Symbolism In Inglourious Basterds

Quentin Tarantino’s controversial film, Inglourious Basterds, concentrates on a Jewish revenge fantasy through his perspective of a counterfactual history of events of World War II. The film focuses on hypothetical situation in which Jews were able to inflict righteous payback on their oppressors through powerful schemes, threats, and crude violence. Adolf Hitler and other high-ranked members of the Nazi party were gathered at the premiere of a propaganda film in the city of Paris. They were oblivious to the fact that two separate groups were attempting to commit mass murders to end the war. The accumulation of ahistorical events creates a version of the war that varies greatly from what actually occurred in 1944, giving an alternative ending. In this counterfactual version, the Nazi symbol was also appropriated. Lieutenant Aldo Raine would carve the symbol on the forehead of the German soldiers he spared. Raine did not like the idea that they would not be recognized as Nazis if they were to discard their uniforms. Therefore, carving the Nazi symbol on their forehead with a knife would leave a distinctive scar they could not take off, embalming them with the distinction for the rest of their lives. In the movie industry, this film fits …show more content…
Tarantino explained how his film examines “the tragedy of genocide… my Jews are going native and taking the roles of American Indians – another genocide. Then there’s a King Kong metaphor about the slave trade, that’s another genocide” (Setka). Counterfactual history is a means for a nation to discuss its past, specifically histories that serve to cover up its own dark past. It should serve as a means to discuss these matters in ways that will prevent such events from occurring in the future, rather than ignoring it all