Germans Relish Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds'

GlobalPost:

And now there's Quentin Tarantino's Nazi-era splatter film "Inglourious Basterds," which -- to my great surprise -- has rocketed to the top of the German charts and even charmed the country's most discerning film critics.

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Comments

[MoEls]

May I say something? My passport says I'm German so I might have and share a lil insight.

Being critizised for what our fathers did - about seventy years ago - has been a big part of our education. Another huge part of this education is/ was to understand what happened and to make sure it couldn't happen again. Some of us still might feel guilt, bow and think they must applaud for being critizised. But some and I think that is the majority are able to see it as fresh entertainment. No less and no more.
You on the other hand obviously believe we (Germans) are still sorry for not having achieved the goals set by that psychopath. Talking about that: The white spread believe in your corporations in hire and fire, use and abuse is pretty close that mindset.

Remember: Loads of peops in Germany wouldn't live today if Hit ler had been successful. Including me. When you point with a finger three fingers point at yourself.

[Mr Ribisi]

Deep down they obviously hate it but will not say anything due to the sheer fear of being labelled Nazi's.

[zukervati]

Out of sheer guilt and having been totally vanquished, of course.

[Marlyn]

post-war Germans ... not even born yet.

[zukervati]

The guilt has seeped into every pore of their being and perpetuated, ad-infinitum, through movies like the "Guns of Navarone" and this one - a Sisyphusian fate indeed; don't think there's an expiration date on this one!

[KarateKid]

I'd like to see Germany become more of a force in NATO. Politics aside, the Wehrmacht was a great army, German soldiers were smart, disciplined, tough and resourceful. They, and the Japanese should take on more responsibility for fighting terrorism around the world, not just in their own countries.

Just don't go ga ga on us again, will ya?

[squander123]

"Politics aside, the Wehrmacht was a great army". There's the quote of the day...

[ForeverXL]

Yep, the Wehrmacht was a great army. Killing and slaughtering innocent people in blind obedience to their superiors.

Just what we need......

[Sarcasm]

[KarateKid]

What do you think WE did in Vietnam, or in Iraq (you DID see the article on Green, did you not?) I was strictly speaking in military terms, but I guess reading comprehension is not one of your strong suits.

[KarateKid]

The US military does the same thing. But you missed the point altogether.

[KarateKid]

Iraq, My Lai, etc. etc.

[Hirnlego]

Wrong way to do it:
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9351/index1.html

[pseudochristians]

themselves

[pseudochristians]

i wonder what the germans really think of our over the top portrayal of our glorious defeat of nazi tyranny. we (americans) think we single handedly saved the world. for the record the soviets had much more to defeat the reich than our army. our soldiers did not die in vain but i'd love to hear what germans think about our delusional chest pounding hypocracy .i for one ,say enough of past glories and ww2 films,that was almost seventy years ago and its time to move on . the united states is the new tyrannical nazis,our country is financially and morally bankrupt, just as germany was in the thirties. love to munich and berlin ,heil merkel

[ModernTimes1]

Dufus, this is a fun movie without any pretension to reality.
Tarantino himself called it Spaghetti Western during WW2.
Relax

[pseudochristians]

no chit. the question still stand mein little duechlanders

[MorrisHattrick]

I think it's pretty twisted if you found the barbaric violence in this film "fun."

[MorrisHattrick]

I think the question is probably more properly asked of Russians, rather than Germans.

While I agree that American historical views on WWII are generally obscenely poor, the fact is that it took all sides to defeat the Axis. The Soviets would not have been successful without American Lend-Lease, without the Western Allies tying up troops in Western Europe and North Africa, without the strategic bombing operations of the RAF and the USAAF, without the Second Front, etc., etc. Likewise, the Western Allies would not have been successful in defeating the Axis without the USSR (unless or until the Manhatten Project found success, that is.)

[ModernTimes1]

I agree with some of your points Morris, but not all.
Western powers provided assists, Soviets scored the goal
Could Soviets win the war without strategic bombing, Second Front and land lease?--- Absolutely. Would it be more difficult - for sure.
The war against Germany was won at the gates of Moscow,Stalingrad and Kursk. Battle of Kursk sealed the deal. From that point on Wehrmacht was finished.
D-D came AFTER Kursk.

Not a very well know fact: during the height of strategic bombing campaign armament production of Germany remained the same. But Brits and Yanks sure did a mighty great job on the civilian populations.
The person from Köln posting here might have something to add to this perhaps.

[hulagirrrl]

As I recollect my parents and family talking about the days of the "end", my father was in Norway, my mother was in an area where the Russians were, so she took her bike, the table silver, lines and rode through the night to get to either British or American occupied areas. As my family sat around many times talking about these things, and how the Americans were nuts for hygiene cutting off water supplies for fear it was poisoned, my Mother also said that the GI's were not as brutal and mean as the Russians. I personally do not blame the Russians after what the German's did to them, but I know that there are people who felt safer being occupied by the US than Russia. Later on I could witness how the wall was build and suddenly my Grandparents who were in the East were cut off from us. It was a horrible time.

[IntellectuallyHonest]

We ould all learn a lot from post-war Germany. Like how to rebuild militaristic, defeated society into a genuinely tolerant, vibrant democracy that takes good care of the people that take care of it. Germany is a great country. It's only the older generation with their bitter memories that can't move on or admit that they too are capable of cruelty on the same or a worse scale as the Nazis. There is nothing inherently evil about Germans, just as there is nothing inherently good about Americans. Japan learned from its mistakes in the 1930s and 1940s, too, and also became a prosperous, peaceful society that also looked after its citizens well. We have a brutal government that provides for its employee and favorite companies and leaves the common man with no retirement and even fewer social benefits like good health care or an affordable education. Perhaps the day will come soon when it's not unpatriotic to say that we are not 'The greatest nation the world has ever known.'

[pseudochristians]

excellent post. i bet the germans are tired of ww2 films portraying us as the beacons of liberty. i would love to see a german film about our tyranny. the germans have the decentcy and compassion to care about theirselves.

[TylerSutherland]

I actually have a script of mine for that.

[hulagirrrl]

I do not think that Germany is critical of the US for WWII, that was a different generation. I think the critical thinking started in the sixties, German kids were very influenced by American and British pop culture of course also the Vietnam War was familiar to us. In the seventies Germany had to deal with internal terrorism (Bader/Meinhof) and so when thinking of US tyranny it is more that the US mingles every where, and Germans are not interested in deploying soldiers. The presence of German troops on foreign soil is very difficult to realize for many Germans born after the war.
My mother, now in her mid eighties always hated the US, maybe that is why I wanted to come here, she called things US propaganda, or we could not drink Coke but the more she was against it, the more we wanted it, so I think it was just the old generation.

[ModernTimes1]

Gewrmany owes the success to: industry of its people first and foremost, American Marshall plan and military umbrella U.S provided during the Cold War. For the first time in its history Germany was able to dedicate its resources to economic sphere. Without having to maintain a very expensive military.
Thank you, America. But now that Cold War is over it is time for U.S. to leave most of its German bases.

[DC]

Modern, the US closed most of its bases in Germany over 10 years ago. There are less then 10% of the troops and facilities that were there in 1993.

Most are completely gone.

[skullman]

When I was there in the seventies we had more than 200000 troops there. I don't know what the number is now, but I know that it is much less than it was. Still I don't see any reason for us to be there any more.

[CologneCitizen]

very well said.

I was born in 1950 in Germany and it took a long time to deal with the past of my country. Have been to America numerous times and all I can say is, there are no evil or good nations. Good and bad exists everywhere, in DC as well as in Berlin. When I talk to Americans they are generally peaceful, generous, warm and friendly, same as most of us are over here. It is administrations which screw things up, the people of any country will get along fine if they let them be. Been travelling around the world a lot and all I can say is people pretty much want the same things everywhere: a job, education for the kids, some prosperity and good health. In that sense it is ridiculous to look down on any country, race, people or whatever. It is one world, one planet and there is no time and mostly not even a valid reason for aggression.


greetings from Cologne, Germany.

[TigersEye]

Great post, and you are correct. The main things I wish for are happiness for myself and my family, good health, to be able to live comfortably and world peace for our children and generations to come. It's a good question, isn't it - why can't we all agree to get along? We're here sharing the planet, after all.

[rigveda]

I agree wholeheartedly!

[hulagirrrl]

Hey Cologne, well said. If we all would only look down when we help someone up the world would be a better place.

Aloha und Auf Wiedersehen

[MorrisHattrick]

"Japan learned from its mistakes in the 1930s and 1940s, too, and also became a prosperous, peaceful society that also looked after its citizens well. "

Not in the way the Germans have. The Germans took a long, honest look at their past and their culture and they atoned for their sins and made the changes necessary in light of those sins. The Japanese have ignored and excused their country's acts during the war and the historic and social causes of them and misdirected attention from them, in my opinion to avoid the shame that such self-reflection would cause.

That is not to say that it has not done anything, but the regular stories about the refusal to apolgize for Japan's crimes during the war and accept Japan's fault for starting and prosecuting the war in the manner it did, and the failure of the Japanese to pay compensation to those they oppressed, those woman who were forced into becoming victims of serial rape by Japan's soldiers and the evil and inhumane condition it treated POWs, for example, shows that it simply has not atoned for its sins.

[CologneCitizen]

The point is to deal with the past in order to have a future. As painful as it can be it paves the way for future generations. If torture is wrong, it has to be addressed and prosecuted, otherwise history can repeat itself. That's why I think Obama should bring war criminals to justice and not just move on.

[TylerSutherland]

We don't pardon our "sins" in warfare (America), Christianity won't ask for forgiveness for it's "sins" (Wars, Homophobia, Enslavement, Imperialism) no one wants to pardon their sins, so stop making it sound like anyone wants to be forgiven for "sins"! No one does! The Japanese never asked for forgiveness, and they went on as a society.

I don't know what I'm trying to say here, but humanity doesn't want forgiveness as a whole. We're selfish, inglorious sheep and wolves that are willing to go on even if we do something other people see as "bad", and we try to cover it up or just ignore it or make up some stupid conspiracy for it.

In other words, we're humans. Can't do nothin' about it.

[hulagirrrl]

You know, Germany had to pay reparation, and after unification with the East, had to pick up their tab too and pay. Many German manufacturers are just now dealing with their dark past when it comes to using laborers from the concentration camp. Big global players are just now apologizing, and you may wonder is it sincere or because of critics from around the world? I can not judge the Japanese, I do however live in Hawaii now, and have learned of the internment camps where the Japanese had to go during the war. America is just now apologizing for that. All in all, it is a positive thing to apologize and then move forward, but at some point it gets very old, and then we should just let sleeping dogs lay, and go from there, I think.

[mamacat]

Somehow, I think this movie would do well in San Quentin, as well. Charlie Manson would probably salivate over it.

[ModernTimes1]

intellectual insects are not welcomed.

[MorrisHattrick]

And yet you keep posting here...

[getoffthecross]

Wow. The first comment here needs to be a snipe? I'm glad this movie is doing well both here and internationally. Tarentino can tell all his high-minded critics to take a hike. He needs their griping about glorifying violence and (supposedly) psuedo tension like a bullet needs Vaseline.

[Torsin]

Much in the same way Germans relish David Hasselhoff.

[ModernTimes1]

Germans don't relish Hasselhoff. People in Germany who listen to kitschy pop like him.
Don't make caricatures and I won't talk about fat and ig.norant Americans who relish American Idol.