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]

11:59 AM on 09/25/2009

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]

08:00 PM on 09/07/2009

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

[zukervati]

09:39 PM on 09/05/2009

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

[Marlyn]

04:54 PM on 09/07/2009

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

[zukervati]

11:51 PM on 09/09/2009

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]

10:13 PM on 09/04/2009

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]

11:11 AM on 09/05/2009

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

[ForeverXL]

06:32 PM on 09/05/2009

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

Just what we need......

[Sarcasm]

[KarateKid]

07:31 PM on 09/05/2009

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]

07:32 PM on 09/05/2009

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

[pseudochristians]

01:02 PM on 09/04/2009

themselves

[pseudochristians]

12:51 PM on 09/04/2009

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]

01:16 PM on 09/04/2009

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

[pseudochristians]

01:23 PM on 09/04/2009

no chit. the question still stand mein little duechlanders

[MorrisHattrick]

02:28 PM on 09/04/2009

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

[MorrisHattrick]

02:45 PM on 09/04/2009

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]

03:44 PM on 09/04/2009

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.

[IntellectuallyHonest]

12:46 PM on 09/04/2009

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]

01:01 PM on 09/04/2009

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]

06:44 PM on 09/04/2009

I actually have a script of mine for that.

[hulagirrrl]

08:15 AM on 09/07/2009

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]

01:21 PM on 09/04/2009

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]

06:49 PM on 09/04/2009

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]

02:43 AM on 09/05/2009

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.

[mamacat]

12:45 PM on 09/04/2009

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

[ModernTimes1]

03:45 PM on 09/04/2009

intellectual insects are not welcomed.

[MorrisHattrick]

08:17 AM on 09/05/2009

And yet you keep posting here...

[getoffthecross]

11:46 AM on 09/04/2009

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]

11:01 AM on 09/04/2009

Much in the same way Germans relish David Hasselhoff.

[ModernTimes1]

01:30 PM on 09/04/2009

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.