppin’ zits at Video Archives, but, it’s become more of a
cult phenomenon since he decided to remake the bastard himself, in his own way, in his own style. Everyone’s hangin’ to see what he’s gonna do
with the material, who he’s gonna cast, how many people he’s gonna kill, and the enormous amount of press that he’s generated is probably the
reason why we’ve been blessed with this AMAZING 3-disc Explosive Edition, because in all honesty, the extras supersede the film.
Train Kept-A-Rollin’ is a 1 hour and 15 minute exposé with Castellari, the producers, one of the many writers, Williamson, Svenson, and more. This
is a remarkable recollection of the main events, how the film was conceived, the on-set rivalry between Williamson and Svenson, the lack of stunt
personnel, the matte shots used in the production design, and much, much more. Truly amazing stuff!
Castellari visits a few of the main sites in the second, 13 minute documentary, Back to the War Zone. He traverses the same ground used in the
film, and candidly recalls the many triumphs and obstacles that he and his crew faced some 30 years prior; definitely worth a look.
The one that really stands out, though, is the Tarantino conversation with Castellari. Filmed this year, this 38 minute conversation between a
disheveled, porky, hand-waving Tarantino and his idol is so endearing that it’ll almost leave you in tears. Never before have you seen Tarantino so
eccentric and humble, and when the pair realizes, at the very least, that their enduring friendship was founded on the basis of a mere exploitation
film, that’s when you fully comprehend the importance of cinema. It’s just so immensely special! And, Tarantino even recalls when he first met
Williamson at a gas station. Told in his unique story-telling way, this segment is so unbelievably funny and poignant that he could’ve easily plucked
it from a scene in one of his films. He even talks about the film’s title as one of the main reasons why it got him hooked in the first place. Flawless,
and rare!
If you love Italian exploitation films, The Inglorious Bastards will not disappoint. It’s got loads of violence, T & A, bad dialogue, cult actors, and one
of the finest, and underappreciated, Italian directors from that era. But, it’s the extras here that really shine, and lift the actual film into a whole
new category of DVD importance. This is the release that everybody’s been waiting for, and is essential viewing for those who are hangin’ for
Tarantino’s belated opus. I can’t wait to see him rip shit up!
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