10 Best Fan Theories About Inglourious Basterds

10 Best Fan Theories About Inglourious Basterds

Like all Tarantino movies, Inglourious Basterds sparked a lot of discussion and debate upon its release, and Reddit fan theories are still buzzing.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

Inglourious Basterds marked many firsts for Quentin Tarantino, and it could even be looked at as the director’s rebirth. Not only did Basterds rewrite his approach to filmmaking in a lot of ways, but it was the first to see the filmmaker create an altered history in a big way, something that he would continue to do.

It was also Tarantino’s first movie that had one clear villain, and it wasn’t Hitler. Hans Landa is arguably the best villain in a Tarantino movie, and given the character’s mysterious background, fans have found him to be something of an enigma. Between the altered history, Landa’s background, and so many other loose ends, Inglourious Basterds abounds with fan theories.

10 It’s A Mirror Made To Confront Society

One thing that Quentin Tarantino is known for is the amount of violence in his movies, and he has been taken to task for it ever since Reservoir Dogs in 1992. But this theory argues that the reason why there’s so much violence in the movie is to prove that, under certain circumstances, everyone has the capacity to be violent.

The Basterds are supposed to be the “Good Guys,” but they are seen mercilessly killing everyone in sight, and the way they collect scalps is almost a sport. The Nazis, conversely, are rarely seen killing anyone, and Landa is even portrayed as amicable at times. Obviously, this is an entirely skewed version of history, but it could be intentional on Tarantino’s part, in order to force the audience to examine the nature of violence and draw parallels between the “good guys” and who they are up against.

9 Hellstrom Knew The Basterds Were Imposters

Bridget von Hammersmarck, Hugo Stiglitz, and Lieutenant Hicox were all in the tavern undercover as Nazis when they were caught out because Hicox held up the wrong hand signal for the number 3. But this theory explains that Major Hellstrom, who caught out Hicox in the first place, knew all along and was just toying with them.

There is plenty of evidence to back this up, too. Early in the film, the Nazi sergeant tells the Basterds that every Nazi soldier in France knows who Hugo Stiglitz is, and the scene was awkward long before Hicox threw up the British hand sign.

8 The Misspelling Of The Title Is Intentional

The title of the movie is famously spelled wrong, and Tarantino has never explained why. Some have speculated that it’s because the studio didn’t want to use the word “bastards”, and others have pinned it on Tarantino being too embarrassed to correct the spelling error after the screenplay was leaked. There is, of course, also an Italian movie that came out in 1978 of the same name (spelled correctly) that has a plot centered around a group of American soldiers who work to steal a Nazi warhead for the allies.

However, as fun as it is to speculate, the most plausible is this theory, which is that the title is written the way that Aldo would spell it. It would make sense, as “Inglourious Basterds” is actually scratched into the wood of the character’s gun. And given Aldo’s unorthodox choice of “career,” it wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t stick around in school for too long.

7 Tarantino’s Characters Are Violent Because They Learn About The Basterds In History Class

In a much grander theory about Inglourious Basterds’ place in the Tarantino universe of movies, one Redditor explains that the alternate history depicted in the movie is what made the other Americans in Tarantino’s movies so desensitized to violence.

The final act of Basterds shows America winning World War 2 in a brutal and horrific blaze of gunfire, killing Hitler. And as that’s what would be in the history books of the future characters in Tarantino’s universe, it explains why everybody in this world is so violent. The theory goes on to further explain how all Tarantino’s movie worlds are even connected. Thus, the violent history of the Basterds would hit even closer to home for some of the characters.

6 Shosanna Speaks English In The Cinema Scene To Avenge Her Family

When Shosanna is first introduced in the opening scene, Landa speaks in English with Perrier LaPadite so that she and her family won’t understand what’s going on. Landa uses the English language to murder the whole of Shosanna’s family, and she’s lucky she escaped. It’s likely that she learned English in the time since so that she wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

However, it could be that she spoke in English in the film she made (that plays while the movie theatre is burning down) because she is avenging her family, just as English was spoken when they were murdered. It would make sense if this is true, as it also gives more credit to the title of the chapter, “Revenge of the Giant Face.”

5 The Nazi Sergeant Sacrificed Himself To Save His Men

When audiences first saw the Basterds in action, slaughtering and de-scalping dozens of Nazis, three were left alive, and that was because the Basterds wanted to extract information from them. The first Nazi that is interrogated by Aldo refuses to divulge any information and he says he’s willing to die for his country, but according to one Reddit theory, that might not have been the case.

In the events leading up to this scene, it is widely discussed that the Basterds always only leave one survivor so that they can send a message back. The message, in most cases, is a swastika carved into their forehead. Knowing this, the sergeant sacrifices himself, so that one of his men can live to go back.

4 How Shosanna Escaped

Though it was Landa speaking English that ended up being the nail in the coffin for Shosanna’s family, it’s unexplained how Shosanna managed to flee so quickly without getting shot. The theory goes that it could be Landa’s speaking English that also gave it away.

Many fans might not have picked up on it, but Landa tells Perrier to go along with his masquerade when he switches back to French. “Masquerade” is the same word in French as it is in English, and that could be what made Shosanna realize what was about to go down.

3 Landa Didn’t Know Who Shosanna Was

Long after Shosanna escapes LaPadite’s farm, Landa and Shosanna meet again in a restaurant to discuss the film premiere. And though he acts like he doesn’t have any clue who she is, there were some clear signs that he did.

Considering his intense line of questioning and him ordering her milk, a call back to her living at the dairy farm, it may be meant to show that Landa knows and he’s just toying with her. However, one Redditor theorizes that as smart as Landa is, he didn’t have a clue. There is no way he would have let a Jewish person so close to the Third Reich, let alone sit at the table with them, no matter how much he likes to play games.

2 The Strudel Represented The House

There are more signs that point to Landa knowing Shosanna’s true identity. And at the end of their conversation, he says there was something he wanted to tell her, but he can’t remember what. He then puts his cigarette in the half-eaten strudel and leaves.

Some have speculated that the cigarette and the strudel are made to look like the house and chimney at the dairy farm. That may be a massive stretch, but looking back to the house, the two are pretty similar, and it could be more than possible that this was Tarantino’s intention.

1 Aldo Was Hanged

Aldo isn’t just one of Brad Pitt’s funniest performances, but he’s the source of the biggest question that has come from the movie. It’s something that was never even mentioned, and it’s regarding Aldo’s neck scar. Aldo surely has a whole backstory surrounding the scar that fans will never know, but it won’t stop them from postulating.

The scar is prominent, and it looks like a scar from a rope, leading one fan to theorize that Aldo escaped hanging by the skin of his teeth. What also gives this theory some weight is that Landa talks about a character called the Hangman in the first scene who is never mentioned again.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/best-reddit-fan-theories-about-inglourious-basterds/

• 10 Disney Movies Overshadowed By Frozen

• 10 Classic Pieces Of Literature With The Most Cinematic Adaptations

• All 4 Upcoming John Wick Movies & Spinoffs Explained

• 10 Things You Didn’t Know About XMen The Animated Series

• All The Drawbacks Of Apples $5 Apple Music Voice Plan

• 10 Biggest Fights On The Real Housewives Of Orange County

• 10 Actors That Could Thrive On The Great British Bake Off